2007 THE ANNIVERSARY OF MARGATE S INCORPORATION AS A BOROUGH

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Baldwin Robertson
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2007 THE ANNIVERSARY OF MARGATE S INCORPORATION AS A BOROUGH Margate celebrates the 150th anniversary of its incorporation as a Borough in 2007. Prior to this, it was administered by Dover. Why Dover?

THE CINQUE PORTS The Cinque Ports date from the time of William the Conqueror, and refer to the five south-eastern ports of Hastings, Sandwich, Dover, Romney and Hythe.

1 2007 THE ANNIVERSARY OF MARGATE S INCORPORATION AS A BOROUGH Margate celebrates the 150th anniversary of its incorporation as a Borough in Prior to this, it was administered by Dover. Why Dover? Because of a fascinating piece of history stretching back over 900 years. THE CINQUE PORTS The Cinque Ports date from the time of William the Conqueror, and refer to the five south-eastern ports of Hastings, Sandwich, Dover, Romney and Hythe. Cinque is, of course, the French for five, although when referring to the Cinque Ports it is pronounced sink. These five ports were known as the Head Ports, and were thriving fishing and trading centres. In the thirteenth century, Rye and Winchelsea also became Head Ports and the formal title became The Confederation of the Cinque Ports and the Two Ancient Towns of Rye and Winchelsea. Until the reign of King Henry VIII, England did not have a navy so, to provide a means of defence, the Cinque Ports were required to provide ships and men to the King on demand. The requirement for Dover, Sandwich and Romney to Page 1 of 6

2 place ships at the King s disposal was recorded in the Domesday Book (1086) and it is likely that the arrangement started in the 10th century. The King first granted a charter to the Confederation in 1260, and by 1278, the men of the Cinque Ports - the Portsmen- were required to supply 57 ships, fully manned, for 15 days a year. In return, they were given numerous concessions, including: Honours at Court a privilege allowing the Cinque Ports to provide and bear canopies over the king and queen on their way to their Coronation. This privilege still exists, although today it is restricted to the Barons of the Cinque Ports attending Coronations and lining the aisle at Westminster Abbey. Courts of Administration and Justice originally granted to allow the Portsmen to govern themselves in local matters, independent of the King s and Ecclesiastical Courts. Now, this is a ceremonial privilege only, restricted to the Court of Shepway, which meets to confirm a new Lord Warden, and the Courts of Brotherhood and Guestling, which are called annually, or as necessary, to discuss the business of the Cinque Ports. Harry Vivian Ward, Mayor of Margate (left) and Edward George Den & Strond this entitled Butcher, Mayor of Ramsgate, Barons of the Cinque Ports in Portsmen to land their ships at Great Yarmouth in the herring season, without paying a fee, to dry their nets and administer justice at the Herring Fair. This much-resented privilege was ended during the reign of Charles II. Infantheff the right to judge wrongdoers taken within the Ports jurisdiction. Outgangtheff the right to pursue wrongdoers outside the Ports area and return them for trial at the Courts of the Confederation. Right of Wreck the right to any vessel, goods or fish washed ashore with the Ports jurisdiction. Page 2 of 6

3 Right of Withernam this gave Portsmen the right to pursue and enforce payment of debts through their own courts. It might be expected that Margate would itself be a Head Port, being in such a prominent position between London and the Continent. However, in the early days of the Cinque Ports, vessels navigated through the River Wantsum and Margate was a small and not-very-important community. Nonetheless, the Head Ports found their obligation difficult to meet and enlisted the assistance of smaller ports, which became known as limb ports. Margate was attached to Dover, along with Folkestone and Faversham. The other limbs were Lydd (attached to Romney), Deal, Walmer, Fordwich and Ramsgate (attached to Sandwich), Seaford and Pevensey (attached to Hastings) and Tenterden (attached to Rye). Records show that Margate provided 15 ships and 160 men to assist in the siege of Calais in 1347, so there is no doubt that the limb ports played their part in the Confederation. In return, they shared some of the privileges of the Head Ports as well as their protection. The importance of the Ports waned in the 14th century, not least because of the ever-changing nature of the Kent and Sussex coastline which left a number of the ports, such as Romney and Winchelsea, landlocked. The final downfall came in the 15th century, with the founding of A modern postcard showing (clockwise from top-left): Romney, the Royal Navy, which meant Sandwich, Hastings, Hythe and Dover. the end of the Ports requirement to provide ships. The Cinque Ports still exist, of course, but are now a part of the ceremony and history of the south-east coast. The office of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports was established in the 13th century to act as the link between the King and the Ports. Although a royal appointee, the Lord Warden swears an oath to uphold the rights and privileges of the Portsmen. The current Lord Warden is Admiral the Lord Boyce GCB OBE DL, who was sworn in on 12th April His immediate predecessor was HM Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother and another notable Lord Warden was Sir Winston Churchill, who served from 1941 until his death in Page 3 of 6

