6 



1/ 

 02 A. D. 1082. 



(comes littoris Saxonici) in the decline of the Roman power in this ifland- 

 The five ports, according to Bradon, an eminent lawyer in the reign 

 of Henry III, were Haltings, Hyth, Romney, Dover, and Sandwich, to 

 which Winchellea and Rye have afterwards been added as principals, 

 together with fome fmaller .ports as dependent members. Thefe towns 

 were bound to furnifh and man {hips for the defence of the kingdom 

 npon forty days' notice, in proportion, as may be prefumed, to their 

 opulence and commerce ; but for the quotas we muft wait for the more 

 copious information of later times *. 



1084 — The Venetians were now fo powerful in fhipping, that their 

 alliance (for there was no longer any pretenfion made to their allegi- 

 ance) was earneftly folicited by the Greek emperor to proted: his weft- 

 em coaft from the invafion of th-e formidable Norman chief, Robert 

 Guifcard ; and their fleet (in the year 1081) poftponed, though it could 

 not prevent, the furrender of Durazzo. In 1084 the Venetian fleet, 

 nine vefl^els of which were remarkable for their great fize and ftrength, 

 in conjundion with the emperor's own fleet, difputed the command of 

 the Adriatic fea with Guifcard : and in return the eniptror beftowed 

 on the Venetians a number of warehoufes in ConlVantinople, with many 

 commercial advantages over other nations in his ports, together with a 

 folemn renunciation of his claim to the fovereignty of Dalmatia and 

 Croatia. 



1086 — King William, that he might know the exadl: value of his de- 

 mefne lands throughout all England, and alfo the value of every other 

 eftate, whether belonging to the church, to incorporated cities or burghs, 

 or to private perfons, ordered a general furvey of the whole kingdom 

 to be made. This great work, which was probably an imitation of the 

 furvey made in the reign of Alfred, took up feveral years in the execu- 

 tion, and was not completed till the laft year of his reign, if indeed it 

 was at all completed, for the fliires of Northumberland, Cumberland, 

 Weftmcrland, Durham, with the greateft part of Lancafter, are omit- 



* Tlie date 1082 is here given upon the faitli lliips, and enjoyed privileges, in tlie time of the 



of Jcakes, the editor of The Charters of the Cinque Confeffor (See above, p. 293), though it is pro- 



ports, •with annotations. Sec. who lays, that, when bablc that the name of Cinque ports (evidently of 



William the Cuncjucror deprived his maternal bio- Norman origin) was not then iiied. In the Saxon 



thtr of the cuftody of Dover caftle, lie iiivelled times we find aflociations of five towns and feviii 



John Fynes with the olFice of conllahle of Dover towns under the colleftive names of fif-bnrgaa and 



callle and warden of the Cinque ports. But as fcofon-buigas. See Chron. Sax. ac/ an. 1015. 



the oldelt ch;iiter ext;int is that of Edward I in Lord Coke \_lnJUlutes, B. iv, ch. 42] fays, that 



127S, and hiltorians afford no fati.sfatlory informa- Dover, Sandwich, and Romney, were the ports of 



tion, it does not appear that the origin of the pri- fpecial note before the conqucif, that William the 



vilcges of the Cinque ports can be traced with any Conqueror added Hallings and Hyth, and that 



degree of certainty. Edward's cliarter refers to the antient townii of Winchelfea and Rye were af- 



iibcrties enjoyed by them in the reigns of Edward tervvards Annexed. But a charter of the (eventh 



the Confeflor, William I, William II, Henry W, year of King John refers to freedoms enjoyed by 



Richard I, John, and Henry III, all whofe ehar- Hyth in the times of luUvaid, William I, Wil- 



ters are loll. Erom Domefday book we are fure liam II, and Hcnry I. [Sec JcaLiijpp. 47, 121.J 

 that Dover, and apparently Sandwich, furuifhed 



