Portsmouth’s Early Story
A long time ago, the Romans built a fort called Portus Adurni, now known as Portchester Castle, near Portsmouth in the 3rd century. Later, the Anglo-Saxons named the area “Portesmuða,” which means a safe place (Port) at the mouth of a big river.
In 501, a warrior named Port and his two sons fought and killed an important person in Portsmouth. Some people believe Port was a pirate who started the town that year.
During the 8th and 9th centuries, Danish Vikings often attacked England’s south coast. In 787, Danish pirates took over the area. In 838, during King Æthelwulf’s time, the Danes came to Portsmouth and nearby places, stealing and causing damage. King Æthelwulf sent his soldiers to fight them, and although the Danes left, a leader named Wulfherd was killed.
In 1001, the Danes attacked Portsmouth again, destroying the town and scaring the people. However, the English fought back and defeated them the following year. After that, the city was rebuilt, but it faced more attacks until 1066.
Portsmouth’s Story: From Norman Times to Tudor Days
A long time ago, Portsmouth wasn’t mentioned in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, but nearby places like Buckland, Copnor, and Fratton were. Some people say that Portsmouth was started in 1180 by a man named Jean de Gisors, who was an Anglo-Norman merchant.
In 1189, King Henry II passed away, and his son, Richard I (who spent most of his life in France), came through Portsmouth to become King of London. Later, in 1194, King Richard returned from being held prisoner in Austria. He brought 100 ships and an army to Portsmouth and gave the town special rights. He allowed a yearly 15-day market, weekly markets, and a local court. People living in the city also didn’t have to pay an annual tax of £18 anymore.
King John, who came after Richard, ensured these rights stayed. In 1212, Portsmouth got its first docks, places to repair and build ships. Over time, the town became a key spot for preparing armies and fleets for war, especially against France. By the 13th century, Portsmouth was exporting wool, grain, and livestock.
In 1324, King Edward II ordered big ships from all nearby ports to gather in Portsmouth to carry soldiers and horses to defend land in France. Soon after, a French fleet attacked and burned most of the town. Only a stone church and a hospital survived. To help rebuild, King Edward III allowed the city to skip national taxes.
In 1415, King Henry V gathered his army in Portsmouth to attack France. This led to his famous victory at the Battle of Agincourt. Henry V also ordered a wooden Round Tower to guard the harbour, which was finished in 1426. Later, Henry VII rebuilt it with stone and built the world’s first dry dock for repairing ships. Portsmouth became England’s only Royal Dockyard at the time.
Henry VIII continued to protect the town by building Southsea Castle in 1539, expecting a French attack. He also expanded the dockyard to 8 acres and built defences like a long chain stretching across the harbour to keep enemies out.
1545 Henry watched from Southsea Castle as his famous warship, the Mary Rose, sank during a battle against the French. Historians think it either turned too quickly, letting water in through its open gun ports or wasn’t built properly.
Over the years, Portsmouth’s defences strengthened, but the town faced challenges like a plague in 1563, which killed about 300 of its 2,000 people. Despite these challenging times, Portsmouth remained an important town in England.
Stuart to Georgian History of Portsmouth:
A long time ago, in 1623, Charles I, the Prince of Wales, returned to Portsmouth after visiting France and Spain. Five years later, something shocking happened. A man named John Felton, who was a war veteran, killed Charles’ military advisor, George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham. Felton didn’t even try to escape. When soldiers caught him walking in the streets, he boldly said, “I know he is dead because I struck him with all my strength.” He was later executed, and his body was shown on Southsea Common as a warning. The place where this happened, the Greyhound Pub, is now called Buckingham House, and it has a special plaque to remember the event.
The Civil War in Portsmouth
When the English Civil War started, most people in Portsmouth supported the Parliament (who fought against the King). The military governor, Colonel Goring, however, sided with the King. Parliament sent soldiers to capture the town, and cannons were fired from Southsea Castle. Even people from Gosport helped by attacking from across the water. In 1642, the royalists (the King’s side) in the Square Tower surrendered. The governor and his soldiers were allowed to leave peacefully.
During the Commonwealth period (when there was no King), Robert Blake used Portsmouth’s harbour as his base for battles against the Dutch and the Spanish. When the monarchy returned, Portsmouth quickly declared Charles II as King.
