Anglo Saxon History Home Background Landscape Changing Landscape and Language Sea Levels in AD400(Pevensey) Sea Levels in AD400(The Wash) Sea level changes last 2000 years Andredsweald and Anderida Where are the Roman Roads History of the Romney Marsh The Great Storm 1287AD List of Landscape Documents Local The Haestingas The Cinque Ports 914AD Alfred the Great's fort in Hastings Battle Museum Battle History Society Villagenet Local Gazeteer World War 2 Tank database Simon the Piman(Raspberry Pi) Tourist Guides for the area Romans First Invasion 55BC Second Invasion 43AD Roman roads in Britannia Ptolemy Geographica Tribes MAP-Margary Roman Roads MAP-Roman Roads South East MAP-Roman Roads South West MAP-Roman Roads Wales MAP-Roman Roads South Midlands MAP-Roman Roads South Yorkshire MAP-Roman Locations Norfolk MAP-Roman Locations Essex MAP-Wealden Roads/Bloomeries Wealden Bloomeries 1st Century Wealden Bloomeries 2nd Century Wealden Bloomeries 3rd Century Wealden Bloomeries 4th Century MAP-Antonine Itinery I Roman Industry in the Brede Valley Decline in Roman Wealden Ironworking The Gallic Empire 260AD - 274AD Types of Roman Fortification List of Roman Documents Saxon Chronicles 449AD Hengest & Horsa arrive 455AD Hengest & Horsa defeat Wurtgern 457AD Hengest & Horsa take over Kent 460AD Hæstinga Saxons arrive 477AD Cymensora 485AD Suth Saxons Mercredesburnan 491AD Suth Saxons Pevensey 914AD Burghal Hideage Locations - 449AD Ebbsfleet Locations - 455AD Agelesþrep Locations - 485AD Mearcredesburnan Stede Locations - 914AD Eorpeburnan List of Saxon Chronicles Documents 1066 Battle Documentary Evidence Available Documents  1 Anglo Saxon Chronicles  2 Battle Abbey Chronicles  3 Bayeux Tapestry  4 Carmen Guy d'Amiens  5 Florence of Worcester  6 Henry of Huntingdon  7 Master Wace  8 Orderic Vitalis(Gesta)  9 William of Jumièges(Gesta) 10 William of Malmesbury 11 Quedam Exceptiones Reference to Locations Phases of the Events Phases 1066AD  1 Background 1066AD  2 In Normandy 1066AD  3 Channel Crossing 1066AD  4 The Landing 1066AD  5 Feast after Landing 1066AD  6 Building the Forts 1066AD  7 Raiding the Area 1066AD  8 Warning to Harold 1066AD  9 Stamford Bridge 1066AD 10 Harold returns to London 1066AD 11 William is Alerted 1066AD 12 Exchange of Messages 1066AD 13 Defenses 1066AD 14 Harold Reconnoitres 1066AD 15 Preparations 1066AD 16 The Night Before 1066AD 17 The Battle 1066AD 18 Harold is Killed 1066AD 19 The English Rout 1066AD 20 After the Battle 1066AD 21 The Malfosse Warriors, Weapons & Snippets Saxon - Huscarl Saxon - Fyrd(Fyrð) Senlac Hill The Malfosse The Hoar Apple Tree The Shield Wall Salt Production near Hastings The Battle of Jengland 851AD William's Ship List Norman/Viking Ships and stuff Norman bows and crossbows Harold was NOT killed by an arrow The Time Team view of the Battle 1066AD Landscape Details 1066AD Sailing from Normandy 1066AD Norman Landing 1066AD Possible Fort 1066AD to Pevensey and Hastings 1066AD Manors Wasted 1066AD Manors All 1066AD Warning to Harold 1066AD Harold to Hastings  List of 1066AD Documents List of 1066AD Weapons 1086AD Domesday Boundary of Anderida Domesday Hursts Post Domesday Hursts Domesday Manors Wasted UK Norfolk Salt Production Salt Production near Hastings The Wash at 1086 The Humber estuary at 1086 Domesday County details B Bedfordshire Domesday Population Berkshire Domesday Population Buckinghamshire Domesday Population Domesday County details C Cambridgeshire Domesday Population Cheshire Domesday Population Cornwall Domesday Population Domesday County details D Derbyshire Domesday Population Devon Domesday Population Dorset Domesday Population Domesday County details E Essex Domesday Population Domesday County details G Gloucestershire Domesday Population Domesday County details H Hampshire Domesday Population Herefordshire Domesday Population Hertfordshire Domesday Population Huntingdonshire Domesday Population Domesday County details K Kent Domesday Population Domesday County details L Leicestershire Domesday Population Lincolnshire Domesday Population Domesday County