Portsmouth Harbour
Portsmouth Harbour, Portsmouthcounty:
Hampshire
Period - 19th century, early
Fareham ... is seated at the NW point of Portsmouth harbour
Porchester ... at the upper end of the harbour
Portsea, an island between Chichester bay and the harbour of Portsmouth ...
Portsmouth ... Its capacious harbour is made by a bay running up between the island of Portsea, on which the town is situate, and the opposite peninsula having a narrow entrance commanded by the town and forts. Many of the largest ships are always laid up here; and, in time of war, it is the principal rendezvous of the grand channel fleet.
Gosport ... on the W side of the harbour of Portsmouth, over which is a ferry ...
- harbour - Hampshire
Period - 1780s
- river - Hampshire
Period - 1740s
Period - 18th century, early
... the entrance into the harbour is safe, but very narrow, guarded on both sides by terrible platforms of cannon, particularly on the Point; which is a suburb of Portsmouth properly so call'd, where there is a brick platform built with two tire of guns, one over another, and which can fire so in cover, that the gunners cannot be beaten from their guns, or their guns easily dismounted; the other is from the point of land on the side of Gosport, which they call Gilkicker, where also they have two batteries.
Before any ships attempt to enter this port by sea, they must also pass the cannon of the main platform of the garrison, and also another at South-Sea-Castle; so that it is next to impossible that any ships could match the force of all those cannon, and be able to force their way into the harbour; in which I speak the judgement of men well acquainted with such matters, as well as my own opinion, ... reasons ... (viz.) That the mouth or entrance into Portsmouth is narrow, and may be lock'd up with booms, which before the ships could break, and while they were lying at them to break them away, they would be torn in pieces by the battery at the Point: (next) That the guns on the said battery at the Point at Portsmouth, are defended as above, with ambruziers, and the gunners stand cover'd, so that they cannot so soon be beaten from their guns, or they guns so soon dismounted by the warm quarter of a three deck ship, ...
... 'tis evident, in the opinion of all that I have met with, that the greatest fleet of ships that ever were in the hands of one nations at a time, would not pretend, if they had not an army also on shoar, to attack the whole work, to force their entrance into the harbour at Portsmouth.
- harbour - Hampshire
Period - 1690s-1720s
- Hamshire
Period - 1630s-40s
harbour
The place is described in text Camden 1610
- Hantshire
Period - 1600s
... the shore with curving crookes draweth itselfe in, and the Island named Portesey maketh a great creeke, ... For, Ptolomee tearmeth it [ ], that is THE GREAT HAVEN, for the widenesse of it, ...
otherwise: Great Haven?
Shown on an old map by Norden 1607
- harbour, roman place name - Hamshire
Period - 1590s-1600s
The place is described in text Keer 1620
- Hantshire
Havens it hath, and those commodious both to let in, and to loose out Ships of great burden in trade of Merchandise, or any other imployments: ... Portsmouth, ...
- harbour - Southamtoniae
Period - 1575
otherwise: Portesmouth Haven
The place is described in text Leland 1535-43
Thinges that I notid on the West Part of Portesmuth Haven.
The lande at the west pointe of Portesmouth Haven is a sandy nesse and sone brekith of, gyving place to the open se.
Ther is a round stone toure with ordinaunce at the west point of the mouth of Portesmouth Haven.
And a litle way upper to the haven as a greate creke goyng by west up into the land a mile caullid Ostrepole Lake.
Minns says:- This must be Haslar Lake.
Scant a quarter of a mile above this is Gosport village.
About a mile above this village is a nother creke caullid Forten of Forten a litle village by it.
A myle and an half above this is Bedenham Creeke, so caullid of a village standing by it. This creeke's mouth lyith almost agayn Portechester castelle.
Fareham a fisschar village lyith aboute a myle more upward at the very hedde of the haven.
It is about a 7. miles from the west [point] of Portesmuth Haven to the [est] point of Hampton Haven, [and in th]e mi[dle wa]y almost betwixt [is a fisshar village] caullid ...
Minns says:- This village must be Rowner.
Thingges that I notid on the este side of Portesmuth Haven.
The land heere rennith farther by a great way strait into the se by south est from the haven mouth then it dooth at the weste poynte.
There is at this point of the haven Portesmuth toun, and a great round tourre almost doble in quantite and strenkith to that that is on the west side of the haven right agayn it: and heere is a might[y] chaine of yren to draw from tourre to towrre.
Minns says:- The mouth of the harbour was defended, as was the case at Plymouth and Dartmouth, by a chain stretched between two towers, begun by Edward IV. and finished by Henry VII.
About a quarter of a mile above this tower is a great dok for shippes, and yn this dok lyith yet part of the rybbes of the Henry Grace of Dieu, one of the biggest shippes that hath been made in hominum memoria.
Minns says:- The Henri Grace a Dieu, a great ship built at Erith, which conveyed Henry VIII. from Dover to the 'Field of the Cloth of Gold.'
There be above this dok 2. crekes in this part of the haven.
The castelle of Portchester standith a 3. miles by water from Portesmuth toune.
otherwise: Magnus portus
see:- Ptolemy's Geography
Great Harbor - 19 - - 53 -
Shown on a 15th century 'Ptolemy' map.
