Portchester

Portchester, Fareham
settlement
parish:
county:
coords:
Fareham
Hampshire
SU6105
refce: HANTSLOC.t

old map: 25inch County Series map -- Hants LXXV.10

Porchester
otherwise: porceastra, 904-12; porteceaster, 963-975; Porcestre; Portcestre, 1086

refce: Coates 1989
PORCHESTER
The frequency of early forms showing 'Porte-' is slightly troubling, but there can be little doubt that this is hypothetical Old English 'Portceaster'='[Roman] fortification/town at Port' where the first element is the anglicized form of the Romano British name for Portsmouth Harbour.

old gazetteer

Period - 19th century, early
refce: Brookes 1815
a village in Hampshire, 4m N Portsmouth, at the upper end of the harbour, between Fareham and Portsea island. It has an ancient castle, which has served, of late years, for the reception of prisoners of war and ordnance stores.

old map
Porchester
Shown on an old map by Harrison 1788
- settlement, hamlet - Portsdown Hundred - Hampshire
Period - 1780s
refce: Harrison 1788
(HAR1SU60.jpg)

old map
Porchester
Shown on an old map by Badeslade 1742
- settlement, town - Hampshire
Period - 1740s
refce: Badeslade 1742

description
Port Peris
otherwise: Portchester; Portus Magnus
The place is described in text Cox 1738
- Hampshire
refce: Cox 1738
Port Peris, where, by Tradition, Vespasian first arrived. Our Ancestors called it Port-Chester, not from Porta, a Saxon, but from Portus, an Harbour; for Ptolemy calls it [ ], the spacious Harbour, from the Largeness of it; as Pliny tells us, that there is a Place in Africa, called Portus Magnus, i. e. the great Port.
... but when the Sea retiring from this Shore made the Harbour by Degrees less commodious, the Inhabitants removed from hence to Portsey

old map
Portchester
Shown on an old map by Blaeu 1645
- settlement, village - Portesdowne Hundred - Hantshire
refce: Blaeu 1645
(BLA1SU50.jpg)

table of distances
Porchester
Shown on an old map by Simmons 1643
- Hamshire
Period - 1630s-40s
refce: Simmons 1643
(SIM1SMAL.jpg)

old map
Portchester
Shown on an old map by Speed 1611
- settlement, village - Portesdowne Hundred - Hantshire
refce: Speed 1611
(SPD1SU50.jpg)

description
Portchester
The place is described in text Camden 1610
- harbour - Hantshire
Period - 1600s
refce: Camden 1610
... a great creeke, within the more inward nooke or corner whereof sometimes flourished Port-peris; (where, by report Vespasian landed) An haven towne which our auncestours by a new name called Port-chester
And verily there remaineth yet a great Castell which hath a faire and spatious prospect into the haven underneath. But when as the Ocean by with-drawing it selfe, tooke away, by little and little the commodity of the haven, the inhabitatnts flitted from thence into the Island Portsey adjoining ...

old gazetteer
Porchester


old map
porchestre
see:- Gough Map

Period - 14th century (about 1360)
refce: Gough Map
(GOUGH1S.jpg)

domesday
Portcestre
Listed in Domesday Book
- Portesdone Hundred - Hantescire
Period - 11th century
refce: Domesday Book 1086 (1.11)
In PORTCESTRE est pars alia hui M~ [Wimeringes] ...

domesday
Porcestre
Listed in Domesday Book
- Portesdon Hundred - Hantescire
Period - 11th century
refce: Domesday Book 1086 (35.4)
TERRA WILL~I MALDVITH ... Ipse Will~s ten. PORCESTRE . Tres libi. ho~es tenuer~ de rege E ...

domesday
Portcestre
Listed in Domesday Book
- Portesdon Hundred - Hantscire
Period - 11th century
refce: Moody 1862 (Domesday)

   Old Hampshire Gazetteer - JandMN: 2001