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.

Great Salterns

This area of land on the shore of Langstone Harbour was one of the first of many in Portsmouth to be reclaimed. The area now known as Great Salterns, originally was a huge tidal lake of approximately 1,200 acres, before being reclaimed as early as the 17th century to become a renowned salt manufactury.

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.