The coat of arms of the Cinque Ports is three lions passant guardant conjoined to as many ships hulls and this device is included in the majority of the coats of arms of the towns comprising the

4 The coat of arms of the Cinque Ports is three lions passant guardant conjoined to as many ships hulls and this device is included in the majority of the coats of arms of the towns comprising the Ports and the Limbs, including those of Margate. The Cinque Ports Coat of Arms This explains something of the background and history of the Cinque Ports, and we can now look at the administration of Margate prior to 1857, when it was under the control of Dover, and its incorporation as a Borough in that year. MARGATE PRIOR TO INDEPENDENCE As a limb of Dover for over 600 years, Margate s town magistrate was appointed by Dover and thus would have had control of the local town constables (police) through the Town Hall. Margate s Mayors, although local men, held the title of Deputy Mayor of Dover. Two notable Margate citizens holding this position were members of the Cobb family of brewers and bankers. Some years ago, I was asked the question: Where was the town gallows situated? After thinking about it, I suspect that Margate had no gallows site, as Dover was responsible for our justice system. On 15th September 1817, two Margate men, James Johnson and George Williams knowingly presented two forged 5 promissory notes to Emmanuel Levey, a Silversmith of Dover, with intent to defraud Cobbs, Margate (Isle of Thanet) Bank. They were tried on 4th November of the same year and found guilty, which resulted in them being executed on the 27th November near the Black Horse Public House in Dover. The report of their hanging states that they exhibited no symptoms of penitence or devotion, but adjusted the rope around their necks with great indifference. When the wagon was about to drive off, they shook hands with each other and one of them jumped off, thereby shortening the time of his suffering. His companion took much longer to die. Staying on the same theme, the last man to be executed in Kent was Sydney Harry Fox, who on 23rd October 1929 murdered his mother, Rosaline Fox, in Room 66 of the Hotel Metropole in Margate. This hotel, which is now demolished, was situated near the Droit House. After almost getting away with his crime, Fox was arrested in Norwich and brought back to Margate Police Station, which is now Margate Museum, from where he was transferred to Maidstone Jail. His trial began on 12th March He was found guilty, and on 8th April 1930 was the last person to be hanged at Maidstone Jail. Page 4 of 6

5 After two failed attempts at gaining independence from Dover, in 1735 and 1837, Margate at last gained her Charter of Incorporation on 29th July 1857 and so became the Borough of Margate. Her first elected Mayor was Alderman Dr. George Yeates Hunter. In 1865 he was re-elected but unfortunately died in office. The first Borough Treasurer was Mr F W Cobb, and Mr J Richards was the first Town Crier. The Borough of Margate existed until 1974 when it merged with the councils of Broadstairs and Ramsgate to form Thanet District Council. THE BOROUGH TAPESTRY To celebrate the centenary of Margate s independence from Dover, in 1957, local man David Gore designed a centenary tapestry. The tapestry, which is produced with coloured inks, was produced by Reg Foskett, a long-serving councillor who at the time was the Secretary of the Borough Centenary Committee. It was signed by many local councillors and organisation members and other dignitaries as well as, notably, the then Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, Sir Winston S Churchill. His signature is in the box just above the town crest. Mr Foskett s widow, Mrs Ivy Foskett, generously donated the tapestry to Margate Museum, where it is on display in the upstairs gallery. This article is based on material in Margate Museum Research Archive where much further detail and many photographs can be seen on request. Page 5 of 6

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