Admiral of the Fleet Lord Boyce, Lord Warden & Admiral of the Cinque Ports, Constable of Dover Castle died peacefully in his sleep on Sunday November 6 aged 79.
Lord Boyce was a career Royal Navy officer, commanded three submarines and a frigate, then rose to become First Sea Lord and Chief of Defence Staff. He was created a Life Peer in 2003 and was a crossbench member of the House of Lords.
He succeeded Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports in December 2004. The Cinque Port of Brightlingsea has had a relationship with him throughout his period as Lord Warden, for the then Deputy of the Cinque Port Liberty of Brightlingsea, Michael Hindley, attended Lord Boyce’s Installation at Dover in 2005. The Deputy and members of the Liberty met him subsequently at Sandwich.
On Choosing Day in 2013 the Lord Warden attended the election of Deputy Roger Tabor at All Saints, Brightlingsea, and was made an Honorary Freeman of the Cinque Port Liberty of Brightlingsea (the previous Lord Warden to attend the ceremony was Earl Beachamp in 1924). The Deputy showed Lord Boyce Brightlingsea’s Cinque Port Wreck-house, where his predecessors had exercised their Right of Wreck.
Lord Boyce returned in June 2014, with his wife Fleur, as guest of honour at Brightlingsea’s Blessing of the Waters. He raised his personal standard as Lord Warden and Admiral of the Cinque Ports as he went aboard the Skillinger Pioneer. He was presented with an engraved tankard with which he gave the toast “Gang Ho” when the flotilla of oyster smacks reached off Bateman’s Tower.
In 2018 the Lord Warden attended his second Choosing Day at All Saints’ for the election of the Deputy Peter Ball. Peter took Lord Boyce onto Priscilla, a Smack that had been recently restored by the Pioneer Sailing Trust. At Choosing Day lunch Peter presented the Lord Warden with his droit of oysters.
In 2019 Lord Boyce again honoured Brightlingsea’s Blessing of the Waters with his presence, and inspected his escort of sea cadets before joining the Deputy’s procession to the Hard.
During the meetings restrictions of the Covid pandemic in place in 2021, Lord Boyce kindly took part in a semi-virtual Blessing of the Waters in a Zoom event during which the Deputy Frank Pomroy ‘presented’ him with a virtual oyster droit. Lord Boyce ‘received’ the droit with a good-humoured sleight of hand!
In November of 2021 Lord Boyce cemented his close relationship with Brightlingsea by reviving the office of Lord Warden’s Droit-gatherer for Brightlingsea after a gap of 170 years. The post had held responsibilities for wreck and Fishes Royal. He issued his warrant to Liberty Historian Roger Tabor.
Lord Boyce had been suffering with cancer for some time but had borne it with his normal dignity and grace. He was fond of Brightlingsea and had brought his grandchildren to fish for crabs on the town jetty. He was a great friend of Brightlingsea and really enjoyed the camaraderie of Choosing Day Lunch with the Freemen of the town, accepting good natured, supportive calls of “Well done Boycey!”
