The Confederation of
Cinque Ports () is a historic series of coastal towns in
Kent and
Sussex. It was originally formed for military and trade purposes, but is now entirely ceremonial. It lies at the eastern end of the
English Channel, where the crossing to the continent is narrowest. The name is
Norman French, meaning "five ports". They were:
However,
Rye, originally a subsidiary of New Romney, changed to become one of the Cinque Ports once New Romney was damaged by storms and
silted up.