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Portsmouth, Portsea and Gosport
Historical and geographical information
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Dates
are in red.
Hyperlinks
to other pages are in dark
blue.
Headlines
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References
and citations are in turquoise.
Contextual
history is in purple.
This webpage about the Portsmouth and Gosport has the following section headings:
The Farndales of Portsmouth and Gosport
The Farndales of this area were Alice
Farndale (FAR00118A);
Samuel Farndale (FAR00475)
(1866 to 1936) who lived for a time at Portsea as a clerk before moving to
London (see the London 1 Line);
Ethel Chestres Farndale (FAR00674)
and Leslie Farndale (FAR00757).
Gosport
Gosport is
a town in Hampshire on the south coast of the United
Kingdom.
Until the last quarter of
the twentieth century, Gosport was a major naval town associated with the
defence and supply infrastructure of Her Majesty's Naval Base (“HMNB”)
Portsmouth. As such over the years extensive fortifications were created.
Saxon times
The Rowner area
of the peninsula was settled by the Anglo-Saxons, and
is mentioned in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle as Rughenor
("rough bank or slope"). Both Rowner and Alverstoke,
the name coming from the point where the River Alver entered the
Solent at Stokes Bay, were included in the Domesday Book. Rowner was
the earliest known settlement of the peninsula, with many Mesolithic finds and a hunting camp being
found, and tumuli on
the peninsula investigated. Bronze Age items found in a 1960s
construction in HMS Sultan included a hoard of axe heads and
torcs. A three-celled dwelling unearthed during construction of the Rowner
naval Estate in the 1970s points to a settled landscape. Next to the River
Alver which passes the southern and western edge of Rowner is
a Norman motte and bailey, the first fortification of the peninsula,
giving a vantage point over the Solent, Stokes Bay, Lee-on-the-Solent and the Isle of Wight. The former Rowner
naval married quarters estate, now mostly demolished, and
HMS Sultan were built on a former military airfield, known first
as RAF Gosport and later as HMS Siskin, which gives its name to
the local infant and junior schools.
1678
The first fortifications
were in 1678 during the reign on Charles II. These consisted of two forts, Fort
James and Fort Charles, and a series of bastions and double ditches to encircle
the town, known as the Gosport Lines.
1751
During the Georgian period
in 1751 and 1752 the fortifications were rebuilt, enlarged
and extended.
1779
Further additions to the
fortifications were made in response to the French invasion threat of 1779.
1860
By 1860, the Gosport Lines
had 58 guns. No.1 Bastion, for example, had mounted 14 guns in brick lined
emplacements firing over the parapet.
1859
The 1859 Royal Commission on
the Defences of the United Kingdom proposed the completion of a line of
forts to protect the outer approach to Gosport town, making the earlier
defences redundant. However, they were retained to constrain any expansion of
the town towards the new line of forts.
1890s
From the 1890s road
widening meant some parts of the ramparts and gates were demolished.
Portsea
Portsea Island is a
flat, low-lying island measuring 24.542 square kilometres, just off the
southern coast of England. The island is located in
the county of Hampshire and contains the vast majority of the city
of Portsmouth.
Bronze Age
Two Bronze Age
hoards and a hoard of Roman coins have been found on the island.
979 CE
In 979 CE the island was
raided by Danes.
1086
At the time of
the Domesday Book three manors were recorded as being on the island.
1704
The area was originally
known as the "Common" and lay between the town of Portsmouth and the
nearby dockyard. The Common started to be developed at the end of the 17th
century as a response to overcrowding within the walls of the old town.
This development worried the governor of the dockyard, as he feared that the
new buildings would provide cover for any forces attempting to attack. In 1703,
he threatened to demolish any buildings within range of the cannons mounted on
the dockyard walls. However, after a petition to Queen Anne, royal consent for
the development was granted in 1704.
1792
In 1792 the name of the
area was changed from the Common to Portsea, and by then it had a mixed
dockside population.
1806
Engineer Isambard
Kingdom Brunel was born in Britain Street in 1806.
1812
Writer Charles
Dickens was born nearby at Landport on 7
February 1812.
1850
Professor William
Garnett was born in Portsea on 30 December 1850.
1900
By the start of the 20th
century, Portsmouth council had started to clear much of
the slum housing in Portsea.
1911
The city's
first council houses were built in the district in 1911.
1920
The 1920s and 1930s saw
extensive redevelopment of the area, with many of the older slums being
replaced by new council houses.
1939
The area's proximity to
the dockyard resulted in its taking massive bomb
damage during World War II.
1950
After the war the area was
redeveloped as all council housing, in a mixture of houses, maisonettes and
tower blocks.
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