details M Middlesex Domesday Population Domesday County details N Norfolk Domesday Population Northamptonshire Domesday Population Nottinghamshire Domesday Population Domesday County details O Oxfordshire Domesday Population Domesday County details R Rutland Domesday Population Domesday County details S Shropshire Domesday Population Somerset Domesday Population Staffordshire Domesday Population Suffolk Domesday Population Surrey Domesday Population Sussex Domesday Population Domesday County details W Warwickshire Domesday Population Wiltshire Domesday Population Worcestershire Domesday Population Domesday County details Y Yorkshire Domesday Population Place names Translate my Location Celtic name snippets Jutish name snippets Roman name snippets Saxon name snippets Viking name snippets Norman name snippets Modern name snippets Villages containing EY/EYE/SEA Villages containing HAM Villages containing TON Villages containing CASTLE Sussex Locations with ING Domesday Sussex with ING Kent Locations with ING Sussex Locations with HURST Loads of Village Translations Res The Cinque Ports and Southern England   Introduction I will be trying to show how the Cinque Ports developed from the late Saxon times until modern times. Introduction The Creation of the Cinque Ports Documentary Evidence - Domesday Book 1086AD Documentary Evidence - Other Early Documents and Charters Documentary Evidence - The First Collective Charter Map of the Cinque Ports pre the 1287AD Storm The AD1287 storm on the South East coast of England The AD1287 storm and its effect on the independance of the Cinque Ports Map of the Cinque Ports after the 1287AD Storm The addition of the 'Limbs' and 'Ancient' towns to the Cinque Ports Map of the Cinque Ports together with their Limbs after 1287 Magna Carta AD1297 The Creation of the Cinque Ports ▲   Originally created by the ports of Dover, Sandwich and Romney during Edward the Confessor's times for mutual protection and trade.(the original charter was probably created out of a need to purchase the loyalty of a group of potentially troublesome ports that were of strategic importance to the control of cross-Channel traffic) Hastings and Hythe probably joined just after the Norman Conquest to create the original Confederation of Cinque Ports. By AD1190 Rye and Winchelsea who were part of the Hastings contingent had been accepted as 'Ancient Towns'. As an aside William the Conqueror landed near Hastings however Romney was reported as being destroyed because they killed all the sailors from some of the Norman ships. This was most likely caused by some of the Norman ships that were overloaded or taking on water, and the area near Romney/Langport was the nearest place to land. Once Harold had been defeated William went to Romney and then Dover before going to London, this was to ensure that the original three ports were going to be loyal to William and were not going to provide ships to the remaining Saxon Earls to provide sea transport so his troops were cut off.   Documentary Evidence - Domesday Book 1086AD ▲ The following texts are extracted from the Kent Domesday Book and refer to the Ports. Dover The Burgesses gave 20 ships to the King once per year for 15 days. In each ship there were 21 men. They did this because he had given over to them full jurisdiction. Whoever lived permanently in the town and paid customary dues to the King was exempt from toll throughout the whole of England. All these customs were there when King William came to England. Sandwich It pays the same service to the King as Dover. Langport (New Romney) But the King has all the service from them,they themselves have all the customary dues and other forfeitures for service at sea: they are in the hands of the King. Romney The King has all the service from them; they are exempt because of service at sea from all customary dues except three: theft, breach of the peace and highway robbery. Documentary Evidence - Other Early Documents and Charters ▲ Early mentions of the Cinque ports are as follows 1155AD HENRY II The five(Cinque) Ports are