Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports

The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports is a ceremonial official in the United Kingdom. The post dates from at least the 12th century but may be older. The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports was originally in charge of the Cinque Ports, a group of five port towns on the south coast of England. Today the role is a sinecure. The title is one of the higher honours bestowed by the British monarch. It has often been held by members of the British royal family or prime ministers, especially those who have been influential in defending Britain at times of war.

The Lord Warden was solely responsible for the return of all writs to the Crown, along with the collection of taxes and the arrest of criminals. His court was held in St James' church, near Dover Castle, and there he exercised jurisdiction broadly equivalent to that of chancery. He also had a "lieutenant's powers of muster", and the constableship of Dover Castle, later merged with the warden's office, enabled him to keep a garrison and administrative staff, including the clerk and the lieutenant of the castle.

The Coat of Arms of the Cinque Ports first appeared in 1305, second amongst the earliest English known heraldic emblems, predating even the coat of arms of the city of London. The Coat of Arms of the Cinque Ports displays three ships hulls and three Lions passant guardant con-joined to these hulls, all in gold. These may originally have been Gules three lions passant gardant in pale Or (for England) dimidiating Gules three ships' hulks in pale Or. The Coat of Arms of the Confederation of the Cinque Ports are set out on a red and blue background and traditionally represents the 14 'Corporate' Members.

Creation and Appointment of the Lord Warden

The creation and appointment of the Lord Warden, once the most powerful appointment of the realm, by the monarch, was instituted principally after the portsmen sided with Simon de Montfort (Earl of Leicester) against Henry III, in the Second Barons' War, and was intended to provide some central authority over the Cinque Ports, which were essentially otherwise independent of the king's sheriffs. It was combined with the office of the Constable of Dover Castle. However from 1708 Walmer Castle at Deal was to be preferred as the official residence of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. The Lord Warden is also referred to as Admiral of the Cinque Ports with a maritime jurisdiction extending to mid Channel, from Redcliffe near Seaford, in Sussex to Shoe Beacon in Essex.

The courts of Brodhull and Guestling were established to protect the privileges of the Cinque Ports by the portsmen themselves. From the 15th Century these courts had been largely replaced by the Lord Warden's Court at Dover. From the 16th Century the principal business of the courts was the installation the Lord Warden and the court is now only occasionally summoned. The office continued to be a powerful one. In 1550 the mayor and jurats of Dover refused to accept a royal writ because it was not accompanied by a letter of attendance from the Lord Warden. The member ports' parliamentary representatives were appointed by the Lord Warden at first; this influence continued until the 19th century.

At the installation of a new Lord Warden, the Speaker of the Confederation of the Cinque Ports instructs the Lord Warden: "to undertake the duties of the Ancient and Honorable Office and to uphold the Franchises, Liberties, Customs and Usages of the port."

The office of Speaker has traditionally rotated between the affiliate townships every year dating from at least 1550. Inaugurations are begun on May 21, and membership is ordained through a longstanding maritime tradition of a principle of the prevailing winds coming from from west to east.

All Freeman of the Ports originally held the title "Baron of the Cinque Ports". The traditional title, which bears no relationship with those lords in command of castles, otherwise referred to as Barons is now reserved for Freeman elected by the Mayor, Jurats, and Common Council of the Ports to attend a Coronation, also now only in an honorary capacity.

The position of Lord Warden and Admiral of the Cinque Ports is the most ancient military honour available in England. 'Of the 158 holders of the office, only three have to date been commoners'.

List of Lords Warden of the Cinque Ports

The first authoritative list of Cinque Ports Confederation Members was produced in 1293 when Stephen of Pencester was Warden. The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports is appointed for life, but in the earliest of records this was not the case. The office of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports has be traced from the year 1226 from the appointment William de Averanch, although he was not the first incumbent of this office. The longest term of office was that of William Brook, Lord Cobham, who presided at the court for 40 years.

12th Century

• Henry d' Essex (about 1150-54)

13th Century

• William de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey 1204-06 and 1214
• Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent. 1215
• Geoffery de Lucy. 1224 (1230)
• William de Averanch 1226
• Robert de Ayberville 1228
• Peter de Rivaux 1232-34
• Walerland Teutonicus 1235
• Bertram de Crioill 1236 (intermitently until 1255)
• Henry Hoese
• Lord de Segrove
• Peter de Savoy 1241
• Reginald de Cobham, 1st Baron Cobham KG 1255
• Sir Roger Northwode
• Nicholas de Moels 1258
• Richard de Grey 1258
• Hugh de Bigod 1259-60
• Nicholas de Croill 1260
• Robert de Walerand 1261
• Walter de Burgsted 1262
• Hamo de Crevequer 1263
• Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford about 1264?
• Edmund "Crouchback", Earl of Lancaster and Leicester
• Henry de Sandwich
• John de Haia
• Sir Roger de Leybourne
• Henry de Montfort 1264
• Matthew de Hastings 1265
• Edward "Longshanks", Earl of Chester 1265
• Sir Matthew de Bezille 1266
• Stephen de Pencester 1267-71, then at intervals until 1298 (32 years)
• Robert de Burghersh, 1st Baron Burghersh 1299-1306

