Province of Freedom

1787 did not just see one fleet filled with convicts sailing for the first time from Portsmouth to set up a new colony in an unknown place. In the minds of many contemporaries the famous sailing of the first fleet to Australia was irrevocably linked with another, now forgotten, destined for Cline Town in Sierra Leone. This less famous fleet was to remove many of the freed but poverty stuck ex slaves and convicts in London to form a utopian new colony, the Province of Freedom, in Africa. It was initially expected that these two fleets would sail together for part of the journey and both waited around Portsmouth for notification to sail. As the Daily Universal Register reported from Portsmouth in January 1787: 'The Naulitus, with the two transports and the Blacks, intended for the new settlement on the Coast of Guinea is expected to sail today.' In fact a series of delays affected both ventures. An epidemic of fever was followed by a small mutiny and the Naulitus finally sailed without those destined for Australia in mid February. Interestingly along with the 'poor blacks' were white women and some British merchants. They arrived in this Province of Freedom in May 1787. Although Sierra Leone sounded pleasant being described as 'there is plenty of wood, water and every necessity of life sufficient for the support of more than 1000 inhabitants', this new colony initally struggled. In 1808 the British took it over as its base for anti slavery naval patrols. Most of the residents stayed however, took over some British culture and language and formed the basis of the flourishing merchant Creole peoples of the area. To find out more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Sierra_Leone http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Province_of_Freedom Portsmouth Paper No 50: Portsmouth and the First Fleet 1786-1787

A Pageant of Portsmouth

In 1923, ‘A Pageant of Portsmouth’ was performed at Southsea Castle. This involved over 2,000 performers and showcased 12 differing episodes from the history of the Town. Following in this tradition, another ‘A Pageant of Portsmouth’ took place in June 2009 as part of the annual Portsmouth Festivities organised by the Portsmouth Grammar School. This time, a day consisted of activities, music and entertainment culminating in a ‘Ghost Shop Spectacle’ on Castle Field.

Civil War

Perhaps the local episode of most national significance in the Stuart period was the siege of Portsmouth, which occurred at the beginning of the Civil War. Portsmouth was as always an important strategic asset and, having declared for the King, was besieged by the Parliamentarians in 1642. The dissolute Governor, Goring, capitulated after a promise of good conduct for himself and his followers, but not until after the Town had suffered considerable bombardment. It remained in Parliamentarian hands for the remainder of the War. However, Portsmouth retained strong links with the Crown for the whole period. Goring reputedly threw the keys to the Garrison into the sea from the Square Tower in a final act of defiance.

The Royal Seaman's and Marines' Orphan School

The bereft of Portsmouth have often been on the nation's conscience through past ages. One interesting result was the formation in 1834 of the Royal Seaman's and Marines' Orphan School. Unlike most schools at this time, this well endowed institution was strongly funded and had many eminent members of society, including Queen Victoria and the Prince Regent, as patrons. It was also handsomely supported through subscriptions given by the officers and men of many varying ships. The school educated, clothed and fed 60 boys and 30 girls and, from 1874, had prominent gothic premises in St Michael's Road. Virtually complete records for this institution survive at the Portsmouth Records Office. Full details for all scholars are included making them a goldmine for family historians. Very little work has, however, been undertaken so far on this enormously interesting and largely overlooked part of Portsmouth's past.

A shark in St George's Square

One of the more unusual sights in St George’s Square, Portsmouth in 1813 must have been that of an enormous preserved basking shark. Placed on a vehicle which advertised, ‘The wonderful fish from Brighton, Sussex’, it attracted great crowds. Its owner reportedly made the huge sum of £600 from the spectacle.

Omai the Tahitian and others

Portsmouth in the 1700s was one of the most cosmopolitan towns in the country. Omai the Tahitian visited more than once between 1774 - 1777 before being returned to the Sandwich Islands by Captain Cook. Cherokee chiefs were here in 1762, while other visits were made at this time by Lebanese princes, representatives from North African regencies and traders from far away places such as Danzig. To find out more about Omai: http://www.captcook-ne.co.uk/ccne/themes/omai.htm

The Circus Church

Portsmouth has never been short of churches and has an intriguing religious history. One of the oddest elements has to be the Circus Church. The name derives from Hengler’s Equestrian Circus whose wooden building was used for the first mission services. It stood in Lion Gate Road, now Edinburgh Road, until a permanent chapel, which could seat an impressive 1700, was built in Surrey Street in 1863. To add to its strangeness, this evangelical church had no set parish and was privately owned by a Board of Trustees. It had a widely varying congregation including the Victorian reformer Agnes Weston. The church, like so many others, was badly damaged in the Blitz and finally demolished in the 1950s.

Felton’s Hole and other admonishments

An unpleasant punishment meted out by the Portsmouth courts was incarceration in Felton’s Hole. Located on Grand Parade, and regularly inundated by the sea, conditions were described as ‘so badd that some of the soldiers confest they would not put a dogg in there’. Those found guilty could also be banished from the Town, held in gaol, whipped, set to hard labour and, from 1788, transported to Australia.