Portsmouth Grows Bigger
Portsmouth became busier and more important after the Civil War. Ships like HMS Portsmouth were built here, and more vessels were made between 1650 and 1660. In 1662, Charles II married Catherine of Braganza in a unique church in Portsmouth. Catherine is said to have introduced tea drinking to England!
New walls and defences were built around Portsmouth between 1667 and 1685, making it one of the most secure places in the world. By the late 1700s, Portsmouth was a hub for explorers and soldiers.
Famous Journeys
1759 General James Wolfe sailed from Portsmouth to capture Quebec in Canada. He succeeded but lost his life during the battle. The navy brought his body back to Portsmouth and honoured it.
On May 13, 1787, the First Fleet left Portsmouth to establish the first European colony in Australia. This fleet carried people, including prisoners, who were sent to start a new life there.
Captain James Cook also returned to Portsmouth after travelling around the world on his ship, HMS Endeavour. Another ship, HMS Bounty, sailed from here, and there was a famous mutiny (rebellion). After this mutiny, the HMS Pandora was sent from Portsmouth to capture the rebels.
How Portsmouth Got the Name “Pompey”
Portsmouth has a nickname, “Pompey.” Some say sailors used this name when writing “Po’m.P.” (short for Portsmouth Point) in their ship logs. Others believe the name came from sailors who visited Pompey’s Pillar in Egypt or a ship called Pompee, captured in 1793.
Portsmouth’s Coat of Arms
Portsmouth’s special symbol, a coat of arms, features a golden crescent moon and an eight-pointed star. It was designed long ago and is still used today.
Portsmouth’s history is full of important events and famous people. It has been a place of battles, exploration, and growth, making it an exciting city with a rich past.
From the Industrial Revolution to Edwardian Times
In the early 1800s, Portsmouth became famous for building things quickly and in large numbers. Marc Isambard Brunel created the first machine-powered production line at the Portsmouth Block Mills. These machines made pulley blocks for navy ships, and by 1808, they were making 130,000 blocks a year. Portsmouth became the most significant industrial site in the world, with 8,000 workers and a massive budget of £570,000.
1805 Admiral Nelson left Portsmouth to lead the navy in the Battle of Trafalgar, where Britain defeated France and Spain. Because the navy depended so much on Portsmouth, the city became the most protected in the world. In 1808, the navy also started using Portsmouth as a base to stop the slave trade.
Around 1859, forts called “Palmerston’s Follies” were built around Portsmouth. These were meant to protect the city but were criticized because their cannons pointed towards land instead of the sea.
Water, Gas, and Growth
In 1811, people in Portsmouth started getting water piped to their homes. It costs £5,000 a year to supply about 4,500 houses. In 1820, Portsmouth got gas streetlights, making the city brighter and safer at night.
Portsmouth kept growing during the 1800s. New areas like Buckland and Fratton joined the city. By 1871, the population had reached over 100,000. However, there were health problems, too. In the 1860s, a cholera outbreak killed more than 800 people. To stop this, sewers were built, and houses near them were required to connect to the system.
In 1872, a scientific expedition called the Challenger set sail from Portsmouth. It travelled around the world to learn about the oceans.
Portsmouth in the Early 1900s
At the start of the 20th century, Portsmouth was known as the world’s most significant naval Port because of Britain’s large empire. In 1900, the dockyard had 8,000 workers, and during World War I, this number increased to 23,000.
In 1906, a new battleship, HMS Dreadnought, was built in Portsmouth. This ship forever changed naval warfare and started a race to build better ships.
Portsmouth’s history during this time shows how it became an important city for industry, the navy, and scientific exploration.
1913 Suffragette Attack in Portsmouth
In 1913, a big fire happened in Portsmouth because of a suffragette attack. The suffragettes were women who struggled to gain the right to vote. To get attention for their cause, they held many protests, including bombings and setting fires.
On December 20, 1913, the suffragettes started a fire at Portsmouth dockyard. The fire spread quickly because the area had many old wooden buildings. Sadly, two sailors died in the fire. One was an older man, and the other was a signalman. The fire caused much damage, costing the city £200,000, or about £23.6 million today. One of the battleships, HMS Queen Mary, had to be moved to safety to keep it from catching fire.
The fire was so big that it was reported in the United States. The New York Times even wrote about it with the headline, “Big Portsmouth Fire Loss.” The newspaper also mentioned that police had found papers planning the attack during a raid on the suffragette group’s headquarters.
