T HE BAR ON S OF T HE

C IN U E P O R T S Q ,

AND T HE

PARL ENTARY REPRES ENTAT ON

H Y T H E

BY R E W L KS S T O WN C L E R K . G EO G I , E Q . , I DW D WIL L I M W KIN B T HE P N P N TO S R E AR A AT , ART . , RESE T RE RESE TA

IV OF T HE BOROUG H OF HY H IN P L I M N HI WORK T E T E AR A E T , T S

I M P C F L L Y D D IC D S OST RES E T U E ATE . P R E F A C E .

AN s T own s inve tigation as to the rights of the to the Foreshore , nece sitated by proceedings taken against the Corporation by the Commis sioners of Woods

s and Forests , disclosed among t the Records of the Town matters connected I with the Parliamentary History of the old Cinque Port , which thought might

- s be of some interest to my fellow town men , and possibly to others , for the local hi s tory of these small towns is one of those atoms from which one can gather the

h n history o f the country . To such towns as Hyt e we are indebted for the mai ten an ce of that municipal life which retained amidst many struggles the liberties

h s an d of the people against the encroac ment of the Crown and the nobles , preserved the rights of freedom and liberty amidst many attempts at curtailment .

r The principle embodied in their Cha ters was local government , pure and

w as . . simple . There no centralization They managed their own affairs Every

t s s freeman had a vote they axed themselve , chose their own Magi trates , elected their representatives to Parliament , and , as will be seen , paid the ex penses of the latter , who were bound to be Freemen of the town . Such was the government of Hythe four hundred years ago . The long period , some six

s centurie , over which my enquiries have been directed , and the desire to give facts rather than my own Opinion , have extended my work somewhat more than

d . a r e I intende As will be seen , there still many Parliaments in which I have

s I been unable to obtain the name of the Barons of Hythe , and shall be much t obliged for any information as to these , and for any correc ions or additions to the history of the diff eren t Members .

’ ie ll w - w I t o s . am indeb ed to my friend and to n man , Mr Mackeson ,

s r s who pre erved f om destruction many of the interesting letter , which were

d s condemned as rubbish , for placing at my i posal his valuable notes ; als o t o t M P . . . Dee d e s Lord Tweedmouth , Sir Edward Watkin , Bar , , the late Col , an d many others who have kindly supplied me with much information .

GEORGE WILKS ,

Town Clerk .

T HE BARONS OF T HE CINQUE PORT S ,

AND T HE

F HY PARLIAM ENTARY REPRES ENTAT ION O T HE.

K BY THE T OWN CLER .

’ ’ AUT HORIT IES L or d s Committee s Repor ts touching the D ig n ity of a Peer of the Rea l m Pa r l ia m en ta ry

’ ’ Retur o M em er tu s l ec ha r te ec d n f b s S bb S e t C rs S tu bbs Consti tutiona l Hi story a nd the Hythe T ow n R or s .

HY T HE of is indebted to Simon de Montfort , the celebrated Earl Leicester , its to for separate right Parliamentary Representation . In the War between

III . an d r Henry his Barons , the Cinque Ports took pa t with the Barons ; on 14 1264 the th May , , the Royal Army was defeated at Lewes , whither the Barons t had hurried with Londoners to the relief of the Cinque Por s , the King

a u was t ken prisoner , and his son , Prince Edward , soon after s rrendered to the victorious Earl . 14th 1264 e 1265 On December , , Writs for the Parliam nt of were issued

’ t he s of by the Earl in King name , the representatives Towns being

i . W e summoned for the first t me The rits were test d at Worcester , and o f addressed to the Archbishop York , and to the Bishops , Priors , and other

the Church dignitaries . The Writ addressed to Bishop of Durham (the other special writs being in the same form) recited that owing to the di s turbances

n which had taken place , Pri ce Edw