individually mentioned in the Pipe Rolls (accounts of the royal income and expenditure) 1189AD RICHARD I (The Lionheart) At his Coronation his canopy was borne over him by the Barons of Dover and the Cinque Ports 1191AD A Charter for Rye and Winchelsea 1205AD JOHN Charter for Hastings, New Romney, Hythe, Dover, Sandwich, Rye and WInchelsea confirming an earlier Charter 1205AD JOHN Charter for Lydd and Dengemarsh, Members of Romney   Documentary Evidence - The First Collective Charter ▲ The earliest Charter granted to the Ports collectively was dated 28 May by Henry III in AD1260. The first major official document of the Cinque Ports was created in a Royal Charter in AD1278 by Edward I, five(french cinque) ports were to maintain ships and defences for the Crown in case of attack and war,this document also referred to earlier charters which are now lost. The chief obligation laid upon the ports, as a corporate duty, was to provide 57 ships for 15 days' service to the king annually without payment, each port fulfilling a proportion of the whole duty. In return the towns received the following privileges: Exemption from tax and tallage tax and land tax right of soc and sac local laws and justice tol and team tax goods passing through and exemption of government tolls blodwit the right to punish shedders of blood fledwit the right to punish those who were seized in an attempt to escape from justice pillory and tumbril punishment of offenders infangentheof and outfangentheof local punishment of thieves mundbryce the breaking into or violation of a man's mund or property in order to erect banks or dikes as a defence against the sea waifs and strays the landowner to take ownership of goods or animals left or straying onto their land flotsam and jetsam and ligan flotsam - goods from a sunken vessel jetsam - goods thrown from a vessel to make it lighter etc ligan - object attached to a buoy, i.e smuggled goods In effect the Laws of the land did not apply to the Cinque Ports.   Map of the Cinque Ports pre the 1287AD Storm ▲   This Map is based on a Google Relief Map and shows the sea level at 4.5 metres higher than today to reflect the sea level at the time   Hastings was a fishing and major shipbuilding centre due to its proximity to the vast forest of Andredsweald it was in its own protected harbour most likely in the Filsham Valley.   New Romney(Langport) was a fishing centre, but was the entrance to the Rother where other ships were made in the Newenden/Bodiam areas again due to the proximity of Andredsweald   Hythe was a fishing centre but was relatively close to modern France   Dover was a fishing centre but was the nearest point to modern France   Sandwich was another fishing centre but was protected by a shingle bar projecting northwards from Deal and protected the Wantsum channel between Kent and the Isle of Thanet. The five ports are fairly evenly spread out along the coast providing good response speed to any offense from Europe   The AD1287 storm on the South East coast of England ▲   On the South coast of England in AD1287 there arose a dreadful storm which in changed the shape of the coastline. The harbour at Hastings(this was in the Filsham valley) was destroyed and its entrance blocked by shingle, the old town of Winchelsea and Broomhill(which were on islands offshore from modern Winchelsea) were washed away and abandoned. Winchelsea was resurrected on the hill behind Ihamme overlooking Rye and old Winchelsea, and is now a beautiful town with one of the first grid layouts in England. The thriving port of New Romney was turned into a landlocked town when massive quantities of shingle from further down the coast, along with mud and soil, inundated the town. This completely filled the harbour, blocked the river Rother and left New Romney nearly a mile from the sea with its church about 1 metre below the land and stains on the pillars marking the level of the flood. The river Rother, which ran through the town, was blocked by the storm and found a new outlet to the sea at Rye, 15 miles away, a course that the river still takes today.   