The First and Second World Wars in Portsmouth
The First World War (1914–1918)
On October 1, 1916, Portsmouth was attacked by a Zeppelin airship. The Germans, who were fighting against Britain, dropped bombs, but it’s not clear if the bombs hit Portsmouth. Some reports said the bombs were missed and fell into the harbour instead of the dockyard. During the war, Portsmouth was essential for repairing ships, with about 1,200 boats being worked on at the dockyard.
Changes in Portsmouth After the War
Between 1920 and 1932, Portsmouth grew by adding nearby areas, including Paulsgrove, Wymering, and others. In 1926, after a long campaign, Portsmouth became a city. The town got the motto “Heaven’s Light Our Guide,” referring to ships going to India, as many British ships left Portsmouth.
The Second World War (1939–1945)
During the Second World War, Portsmouth was bombed many times by the German air force, known as the Luftwaffe. Between 1940 and 1944, there were 67 air raids on the city. Many houses were damaged, and many people were injured or lost their lives. On January 10, 1941, the Luftwaffe dropped a considerable number of bombs, killing 171 people and making 3,000 people homeless. Many buildings, including parts of the Guildhall, were damaged by fire, but the city’s essential items were safely kept in a vault.
Despite all the damage, the people of Portsmouth kept fighting, saying they would keep going until they won. The city’s harbour was significant during the war because it was where many soldiers left for the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944. On July 15, 1944, a flying bomb hit Portsmouth, killing 15 people. Even though Portsmouth was shot many times, its people kept working hard to win the war.
Portsmouth from 1945 to Present
After the War: Rebuilding the City
Many homes in Portsmouth were harmed during the Second World War. After the war ended, the city worked hard to rebuild. Temporary homes called “prefabs” were built for people who lost their houses. More than 700 of these prefabs were made between 1945 and 1947. The first permanent homes were built in places outside the city center, such as Paulsgrove and Leigh Park. These areas were constructed in 1949, and some were still being worked on until 1974.
Even though new houses were built, some places were still dangerous because of unexploded bombs, like in the area where the Hippodrome Theatre used to be in 1984. In 1955, a survey showed that 7,000 houses in Portsmouth were unsafe. So, in the 1960s and early 1970s, a plan was made to replace parts of the city, including Landport and Somerstown, with new council houses. However, people were not sure if this project was a success.
Changes in Work and Economy
During the second half of the 20th century, Portsmouth went through changes. The British Empire was no longer as mighty, and many shipbuilding jobs disappeared. In 1951, about 46% of people in Portsmouth worked in shipbuilding, but by 1966, this number dropped to 14%. The city worked hard to find new jobs for people. They built new industrial areas in Fratton, Paulsgrove, and Farlington, but many old industries like brewing and corset-making were no longer needed. Instead, jobs in electrical engineering became more common.
Even with these changes, Portsmouth remained an attractive place for businesses. In 1968, Zurich Insurance moved its UK office to the city, and in 1979, IBM set up their European headquarters there. However, by the end of the 1960s, the city’s population had dropped from 200,000 to 177,142 people.
The Falklands War and the Decline of Shipbuilding
In the early 1980s, the British government decided to close two of its four home dockyards, including Portsmouth. But the city fought to keep the dockyard open, and it was turned into a naval base instead.
In 1956, a Soviet ship called the Ordzhonikidze visited Portsmouth on a diplomatic mission. British intelligence wanted to learn about the boat, so a diver named Lionel Crabb was sent to gather information. However, Crabb never returned, and this caused a big scandal.
In 1982, Britain and Argentina went to war over the Falkland Islands. The British Navy left Portsmouth to fight in the war, and its success showed how important Portsmouth was as a naval port.
Modern Changes
In the 1990s, some important events happened in Portsmouth. In 1997, the royal yacht Britannia sailed from Portsmouth for the last time to oversee the handover of Hong Kong to China, which marked the end of the British Empire.
The city also changed some of its older buildings. In 2001, the naval site HMS Vernon was turned into a shopping and entertainment area called Gunwharf Quays. The famous Spinnaker Tower was built there in 2003.
In 2005, Portsmouth celebrated the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar with a big event, including a mock battle. The city also hosted essential events to remember the D-Day landings during the Second World War, with leaders and veterans attending.
Today, Portsmouth’s naval base is home to most of Britain’s surface fleet, and the city continues to be an essential place for the UK’s military and economy.
Read More: Portsmouth Economy: Defence, Shipbuilding, and Retail Growth