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New Romney is one of the main towns on Romney Marsh. The earliest record of Romney dates from 791 AD. New Romney is one of the original Cinque Ports of England and was a crucial part of Englands naval defence for much of its history.
Cinque PortNew Romney has been a Cinque Port since 1155 and the town has benefited from privileges awarded for providing ships and men for the King’s service. Both towns have changed little over the centuries retaining their charm and uniqueness.
‘New’ Romney is as ancient as the other Cinque Ports and is only called ‘New’ to distinguish it from Old Romney, the original port whose decline made New Romney necessary. As early as 1086, it was important enough to possess an imposing church, St Nicholas.
New Romney itself was destroyed as a port when the Great Storm of 1287 changed the course of the River Rother and made it an inland town. Even so, it continued to be a meeting place for the Cinque Ports courts and, right down to the present, it has retained its title of ‘Capital of the Marsh’.
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Privileges extended to the Cinque Ports for their Ship Service included: exemption from paying duty on goods, landing taxes, wharf and bridge tolls, the freedom to claim wrecked ships on one’s coast without having to pay salvage tax, freedom to trade at will without paying market fees and the right to dry nets and catches on the shore at Yarmouth - a privilege of great importance.
Today, most of the privileges have disappeared and the role of the Cinque Ports is purely ceremonial. |
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| For more information contact: |
New Romney Visitor Centre
Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway Station
Station Road
New Romney
Kent
TN28 8PL
United Kingdom |
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| Telephone: |
+44 (0)1303 267799 |
| Website: |
http://www.discoverfolkestone.co.uk |
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