The AD1287 storm and its effect on the independance of the Cinque Ports ▲   The economic effect this storm had on the Cinque Ports was that to remain independent they were still obliged to provide 57 vessels for 15 days' service to the king. Now this was impossible for the 5 ports and the 2 ancient towns as a significant number of ships had been destroyed by the storm, and also harbours blocked and towns destroyed. Map of the Cinque Ports after the 1287AD Storm ▲   This Map is based on a Google Relief Map and shows the sea level at 4.5 metres higher than today to reflect the sea level at the time Hastings lost a large proportion of its ships and men and the old Hastings harbour in the Filsham valley was now completely blocked. New Romney suffered even more as the river Rother was now blocked completely at New Romney and broke through the shingle bank where Old Winchelsea was located, about 10 miles(14 Km) away to the west. Hythe was badly damaged but still usable Dover was badly damaged but still usable Sandwich was now isolated from the sea by the shingle bar from Deal having blocked the Wantsum channel between Kent and the Isle of Thanet. This has made 3 of the 5 ports pretty much useless so to continue with their supplying of vessels to the king they allowed other places to join the Ports which then got the benefits of the Charter. Rye and Winchelsea were known as the 'Antient Towns' and the remainder of the other places were known as 'Limbs' of the main ports.   The addition of the 'Limbs' and 'Ancient' towns to the Cinque Ports ▲   So to mitigate the loss of ships and their supply to the King in order to keep their charter, the Cinque Ports organised other local ports to supply ships and crew, and in return these became 'limbs' of the main ports and were given the same benefits as the five original ports. The various 'limbs' of the Cinque Ports which meant they had the same privileges are shown below, had to help the main ports to allow them to provide enough vessels for the King during the 1200 & 1300's Hastings Ancient town of Rye(AD1190) Tenterden (limb of Rye)(AD1449) Ancient town of Winchelsea(AD1190) Guestling Bulverhythe Petit Iham (Pebsham nr Hastings) Northeye (an island in AD1287) Pevensey (an island in AD1287 joined before AD1230) Hydneye (nr Polegate - an island in AD1287) Seaford (joined before AD1229) Bekesbourne (nr Canterbury - inland now but on river in AD1285) Grange (nr Gillingham Kent joined before AD1285) New Romney Lydd(AD1155) Old Romney Dengemarsh (probably near Lydd) Oswaldstone (possibly near modern Greatstone/Littlestone) Bromehill (an island near to current Camber village) Hythe West Hythe Dover Folkestone(AD1313) Faversham(AD1302) Margate(AD1424) St. Johns Goresend Birchington Wood Woodchurch St Peters Ringwold Kingsdown Sandwich Deal Ramsgate(AD1353) Brightlingsea Fordwich Sturry Walmer Stonar Sarre St. Nicholas Reculver   Map of the Cinque Ports together with their Limbs after 1287 ▲   This Map is based on a Google Relief Map and shows the sea level at 4.5 metres higher than today to reflect the sea level at the time The Limbs of Hastings are shown as green settlements The Limbs of New Romney are shown as pale blue settlements The Limbs of Hythe are shown as orange settlements The Limbs of Dover are shown as purple settlements The Limbs of Sandwich are shown as yellow settlements The antient towns of Rye and Winchelsea are shown as purple castles Finally Tenterden is shown in dark blue and is a Limb of the Ancient town of Rye   Magna Carta AD1297 ▲   This is a translation of the relevent clause in the AD1297 Magna Carta that was signed by Edward I and included the Cinque Ports. (9) The city of London is to have all its ancient liberties and customs. Moreover we wish and grant that all other cities and boroughs and vills and the barons of the Cinque Ports and all ports are to have all their liberties and free customs. Copyright saxonhistory.co.uk 2013 - 2024 Contact Simon Author Simon M - Last updated - 2024-10-10 17:26:12 All pages on our site (Sitemap)