Richard the Lionheart

On 2 May 1194 Richard I gave Portsmouth its first Royal Charter granting permission for the borough to: hold a fifteen day annual "Free Market Fair"; have weekly markets; set up a local court to deal with minor matters; and exemption from paying the government annual tax with the money instead used for local matters.

King Richard later went on to build a number of houses and a hall in Portsmouth. He is known to have spent much time in the new settlement but the whereabouts of his Kings Hall has never been determined for certain. It is thought to have been in the vicinity of the current Grammar School.