Cinque Ports Smugglers Living History Society

11/10/2026

06/10/2026

More from Battles Through History 2026

06/10/2026

Cinque Ports Smugglers at Battles Through History 2026

06/10/2026

What is a Cinque Port?

A Cinque Port (pronounced “sink port”) was one of a group of historic coastal towns in south-east England that were granted special privileges by the Crown in return for providing ships and sailors for the kingdom’s defence.
The original five ports were Hastings, New Romney, Hythe, Dover, and Sandwich. The name comes from the Norman French word cinque, meaning “five”. During the Middle Ages these ports played a vital role in protecting England, facilitating trade, and maintaining communication with the continent.

In return for their naval service, the Cinque Ports received valuable rights, including self-government, tax exemptions, and trading privileges. Although their military importance declined as the Royal Navy developed, the Cinque Ports remain an important part of England’s maritime heritage. Several towns, including Folkestone, were later associated with the confederation as “limbs” of the original ports.

14/08/2026

09/08/2026

Email address added :

[email protected]

We would love to hear from anyone organising an event, be it private, civic or public, who would like to add a bit of real history (all members have full liability insurance) to their proceedings at a very reasonable cost.

28/07/2026

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The Dust Cutter, whose real identity remains a mystery, is studying this Act of Parliament for loopholes.

Until the Commutation Act of 1784, the tax on imported tea was 119%. This meant that only the very wealthy could afford to drink legally imported tea. Of course tea was also imported illegally - through smuggling or free trading.

Because tea was such a valuable commodity, tea merchants and packers would employ dust women to sweep up the tea leaves off the warehouse floors to be reintegrated into their products. These sweepings were known as dust.

Merchants and packers were also known to make their products stretch further by mixing the dust with the dried leaves of other trees and shrubs, including blackthorn, ash and elder. This practice was known as cutting.

This Act of 1776 made the practice of dust cutting illegal. The punishment for being found in possession of fabricated or imitation tea was £5 per pound of leaves or, in the event of nonpayment, between six and 12 months in gaol.

20/07/2026