Confederation of the Cinque Ports

CP

Confederation of the Cinque Ports

1327-1960

Catalogue of the records of the Confederation formerly stored at New Romney, temporarily deposited in the Kent Archives Office for listing and repair following an order of the Standing Committee held at Hythe in March 1960, and now permanently held at East Kent Archives Centre

The records of the Cinque Ports fall conveniently into three groups of which those archives listed below form one. These groups are (i) the records of the Confederation, (ii) the records of the Lord Warden's jurisdiction, and (iii) various records relating to the affairs of the Ports but belonging to, or stored at, the individual towns. Of these, the second group forms an entirely independent series relating to the Courts of Admiralty, Chancery and Lodemanage at Dover from 1496, together with some papers of the offices of registrar of the Cinque Ports and clerk of Dover Castle. The entire series was deposited by the seneschal of the Ports in the Kent Archives Office, County Hall, Maidstone, and is now held permanently at East Kent Archives Centre (CPw). The individual towns hold records of more direct interest to the Confederation and occasionally papers which strictly belong to that body or are closely associated with its records proper. In this manner are held firstly various copies of general charters including the great charter of 1278 [copies at Hastings, Hythe and Faversham]. Secondly copies were made or procured of the minutes of the Courts of Brotherhood and Guestling and many towns hold good series of these either in volume form as at Hythe and Dover, or as records of individual assemblies, as at Rye and Faversham. Thirdly, a variety of documents, circular letters, petitions, mandates and papers relating to limbs have accumulated in most of the towns, and fourthly, where the town clerk for many years held office as Clerk to the Brotherhood or a joint solicitor, there may be Confederation records among his papers. Thus at New Romney various documents clearly relating to the Confederation as a whole have been located, while Hastings holds the series of bailiffs' relations, 1640-62, the series of registrar's accounts, 1823-58, and the Brotherhood papers for the nineteenth century. (A useful, if brief, list of records occurs in KME Murray, Constitutional History of the Cinque Ports (1935), pp. 257-61.)

The archives of the Confederation formerly stored at New Romney consist of the minutes and ancillary papers of the Courts of Brotherhood and Guestling from 1432; charters of Charles I and Charles II; the Yarmouth proclamation and a series of bailiffs' relations, 1582-1643; and a number of documents mostly in the character of precedents to which must be added various custumals and other items acquired in recent years and given to the Ports. The most important records are the White and Black Books, being the minutes and orders of the assemblies of the Ports from 1432 to 1955. (A Calendar of the White and Black Books, ed. F. Hull, was published by H. M. S. O. as a joint publication of the Historical MSS. Commission and the Kent Archaeological Society in 1966.) Closely related to these two volumes are the Brotherhood files and papers, 1491-1828, which include many items not otherwise recorded and also provide a certain amount of background material for the minutes.

After 1726 periodic checks were carried out on the records at New Romney but, this did not prevent the loss of some items, notably the Ports' custumal of 1586 and the Lord Warden's Progress of 1694. Even in the present century the charter of Charles II was missing for a period and only good fortune saved it from destruction. (A detailed account of the vicissitudes which have faced these records is given by Major M. Teichman Derville in his monograph The Records of the Ports 1626-1956.) In 1930-31, the records were re-arranged and listed at the instance of the then Speaker, Major Teichman Derville (the result of this survey was given in Arch. Cant. vol. XLII.); but as a result of the still closer examination of the records now carried out a fresh classification has proved desirable and the new arrangement together with a note of the volumes and bundles as listed in 1828 and 1931 is given below.

Cat.Mk. Class of records 1828 list 1931 list

CP/B Courts of Brotherhood & Guestling

CP/B/1 White Book, 1432-1571 vii 1

CP/B/2 Black Book, 1572-1955 viii 2

CP/Bc/1, 2 Commissions, 1612-1857 v 13

CP/Bf/1-14 Brotherhood Files, 1517-1698 (Found amongst New Romney records and transferred on authority of the Corporation to the Cinque Ports records) - -

CP/Bi/1-3 Indexes - 3, 32

CP/Bm/1-3 Draft and printed minutes, etc., 1620-9, 1857-1959 - 20, 22

CP/Bp/1-428 Brotherhood Papers, 1491-1828 (4 vols.) xiii 7, 12, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 25, 29, 30, 31

CP/Br/1-43 Papers re Cadiz expedition, 1595-8 xiii 7

CP/Bs/1-8 Papers of Standing Committee, 1902-60 - -

CP/Bz/1-37 Miscellanea, 1516-1959 xiii 12, 30, 31

CP/C/1-4 Custumals, 16th and 17th centuries - 30

CP/L/1-9 Liberties, including charters and Honours at Court, 1328-1936 i, vi, xii 9-11, 13, 28

CP/W/1-7 The Lord Warden, 1522-1934 x 12, 23-7, 30, 31

N.B. This is now a separate catalogue, CPw.