14th Century

• Henry Cobham, 1st Baron Cobham 1307
• Robert de Kendall 1307
• Henry Cobham, 1st Baron Cobham 1315
• Baron de Badlemere 1320
• Hugh le Despenser, 1st Earl of Winchester
• Edmund "of Woodstock", Earl of Kent 1321
• Sir John Peche 1323
• Baron de Drayton 1325
• Bartholomew de Burghersh, 2nd Baron Burghersh 1327
• William Clinton, 1st Earl of Huntingdon 1330
• Bartholomew de Burghersh, 2nd Baron Burghersh 1348
• Patrick Dunbar, 2nd Earl of March 1355
• John Baron Beauchamp 1359
• Sir Robert de Herle 1361
• Baron Spigurnell 1364
• Richard de Peinbrugge (Sir)
• Andrew de Guldeford
• Lord Lalymer
• Sir Thomas Reines
• Edmund "of Langley", Earl of Cambridge 1376
• Sir Robert Assheton 1381
• Sir Simon de Burley 1384
• John Lord Devereux 1387
• John Lord Beaumont 1392
• Edmund "of Langley", Duke of York 1396
• John Beaufort, 1st Marquess of Dorset 1398
• Sir Thomas Erpynham 1399

15th Century

• Henry "of Monmouth", Prince of Wales 1409
• Thomas FitzAlan, 12th Earl of Arundel and 10th Earl of Surrey 1412
• Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester 1415
• James Fiennes, 1st Baron Saye and Sele 1447
• Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham 1450
• Richard, Lord Rivers 1459
• Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick 1460
• Sir John Scott 1471
• Philip Fitz Lewes 1488
• Sir William Scott 1492
• Prince Henry, later King Henry VIII of England 1493

16th Century

• Sir Edward Poynings 1509
• George Nevill, 5th Baron Bergavenny (appointed, but resigned)
• Sir Edward Guilford (1474/9-1534)
• George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford (1533)
• Henry Fitzroy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset
• Sir Thomas Cheney 1535/1558
• Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle 1539-1542
• Sir Thomas Seymour, temporary joint Lord Wardenship between Cheney in 1545
• William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham
• Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham (son of above) 1597

17th century

• Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton 1604-1614
• Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset 1614-1615
• Edward, Lord Zouche of Haryngworth 1615-1625
• George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham 1625-1628
• Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk 1628-1640
• James Stewart, Duke of Richmond and Lennox 1641-1642
• Sir Edward Boys 1642-1646
• Major John Boys 1646-1648
• Sir Algernon Sidney 1648-1651
• Colonel Thomas Kelsey 1651-1656
• Admiral Robert Blake 1656-1657
• Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Winchelsea 1660 (unconfirmed term may have been father/son)
• James Stuart, Duke of York and Albany 1660-1673
• Colonel John Beaumont
• Henry Sydney, 1st Earl of Romney 1691-1702

18th Century

• Prince George of Denmark 1702-1708
• Lionel Sackville, 7th Earl of Dorset 1708-1712 (served three terms).
• James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde 1712-1715
• John Sidney, 6th Earl of Leicester 1717-1727
• Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset (1727-1765
• Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holdernesse 1765-1778
• Frederick North, Lord North (2nd Earl of Guilford from 1790) (1778-1792)
• William Pitt the Younger 1792-1806

19th Century

• Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool 1806-1827
• Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington 1829-1852
• James Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie 1853-1860
• Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston 1861-1865
• Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville 1865-1891 (not installed?)
• William Henry Smith 1891 (not installed?)
• Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava 1892-1895
• Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury 1895-1903

20th Century

• George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Baron Curzon of Kedleston 1904-1905
• The Prince George, Prince of Wales 1905-1907
• Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey 1908-1913
• William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp 1913-1934
• Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading 1934-1935
• Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon 1936-1941
• Sir Winston Churchill 1941-1965
• Sir Robert Menzies 1966-1978
• Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother 1978-2002

21st Century

• 2002-2004 Post vacant
• Michael Boyce, Baron Boyce from 2004

Further reading

• Brentnall, Margaret The Cinque ports and Romney Marsh London, 1972.
• Body, Edward The Cinque Ports and Lords Warden: a history in verse and prose. Kent Messenger, 1992

External links

• Official Confederation of the Cinque Ports (http://www.cinqueports.org/)
• Cinque Ports 1155-1500 (http://www.villagenet.co.uk/history/1155-cinqueports.html)
• Kent Resources Cinque Ports page (http://www.digiserve.com/peter/cinque.htm)
• flagspot.net Flags of the World Website (http://www.flagspot.net/flags/gb-cinq.html)
• Additional listing from www.eastkent (http://www.eastkent.freeuk.com/cinque/index.htm)
• A Background to Heraldry (http://www.briantimms.com/chf/01introduction.htm).