The newly elected mayor of Hastings, Cllr Becca Horn, was invested as the Speaker of the Cinque Ports at an historic ceremony in Hastings on Wednesday (21st May).
Situated along the coast of Sussex and Kent, the Cinque Ports is a confederation of historical ports which for hundreds of years provided ships and sailors to defend England’s coast against invaders. In return, they were awarded special privileges by the Crown.
The Speaker acts as chair and principal representative of the Confederation of the Cinque Ports. The office is held by the mayor of each of the head ports (Dover, Hastings, Hythe, New Romney and Sandwich), and two ‘antient’ towns (Rye and Winchelsea), in turn. It passes from one town to the next, on 21 May each year, by a process described as ‘septennial revolution’. Cllr Becca Horn took over as Speaker from Cllr Emmet Csuka, mayor of Sandwich.
It is not known exactly when the office of Speaker was first created, but it has certainly existed continuously since 1357. It is older than the Speakership of the House of Commons, which dates from 1376. For centuries, these were the only two offices with that title but it has been used more widely elsewhere in more recent years.
Cllr Becca Horn said :- “It is a real honour to become the Speaker of the Cinque Ports, with its incredible history. From becoming a councillor in Hastings just last May, to being elected as mayor of Hastings last week, and now Speaker of the Cinque Ports, it’s quite a steep learning curve. But I am passionate about Hastings, and look forward to learning much more about the other Cinque Ports over the coming year.”