The youngest Mayoress

In November 1907, the country’s youngest mayoress, Doris Foster, made civic history when she was invested at the Guildhall in Portsmouth. Doris, whose mother had recently died, was aged only 5. She presided over, and added charm to, many note-worthy local occasions. In particular she helped enormously to raise funds totaling £1000 for the endowment of two cots in the children’s ward of the Royal Hospital. This feat is commemorated in a beautiful tiled mural constructed from Doulton tiles, originally positioned in the children’s ward, but now located in the City Museum.

Death of a Temperance Advocate

In 1866 a temperance advocate, Noah Wareham, was violently kicked to death outside his house in Montagu Street, Portsmouth. There was a preponderance of beer houses and brewers in the town at this time who, together with naval and garrison elements, did not take kindly to the thought of someone preaching abstinence. There was a national outcry and a book entitled, ‘The life and martyrdom of Noah Wareham (late of Portsmouth)’ was written the following year by Frederic Beck.

King Alfred

In 897 King Alfred assembled ships in Portsmouth to fight a Danish fleet. The invaders were defeated and Alfred managed to capture 20 ships.

Visits by Henry VIII

Henry VIII took a great interest in maritime matters and visited his two great dockyards, Portsmouth and Deptford, frequently to inspect progress with the ships he had commissioned. He delighted in wearing an ‘admiral’s uniform’ which included breeches made of cloth of gold, scarlet stockings and a tunic of gold brocade. He also ‘blew near as loud as a trumpet or clarinet’ on a gold bosun’s whistle encrusted with jewels which completed the ensemble when worn around his neck. He must have cut quite a dash in the small town of Portsmouth.

The elite of Southsea

'A popular and fashionable parade ground with a constant stream of the elite of Southsea and the walk of cultivated society.' A description of Palmerston Road taken from 'Southsea and Portsmouth as seen from the Tramway Cars and on Foot'; a guidebook published in 1896.

No running water

‘The present supply of water to the borough (Portsmouth) is very defective, and in numerous instances, as where pumping from the well lowers the fluid in the adjoining cesspool, it must be vitiated to a degree dangerous to health. Water is now obtained by the inhabitants from a company who have waterworks, - from pumps, - from local wells, - and from watercarts’. Report to the General Board of Health on the sewage, drainage and water supply of Portsmouth, 1850.

The First Umbrella

Jonas Hanway was born in Portsmouth in 1712. A noted philanthropist, and founder of the Marine Society, he is however more widely known as the first Englishman to use the archetypal symbol, the umbrella. Hanway had travelled widely as a representative of the Russia Company and brought back a prototype umbrella from Persia where they were used for protection against the sun. In the course of his varied career, he also become a Governor of the Foundling Hospital and fought the cause of mistreated young chimney sweeps. Jonas returned to his hometown in 1779 when he was commissioned by the Admiralty to look into the costs of a change of use for the Square Tower. The first British umbrellas were made of wood and oiled canvas and known as ‘Hanways’.

Mansfield Park

The heroine of this novel by Jane Austen, Fanny Price, hails from Portsmouth and much of the later stages of the book are set in the town. The Austen family were based in Hampshire had strong links with Portsmouth.

Timothy Whites

The older generation will remember Timothy White’s shops as a mainstay of over 622 high streets through Britain. Timothy White opened his first shop selling household essentials in Portsea in 1848. Over the next decades he expanded to the Isle of Wight, Chichester and Petersfield. He was also involved in the wider life of the Town, being a supporter of the local Ragged School, a trustee of St John Portsea and a founder of the Portsmouth military volunteer movement. After Timothy’s death in 1908, the business was expanded throughout the country by his son and descendants. The chain was eventually sold to Boots in 1968.

Bad Behaviour

Local court records show that in 1669, a Henry Guppy was tried for causing a nuisance by depositing 10 cart loads of hog’s dung in Oyster Street thereby obstructing traffic. This, and hundreds of years of other local court records detailing our ancestor's daily lives, survive and are preserved for both us and future generations to enjoy and study at the Portsmouth Records Office.

Curtailing of drinking hours

Prior to the adoption of the Public House Act at a special meeting of the Portsmouth Town Council in 1866, there was no regulation of drinking hours. This, coupled with the enormous number of drinking establishments in Portsmouth, led to growing concern regarding the effects of the ‘Demon Drink’. Even so, this Act only required closure between the hours on 1 and 4 in the morning!

Paddling in the Sea Life Centre

An enduring childhood memory for many who grew up in Portsmouth in the post war period was the fun to be had at the paddling pool situated to the west of Southsea Castle. This was built in 1928 as part of a programme of improvements to the Common. Additionally there was a much loved miniature train that circled the site. In the 1980s the site was redeveloped and became the Sea Life Centre.