Cinque Ports Castle, and whilst this office exists today, it is now a purely honorary title, with an official residence at Walmer Castle. The town of Hastings was the head port of the Cinque Ports in mediaeval times. The towns also had their own system of courts. All Freemen of the ports, termed "portsmen", were deemed in the age of Feudalism to be barons, and thus members of the baronage entitled to attend the king's parliament - a privilege granted in 1322 in recognition of their earlier support of the Despensers, father and son. Termed "Barons of the Cinque Ports", they reflected
Cinque Ports Fortress Royal Engineers Fourth Army by the time of the Armistice, while 547 Company moved to VI Corps in September and to Third Army by November 1918. 546th and 547th Army Field Companies were disbanded in France on 4 June 1919 and 1 May 1919 respectively. When the TF was constituted as the Territorial Army in the 1920s, the Cinque Ports (Fortress) RE was reformed as three Lights Companies, forming part of the Coast Defence Troops in 44th (Home Counties) Divisional Area. During World War II the Cinque Ports Fortress RE once again provided a field unit: 579 Army Field Company, formed in