The Sovereignty of the Sea: An Historical Account of the Claims of England to the Dominion of the British Seas, and of the Evolution of the Territorial WatersFulton, Thomas Wemyss
History
The Sovereignty of the Sea: An Historical Account of the Claims of England to the Dominion of the British Seas, and of the Evolution of the Territorial Waters
Fulton, Thomas Wemyss
Fisheries -- Great Britain; Great Britain. Royal Navy -- History; Sea-power; Territorial waters -- Great Britain -- History
Long before the time of James the harbours, roadsteads, and at all
events some of the bays of a country were recognised as belonging to
it, in the sense at least that hostilities of belligerent men-of-war
or the capture of prizes were forbidden within them; they were
“sanctuaries” under the jurisdiction and protection of the adjoining
territory. With regard to the English Chambers, we find that in the
treaty which Cardinal Wolsey drew up in 1521, when acting as mediator
between the Emperor Charles V. and King Francis I. of France, it was
stipulated that during the war between these two sovereigns, the
ships, whether armed or unarmed, as well as the mariners, of either
side should be secure from attack by the other Power in the harbours,
bays, rivers, mouths of rivers, roads or stations for shipping, and
especially in the Downs or other maritime place under the jurisdiction
of the King of England.[230] There is little doubt that this article
only embodied in a formal manner what had long been the practice of
nations, the Downs being specially mentioned as the most important
anchorage in the kingdom.
When James decided to mark out distinctly on a chart the boundaries of
his neutral waters on the coast of England, the matter was submitted
to the Trinity House, and a jury of thirteen men, specially skilled
in maritime affairs, was appointed to prepare tables and charts
showing the position and limits of the King’s Chambers and ports and
the sailing directions for the same, according to their knowledge
of what had been the custom in the past. The charts and schedules
were presented to Sir Julius Cæsar, the Judge of the High Court of
Admiralty, on 4th March 1604, together with a sworn declaration that
they represented the true boundaries.[231] The chambers formed were
nominally twenty-six in number, the points or headlands selected by the
surveyors being as follows, beginning at the northern extremity of the
east coast and ending at the Isle of Man--Holy Island, Souter Point,
Whitby, Flamborough Head, Spurn Point, Cromer, Winterton Ness, Caster
Ness, Lowestoft, East Ness, Orfordness, the North Foreland, the South
Foreland, Dungeness, Beachy Head, “Dunenoze” (Isle of Wight), Portland
Bill, Start Point, Rame Head, Dodman Point, the Lizard, the Land’s End,
Milford, St David’s Head, Bardsey Island, Holyhead, the Isle of Man.
The extent of the “chambers” varies in different places; and while this
is obviously due on some parts of the coast to the contour, it is due
on other parts to a selection of headlands, no doubt according to the
custom which had grown up and was recognised among the officers and
others concerned. Thus the great bay between Cornwall and Devon would
have formed a natural “chamber” by a line, not so long as some of the
others, between Start Point, or Prawl Point, and the Lizard, and which
would have formed part of the girdle around the coast; whereas three
chambers are formed along its shores. On the east coast the “chambers”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account