Cinque Ports
geographical name
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Definition of Cinque Ports
group of seaports in southeastern England in Kent and Sussex
Note: The Cinque Ports—Dover, Sandwich, Romney, Hastings, and Hyth (to which were later added Winchelsea, Rye, and other minor places)—were granted privileges by the crown in medieval times in return for sea service in defense of the coast. They gradually declined in importance after the 14th century.