Excommunication

One of the most disgraceful episodes in Portsmouth’s history occurred in 1450 when Bishop Moleyns of Chichester was sent here to defuse the anger of soldiers and sailors who had not been paid. The mob was made furious by the partial payment he offered and murdered him outside the Domus Dei, an ancient hospital which stood on what is now Governors Green. As a result the Catholic Church inflicted its most severe penalty, Greater Excommunication, which withdrew all ecclesiastical privileges from the Town. This was not lifted until the citizens of Portsmouth built a new chapel as reparation in 1509. No remnants of this building survive today but early maps show it was located near Grand Parade. Although impossible to prove, it has been suggested that Penny Street was named after this and further the penances the townspeople undertook at this time.