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Portsmouth
Portsmouth city (1991 pop. 174,218) and district, Hampshire, S England, on Spithead Channel. The district includes Portsea (naval station), Southsea (residential district and resort), and the old town of Portsmouth proper. Since Henry VII had stone fortifications and docks built there, Portsmouth city has almost continuously been Britain's foremost naval base. There are also aircraft-engineering and other industries, and tourism is important. The Cathedral of St. Thomas of Canterbury dates partly from the 12th cent. Southsea Castle was built under Henry VIII. The 1st duke of Buckingham was assassinated in Buckingham House (then the Spotted Dog Inn) in Portsmouth in 1628. The house in which Charles Dickens was born has been converted into a museum, as has H.M.S. Victory, Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar in 1805; both are major attractions. Charles II married Catherine of Braganza in Portsmouth, and George Meredith and Walter Besant were born there. An 18th-century boys' school and a teacher-training college are in the city. |
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"Portsmouth." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Portsmouth." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-PrtsmthEng.html "Portsmouth." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-PrtsmthEng.html |
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Portsmouth
Portsmouth is not mentioned in Domesday Book (1086) but began to develop on Portsea Island as Portchester, on a Roman site, started to silt up. It was granted a charter by Richard I in 1194 and the growth of the navy in the 16th cent. established it as a major town. Henry VII began a dry dock there in 1495, the Mary Rose sank off Portsmouth harbour in 1545, and the duke of Buckingham was stabbed to death in the Greyhound Inn in 1628 when leaving for the expedition to La Rochelle. From the time of Charles II, Portsmouth became the chief naval base. The Royal Naval College was founded in 1720, the Royal George went down in the harbour in 1782, and on 15 September 1805 Nelson hoisted sail in Victory for Trafalgar. His flagship is preserved at Portsmouth today. By 1801 the town had a population of 32,000, 94,000 by 1861, and 189,000 by 1993. The naval presence has diminished but Portsmouth has developed engineering and tourism. There are ferry sailings to the Isle of Wight and to France and northern Spain.
J. A. Cannon |
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "Portsmouth." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Portsmouth." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-Portsmouth.html JOHN CANNON. "Portsmouth." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-Portsmouth.html |
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Portsmouth
Portsmouth is not mentioned in Domesday Book (1086) but began to develop on Portsea Island as Portchester, on a Roman site, started to silt up. It was granted a charter by Richard I in 1194 and the growth of the navy in the 16th cent. established it as a major town. From the time of Charles II, Portsmouth became the chief naval base. The Royal Naval College was founded in 1720, the Royal George went down in the harbour in 1782, and on 15 September 1805 Nelson hoisted sail in Victory for Trafalgar. By 1801 the town had a population of 32,000, 94,000 by 1861, and 189,000 by 1993.
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "Portsmouth." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Portsmouth." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-Portsmouth.html JOHN CANNON. "Portsmouth." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-Portsmouth.html |
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Portsmouth
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"Portsmouth." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Portsmouth." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Portsmouth.html "Portsmouth." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Portsmouth.html |
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Portsmouth
Portsmouth Portsm. Portesmuthan late 9th cent. ‘Mouth of the harbour called Port’. OE port (a loan-word from Latin portus ‘a harbour’) + mūtha. The harbour was no doubt known as Portus in the Roman period.
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A. D. MILLS. "Portsmouth." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. A. D. MILLS. "Portsmouth." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Portsmouth.html A. D. MILLS. "Portsmouth." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Portsmouth.html |
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