CP/Y/1-5 Yarmouth Service, 1549-1673 including bailiffs' relations, 1582-1639, 1643 ii, iv, xi 4-8, 31

CP/Z/1-6 Miscellanea - 16, 18, 30

CP/B Courts of Brotherhood and Guestling 1432-1960

CP/B/1-2 Order books [Black and White books] 1432-1955

CP/Bc/1/1-11 Commissions to Brotherhood 1657-1857

CP/Bc/2/1-21 Commissions to Guestling 1612-1925

CP/Bf/1-23 Brotherhood files 1517-1929

CP/Bi/1-3 Indexes 1585x1905

CP/Bm/1-3 Draft minutes 1620-1959

CP/Bp/1-428 Brotherhood papers 1491x1828

CP/Br/1-43 Original file of Brotherhood and Guestling papers relating to the Cadiz Expedition 1595x1598

CP/Bs/1-13 Papers of Standing Committee 1902x1960

CP/Bz/1-37 Brotherhood miscellanea 1516-1959

CP/C Custumals 1500x1657

CP/C/1 Custumal of the Ports c.1625

CP/C/2 Customs book 1657

CP/C/3/1-3 Domesday of the Ports Early 17 Century

CP/C/4 Precedents de Coronacione Regis et Regine et de Shipweia 16 Century

CP/L Liberties 1327-1936

CP/L/1-3 Letters and Charters of Inspeximus 1327-1668

CP/L/4 Instrument of Surrender 1685

CP/L/5/1-7 Probi Homines Quinque Portus 1610-1691

CP/L/6/1-26 Estreats of issues of the Court of Common Pleas, Westminster 1688-1819

CP/L/7-9 Honours at Court 1685-1936

CP/L/10/1-10 Papers regarding the coronation of Edward VII 1829-1902

CP/W The Lord Warden 1522-1934

CP/W/1-3 Court of Shepway and installation of Lord Warden 1598-1934

CP/W/4-5 The Lord Warden's jurisdiction 1522-1746

CP/W/6/1-5 Courts of Admiralty and Chancery 1588-1645

CP/W/7 Agreement: courts at St. James', Dover 1574

CP/Y Yarmouth Service 1500x1673

CP/Y/1 Proclamation at free fair c.1600

CP/Y/2/1-42 Bailiff's relations 1582-1643

CP/Y/3 Precedents 16 Century

CP/Y/4/1-28 Lists of vessels going to Yarmouth 1630-1660

CP/Y/5/1-21 Miscellaneous Yarmouth papers 1549-1673

CP/Z Miscellaneous 1470-1959

CP/Z/1 Certificate of freedom from tolls 1750

CP/Z/2/1-21 Letters of process [New Romney] 1470-1522

CP/Z/3/1-24 Miscellaneous papers c. 1590-1763

CP/Z/4 Custumal of Sandwich post 1634

CP/Z/5 Minutes of Guestling [Lydd] 1631-1641

CP/Z/6 Letters concerning Ports' maps and records 1927-1942

CP/Z/7 Account of visit to Yarmouth 1928

CP/Z/8-10 Printed material 1902-1956

CP/Z/11-18 Teichman Derville collection 1618x-1959

Catalogued by Felix Hull, B.A., Ph.D., Archivist, Kent County Council, April 1960 - February 1963, revised 1979.

English

8 linear metres

Records are open for consultation unless otherwise indicated

The Cinque Ports

Head Port Corporate Limbs Non-corporate Limbs

Hastings Seaford, Sussex (until 1883) Hydney, Sussex

Northeye, Sussex

Pevensey, Sussex (until 1883) Bulverhythe, Sussex

Petit Iham, Sussex

Grange

Beakesbourne

Winchelsea (Antient Town) - -

Rye (Antient Town) Tenterden -

Romney Lydd Old Romney

Broomhill, Kent and Sussex

Orwelstone

Dengemarsh

Hythe West Hythe

Dover Faversham St. Johns

Folkestone Birchington and Wood

Margate (from 1857) Goresend

St. Peters

Kingsdown

Ringwold

Sandwich Fordwich (until 1883) Walmer

Deal (from 1699) Stonar

Sarre

Ramsgate (from 1884) Reculver

Brightlingsea, Essex.