Henry de Cobham, 1st Baron Cobham

Henry de Cobham, 1st Baron Cobham, (1260-1339) was Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports in 1307. He also held the titles of Sheriff of Kent, Constable of Canterbury, Tonbridge, Dover and Rochester Castles, all in Kent, England.

Henry Cobham was the son of John de Cobham, of Cobham and Cowling, and Sheriff of Kent, by Joan de Septvans. Sometime prior to 1285, Henry married Maud de Moreville, the daughter of Eudes de Moreville, widow of Matthew de Columbers. The family's coat of arms is as follows: Gules semy of fleurs-de-lis or, a cross argent.

The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports is a ceremonial official in the United Kingdom. The post dates from at least the 12th century but may be older. The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports was originally in charge of the Cinque Ports, a group of five port towns on the south coast of England. Today the role is a sinecure and an honorary title. The title is one of the higher honours bestowed by the Sovereign. It has often been held by members of the Royal Family or Prime Ministers, especially those who have been influential in defending Britain at times of war.

The Lord Warden was solely responsible for the return of all writs to the Crown, along with the collection of taxes and the arrest of criminals. His court was held in St James's church, near Dover Castle, and there he exercised jurisdiction broadly equivalent to that of Chancery. He also had a "lieutenant's powers of muster", and the Constableship of Dover Castle, later added to the Warden's office, enabled him to keep a garrison and administrative staff, including the Clerk and the Lieutenant of the Castle.

The Coat of Arms of the Cinque Ports first appeared in 1305, second amongst the earliest English known heraldic emblems, predating even the coat of arms of the City of London. The Coat of Arms of the Cinque Ports displays three ships' hulls and three Lions passant guardant con-joined to these hulls, all in gold. These may originally have been Gules three lions passant gardant in pale Or (for England) dimidiating Gules three ships' hulks in pale Or. The Coat of Arms of the Confederation of the Cinque Ports is set out on a red and blue background and traditionally represents the 14 'Corporate' Members.

The creation and appointment of the Lord Warden, once the most powerful appointment of the realm, by the Sovereign was instituted principally after the portsmen sided with the Earl of Leicester against King Henry III, in the Second Barons' War, and was intended to provide some central authority over the Cinque Ports, which were essentially otherwise independent of the King's sheriffs. It was combined with the office of Constable of Dover Castle. However from 1708 Walmer Castle at Deal was to be preferred as the official residence of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. The Lord Warden also holds the office of Admiral of the Cinque Ports with a maritime jurisdiction extending to the middle of the English Channel, from Redcliffe near Seaford, in Sussex to Shoe Beacon in Essex.

The courts of Brodhull and Guestling were established to protect the privileges of the Cinque Ports by the portsmen themselves. From the 15th Century these courts had been largely replaced by the Lord Warden's Court at Dover. From the 16th Century the principal business of the courts was the installation the Lord Warden and the court is now only occasionally summoned. The office continued to be a powerful one. In 1550 the Mayor and Jurats of Dover refused to accept a Royal Writ because it was not accompanied by a letter of attendance from the Lord Warden. The member ports' parliamentary representatives were appointed by the Lord Warden at first; this influence continued until the 19th century.

At the installation of a new Lord Warden, the Speaker of the Confederation of the Cinque Ports instructs the Lord Warden: "to undertake the duties of the Ancient and Honourable Office and to uphold the Franchises, Liberties, Customs and Usages of the port."

The office of Speaker has traditionally rotated between the affiliate townships every year dating from at least 1550. Inaugurations are begun on 21 May, and membership is ordained through a longstanding maritime tradition of a principle of the prevailing winds coming from west to east.

All Freemen of the Ports originally held the title "Baron of the Cinque Ports". The traditional title, which bears no relationship with those lords in command of castles, otherwise referred to as Barons, is now reserved for Freemen elected by the Mayor, Jurats, and Common Council of the Ports to attend a Coronation, also now only in an honorary capacity.

The position of Lord Warden and Admiral of the Cinque Ports is the most ancient military honour available in England. Of the 158 holders of the office, only three have to date been commoners.

List of Lords Warden of the Cinque Ports

The first authoritative list of Cinque Ports Confederation Members was produced in 1293 when Stephen of Pencester was Warden. The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports is appointed for life, but in the earliest of records this was not the case. The office of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports has been traced from the year 1226 from the appointment William de Averanch, although he was not the first incumbent of this office. The longest term of office was that of William Brook, Lord Cobham, who presided at the court for 40 years.

12th Century

Henry d'Essex (about 1150-54)

13th Century

William de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey 1204-06 and 1214

Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent 1215

Geoffery de Lucy 1224 (1230)

William de Averanch 1226

Robert de Ayberville 1228

Peter de Rivaux 1232-34

Walerland Teutonicus 1235

Bertram de Crioill 1236 (intermittently until 1255)

Henry Hose

Lord de Segrove

Peter de Savoy 1241

Reginald de Cobham, 1st Baron Cobham 1255

Sir Roger Northwode

Nicholas de Moels 1258

Richard de Grey 1258

Hugh de Bigod 1259-60

Nicholas de Croill 1260

Robert de Walerand 1261

Walter de Burgsted 1262

Hamo de Crevequer 1263

Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford about 1264?

