Cinque Ports

The Confederation of Cinque Ports (/sɪŋk pɔərts/) is a historic series of coastal towns in Kent and Sussex. It was originally formed for military and trade purposes, but is now entirely ceremonial. It lies at the eastern end of the English Channel, where the crossing to the continent is narrowest. The name is Norman French, meaning "five ports". They were:

  • Hastings
  • New Romney
  • Hythe
  • Dover
  • Sandwich
  • However, Rye, originally a subsidiary of New Romney, changed to become one of the Cinque Ports once New Romney was damaged by storms and silted up.

    Other towns also contribute to the confederation, including two Antient (see e.g.) Towns, and seven Limbs.

    "Antient Towns"

    The five ports are supported by the two so-called "Antient Towns" of Rye and Winchelsea, whose councils traditionally maintained defence contingents for the realm of England.

    Limbs

    Apart from the five ports and the two Antient Towns, there are eight other members of the Confederation, which are considered to be Limbs of the other towns. These are:

    Cinque Ports (1703 ship)

    Cinque Ports was an English ship whose sailing master was Alexander Selkirk, generally accepted as a model for the fictional Robinson Crusoe. The ship was part of a 1703 expedition commanded by William Dampier, who captained an accompanying ship, the 26-gun St George with a complement of 120 men.

    When the War of the Spanish Succession broke out in 1701, English privateers were recruited to act against French and Spanish interests. Despite a court-martial for cruelty to one of his crew in an earlier voyage, Dampier was granted command of the two-ship expedition which departed England on 30 April 1703 for the port of Kinsale in Ireland.

    Fateful voyage

    William Dampier's original companions dropped out of the scheme and a new agreement was made with Captain Charles Pickering of Cinque Ports. Cinque Ports was fitted out with 16 guns and a crew of 63. The two ships left Kinsale on 11 September 1703 with the intention of attacking Spanish galleons returning from Buenos Aires. When this plan fell through the privateers decided to make for the South Sea by way of Cape Horn. While the ships were off the coast of Brazil an outbreak of scurvy on board Cinque Ports led to the death of a number of men, including the captain who was replaced by 21-year-old Lieutenant Thomas Stradling.

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