an appellation given to five port-towns, situated on the coast of Kent and Sussex, over-against France, and famous in English history.

The cinque ports are Hastings, Dover, Hithe, Romney, and Sandwich; which have had large privileges granted them, on account of their former great importance, being then not only the keys of the kingdom, but considerable for their maritime strength: thus, we are told, that they were obliged to provide eighty ships at their own charge for forty days, as often as the king should have occasion in his wars.

Cinque-port is also a particular kind of fishing-net much used in standing water, so called on account of the five entrances into it.