Edmund Crouchback, 1st Earl of Lancaster???

Henry de Sandwich ???

John de Haia???

Sir Roger de Leybourne???

Henry de Montfort 1264?

Matthew de Hastings 1265

Edward "Longshanks", Earl of Chester 1265

Sir Matthew de Bezille 1266

Stephen de Pencester 1267-71, then at intervals until 1298 (32 years)

Robert de Burghersh, 1st Baron Burghersh 1299-1306

[edit]14th Century

Henry Cobham, 1st Baron Cobham 1307

Robert de Kendall 1307

Henry Cobham, 1st Baron Cobham 1315

Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere 1320

Hugh le Despenser, 1st Earl of Winchester 1320

Edmund "of Woodstock", Earl of Kent 1321

Sir John Peche 1323

Ralph Basset, 3rd Baron Basset de Drayton 1325

Bartholomew de Burghersh, 1st Baron Burghersh 1327

William de Clinton, 1st Earl of Huntingdon 1330

Bartholomew de Burghersh, 1st Baron Burghersh 1348

Patrick Dunbar, 2nd Earl of March 1355

John Beauchamp, 3rd Baron Beauchamp 1359

Sir Robert de Herle 1361

Baron Spigurnell 1364

Richard de Peinbrugge (Sir)

Andrew de Guldeford

William Latimer, 4th Baron Latimer 1374

Sir Thomas Reines

Edmund of Langley, Earl of Cambridge 1376

Sir Robert Assheton 1381

Sir Simon de Burley 1384

John Devereux, 2nd Baron Devereux 1387

John Beaumont, 4th Baron Beaumont 1392

Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York 1396

John Beaufort, 1st Marquess of Dorset 1398

Sir Thomas Erpingham 1399

15th Century

Henry "of Monmouth", Prince of Wales 1409

Thomas FitzAlan, 12th Earl of Arundel and 10th Earl of Surrey 1412

Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester 1415

James Fiennes, 1st Baron Saye and Sele 1447

Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham 1450

Richard, Lord Rivers 1459

Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick 1460

Sir John Scott 1471

Philip Fitz Lewes 1488

Sir William Scott 1492

Prince Henry, later King Henry VIII of England 1493

16th Century

Sir Edward Poyning 1509

George Nevill, 5th Baron Bergavenny (appointed, but resigned)

Sir Edward Guilford (1474/9-1534)

George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford (1533)

Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset

Sir Thomas Cheney 1535/1558

Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle 1539-1542

Sir Thomas Seymour, temporary joint Lord Wardenship between Cheney in 1545

William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham

Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham (son of above) 1597

17th century

Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton 1604-1614

Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset 1614-1615

Edward, Lord Zouche of Haryngworth 1615-1625

George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham 1625-1628

Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk 1628-1640

James Stewart, Duke of Richmond and Lennox 1641-1642

Sir Edward Boys 1642-1646

Major John Boys 1646-1648

Sir Algernon Sydney 1648-1651

Colonel Thomas Kelsey 1651-1656

Admiral Robert Blake 1656-1657

Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Winchilsea 1660 (unconfirmed term may have been father/son)

James Stuart, Duke of York and Albany 1660-1673

Colonel John Beaumont 1673-1691

Henry Sydney, 1st Earl of Romney 1691-1702

18th century

Prince George of Denmark 1702-1708

Lionel Sackville, 7th Earl of Dorset 1708-1712 (served three terms)

James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde 1712-1715

John Sidney, 6th Earl of Leicester 1717-1727

Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset 1727-1765

Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness 1765-1778

Frederick North, Lord North (2nd Earl of Guilford from 1790) 1778-1792

William Pitt the Younger 1792-1806

19th century

Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool 1806-1827

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington 1829-1852

James Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie 1853-1860

Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston 1860-1865

Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville 1865-1891 (not installed?)

William Henry Smith 1891 (not installed?)

Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava 1892-1895

Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury 1895-1903

20th century

George Curzon, 1st Baron Curzon of Kedleston 1904-1905

The Prince George, Prince of Wales 1905-1907

Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey 1908-1913

William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp 1913-1934

Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading 1934-1935

Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon 1936-1941

Sir Winston Churchill 1941-1965

Sir Robert Menzies, Prime Minister of Australia 1966-1978

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother 1978-2002www.findagrave.com

Henry de Cobham
BIRTH 1260
Cobham, Gravesham Borough, Kent, England
DEATH 25 Aug 1339 (aged 78–79)
Hatch Beauchamp, Taunton Deane Borough, Somerset, England
BURIAL
St Mary The Virgin Churchyard
Stoke-sub-Hamdon, South Somerset District, Somerset, England
PLOT
Beauchamp Chapel of the church
MEMORIAL ID 80422386

Family Members
Parents
John de Cobham
1240–1300
Joane Septvans Cobham
1240–1298

Children
Sir John Cobham
1290–1355
Thomas de Cobham
1323–1366

[edit]21st century

Admiral Michael Boyce, Baron Boyce from 2004