PORTSMOUTH OR PORTSEA?
by Betty Edwards.
People who are unfamiliar with the Portsmouth area are sometimes
confused about the relationship between PORTSMOUTH and PORTSEA It is
hoped that these notes. will help to clarify
the position.
The first point to be made is that PORTSEA is an island, some five

miles long by 4.5 miles wide. off the south coast of England. Originally.
access was by ferry across Portsea Creek. but a bridge was built as the
dockyard became important. and there are now two road bridges and a
railway bridge connecting the island to the mainland.

On the island there were anciently numerous settlements and villages,

such as Copnor, Buckland. Froddington (FRATTON) Kingston, Stampsey

(Stamshaw), Rudmore etc.. but on all these, only Kingston had a church. i
founded c.1170 and dedicated to St Ma ry
there Was probably very little settlement at this time around the

south west corner of the island. due to its isolation by water and marsh.
but then John de Gisors founded a new town there, which he called Sudewede
(south wade or water). and one of his first projects. in about 1180 was

to build a chapel dedicated to St. Thomas a Becket Note that this was
originally a chapel of ease to St. Mary, Kingston, the Mother Church of
the island, but it soon became a parish in its own right, and is the only


other ancient parish church on Portsea Island.

Sudewede was renamed Portsmouth. but remained a small. walled garri son
town for centuries. Sometime before 1214, a chapel was built. dedicated
to ST. John the Baptist and St Nicholas. attached to the Domus Dei. or it

House of God, but this was never a parish church. After the Dissolution
of the monasteries, it was transferred to the garrison. and as the GARRISON

CHURCH it is still known. Badly bombed in the last war. the nave has been
left roofless. though the chancel has been re-roofed and is used for memorial

services. The records of such bapti sms marriages (e.g. of Charles II
and burials as took place there are to be found - insofar as they survive -
in the registers of St Thomas, which is now Portsmouth Cathedral.

The main reason for the existence of Portsmouth was, of course, the
Royal dockyard. which was not actually in the town, and as this expanded
and required a largerworkforce. the little walled town was unable to cope
with the increased population, which consequently spilled over on to the
common land between the town and the Dockyard - Po rtsm outh COMMON. Take
note here that PORTSMOUTH common was NOT in the parish of Portsmouth, but
outside the town, on Portsea Island. and therefore the people who lived on
the common were in the parish of ST MARY, Kingston. which parish, at that
time. covered the whole of Portsea Island, apart from the little walled town.
and therefore it soon became more usually known as St. MARY Portsea
The population explosion of the 18th century meant that more churches
were needed, so in 1754 a chapel of ease, dedicated to St. GEORGE, was built.
although no separate parish was founded until 1875. In 1788. St. Johns
Portsea was also built as a chapel of ease, becoming a parish in its own
right in 1835 Baptismal entries prior to the latter date are to be found
in the registers of St. MARY.
The church of St. PAUL. Southsea was opened in 1822 and the parish
formed from part of St. Mary's in 1835 This church was destroyed by enemy
action in 1941 and the parish abolished in 1956, when the northern part
was united with St. Luke's and the southern part with St. Judes Southsea.