Brightlingsea Town Guide

The Cinque Ports

Although much of the traditional ceremony carried out at Brightlingsea in connection with the famous Cinque Ports, of which the port is proud of it be known as a non-corporate member of Sandwich, concerns itself with the town, and is managed by officials of civic rather than maritime experience, the Cinque Ports themselves are closely associated with interests of the sea, and the original five mother port’s of Hastings, Sandwich, Dover, Romney and Hythe, were all well-known seaports of the Kent and Sussex coasts.
Of the many traditions in which our country is so rich it, and is so proud to maintain, those of the Cinque Ports, and there vital services to the nation, are probably among the least known and very little referred to. Perhaps this is partly due to the fact that so little has been written about them, and records of their origin, and history are vague, and very scanty. But although the dignity of the Cinque Ports is now little more than decorative, it is the inheritance of a great past. Very few, for instance realise that for centuries, ships who passed any ship belonging to the Cinque Ports were required by law to dip their top sales in recognition of the guardianship of the nation’s safety and honour upon the sea, for which the Cinque Ports were responsible.

It is probable that the five original ports’ came into being well over a 1000 years ago. It is known that when that the Saxons came to this country after the Romans had left, they had to make provisions against possible attack upon their shores, for even as today, no shore was more vulnerable than the shores of Kent, and Sussex, in all probability this protection of their coast came to be recognised as a protection to the country itself, and as such was rewarded by a Royal acknowledgement. It is possible therefore that the protection of the shores by the Saxons was the forerunner of the Cinque Ports themselves.
Years later, a large group of less important coastal villages came to be greatly attached to the main ports, these were known as "Limbs", and the reason for the association was the increasing demand of the Crown upon the ports as the duties of the sea surface became more urgent, and more exacting. These "Limbs" were endowed with practically all the privileges of their Head Ports, and were known as Corporate members, governed by a deputy from the mother port, and occasionally they had corporations of their own and we are entitled to claim the title of Baron for their Burgesses. Then there was another class added, known as non-corporate Limbs, who too, were governed by a deputy appointed by the Head Port. All these Limbs seemed to have been attached as the need arose for further contributions of ships and men, and the national emergencies became more difficult.
Brightlingsea was one of these Non-corporate Limbs, being made a Limb of the Head Port of Sandwich, and had distinction of being the only member outside the counties of Kent and Sussex. How Brightlingsea secured her alliance with Sandwich is not known, but it is suggested that Brightlingsea oysters were a big attraction to the men of Sandwich. It may also be a reward for the service either in ships or men, or both, at times of national emergency, as records suggest they did, from time to time

The same traditions that apply to the parent Port of Sandwich are observed in the main by Brightlingsea, and perhaps one of the more interesting, and more important, is the election each year of a Deputy to the Mayor of Sandwich, known as "The Deputy", the election itself be known as "Choosing Day". This traditional ceremony can be traced back to the year 1559 remained in abeyance for about 83 years, and was resuscitated in 1887 by Mr. John Bateman, and since then it has carried on with all its original dignity and civic ceremony, at the Old Parish Church, the Choosing ceremony takes place way up in the Belfry tower.

At this ceremony, six citizens are chosen each year, in addition to the Deputy, to be the Deputies Assistants, who attend with him at the various civic functions. Another interesting proceedings is the election of Freeman, my formerly known as Jurats, the qualification for which demands that the applicant should be either.

1. Brightlingsea born.
2. To marry a Brightlingsea born woman. Or
3. Shall have resided in the parish of Brightlingsea for it least the year at the day.