Admiralty Judge
The Judge Official and Commissary of the Court of Admiralty of the Cinque Ports, to use the full title, is appointed by the Lord Warden.Until the early years of the 20th century, the Judge presided over sessions of the Admiralty Court, on behalf of the Lord Warden. Although still entitled to act in that capacity, in practice the position is now an honorary and ceremonial one.
Current Judge
The current Admiralty Judge is Sir Nigel Teare, who succeeded Lord Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony in April 2021. Sir Nigel sat as a judge of the Queen’s Bench Division from 2006 until his retirement from the High Court bench in September 2020. He was the Judge in charge of the Commercial Court and the Admiralty Judge.
During a distinguished career on the bench, he decided many of the most high-profile cases of recent years, across many different business sectors. He now acts as an arbitrator in London.
Judge Surrogate
The Judge has a deputy, known as the Judge Surrogate of the Admiralty Court of the Cinque Ports, also a purely honorary role.
Since 1991, this position has been held by Peter Sherred, formerly a solicitor in private practice in Dover.,