PORTSDOWN HUNDRED 



PORTCHESTER 



mouth in October, 1229, for another French cam- 

 paign, but his ships being insufficient he spent a 

 few days at Portchester and Portsmouth and returned 

 to London. 28 He appears to have landed here 

 when returning from France in 1243,* after the 

 battles of Taillebourg and Saintes, where he barely 

 escaped capture. During the French wars the 

 constables were responsible for keeping the castle 

 supplied with arms and provisions, ready to be 

 shipped abroad. The neighbouring forest supplied 

 oaks, from which as many as eighty bridges and 

 600 good hurdles were ordered to be made at one 

 time for the castle." The sheriff of London was 

 required to provide carts to carry tents to Portchester, 3 ' 

 and there are many records of large quantities of 

 provisions being stored there. In 1320, when the 

 younger Despenser was constable, he found so much 

 wine that it had become ' corrupt and putrid.' With 

 characteristic tyranny he detained certain citizens of 

 Winchester and Salisbury until they agreed to buy the 

 wine at 3 per tun. 33 



Edward I does not appear to have visited Portches- 

 ter, although he issued orders for its repair, and in 

 1 306 Robert Wychard, bishop of Glasgow, and 

 other Scotch prisoners, 3 * were kept in chains in the 

 castle. The king made a grant of part of the 

 revenues of the castle, as well as of the manor (q.v.), 

 to Queen Eleanor," in dower, and a similar grant 

 was made by Edward II to Queen Margaret. 16 



During the reign of Edward II there were many 

 rumours of an invasion, and the castle was kept fully 

 equipped and in constant repair. In 1325 Robert 

 de Hausted was appointed to the custody of the 

 tower, with its ' armour, springalds, engines and other 

 munition,' so that if need be he should apply all the 

 force that he was able to the custody of the outer 

 bailey." On any appearance of danger from a 

 foreign fleet or otherwise the castle was to be 

 garrisoned with men-at-arms, horses, and footmen of 

 the parts adjoining, and all spies within the precincts 

 of the castle were to be arrested. 88 Edward II visited 

 the castle for the first time in October, 1 321," after a 

 risit to Sheen. Three years later, when the Queen 

 went to France with her son and there was talk of 

 war between the two countries, Edward spoke of lead- 

 ing an expedition in person. With this intention, 

 probably, he spent many weeks at Portchester in July, 

 September, and October, 1324,* and again in the 

 following May." In August, 1 3 26," he issued writs 

 of array from the castle and took other precautions. 43 

 On 2 September following, while there, he was 

 informed where the queen was likely to land, and 



directed the march of his forces to the Orwell." He 

 had, however, great difficulty in collecting troops. 

 Some footmen, archers, and others in Sussex were 

 ordered to join him at Portchester to set out upon the 

 sea in his service, but the men refused and were 

 imprisoned." The king, being unable to prevent the 

 queen's advance, retreated and shortly afterwards was 

 taken prisoner. Queen Isabel received a much larger 

 grant for life of the revenues of the castle than the 

 previous queens had had, ' in furtherance of a resolu- 

 tion of parliament, for her services in the matter of 

 the treaty with France and in suppressing the 

 rebellion of the Despensers and others.' u 



Edward III usually stayed at Southwick Priory on 

 his passages to France," but he was at Portchester for 

 several weeks in 1346" when preparing for the expe- 

 dition in which he was to win Crecy and successfully 

 besiege Calais. For more than sixty years after this, 

 no interesting events centre round Portchester, although 

 the post of constable was coveted by such men as 

 Roger Walden, archbishop of Canterbury, 4 * and John 

 Tiptoft, earl of Worcester, who was made constable 

 of England and of Portchester in the same year, 

 1462.* His ancestor, Robert de Tiptoft, had been 

 governor of the castle 200 years before. 41 The 

 custody of Portsmouth was joined to that of Portchester 

 in the fifteenth century," and so continued, although 

 separated for a time by Charles I." In 1415 the castle 

 was filled with soldiers assembled by Henry V for his in- 

 vasion of France to recover his ' ancient rights.' Among 

 them were Richard, earl of Cambridge, Henry, Lord 

 Scrope of Masham, and Sir Thomas Grey of Heton, 

 whose plot to place the earl of March on the throne 

 during the king's absence was discovered while they 

 were at Portchester.* 4 Upon their confession they 

 were taken to Southampton and there beheaded. 



Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn were at Portchester 

 in October, 1535. 'The king and queen were very 

 merry in Hampshire,' " and hawked daily. The last 

 royal visitor was Elizabeth, who held her court at the 

 castle. 54 From this time the story of Portchester 

 Castle is that of a military prison and hospital. In 

 the sixteenth century it was bought by Lord Sussex 

 for 180," and Charles I granted the castle and vill 

 of Portchester to Sir William Uvedale and his heirs. 5 ' 

 Though frequently leased by the crown afterwards it 

 remained in private hands, Uvedale Corbett holding 

 it in 1 691," and Francis Whitehead in 1747.* In 

 1563 Sir F. Knollys wrote to Sir William Cecil, 

 pointing out the advantages of the castle as a place 

 for a muster, there being space for lodging 2,000 

 men. 61 In the autumn it was used as a hospital for the 



Close, 13 Hen. Ill, m. I J.; Pat. 

 I 3 Hen. Ill, m. 3 d. 



Pat. 27 Hen. Ill, m. 2. 



81 Rot. Lit. Claus. (Rec. Com.), 19. 



"Ibid. 119. 



88 Close, i Edw. Ill, pt. 2, m. 27. 



84 Syllabus of Rymer't Foedera, 141. 



85 Pat. i Edw. I, m. 5. 



M Ibid. 3 Edw. II, m. 15,14. 

 " Ibid. 19 Edw. II, pt. i, m. 12. 



88 Close, 19 Edw. II, m. 1 1 d. 



89 Pat. 15 Edw. II, pt. I, m. 15. 

 Ibid. 18 Edw. II.pt i,m. 37. 

 41 Ibid. 1 8 Edw. II, pt. 2, m. 4. 

 " Ibid. 20 Edw. II, m. 23. 



48 Chronicles Edw. I and II (Roll Ser.), 

 ii, Introd. p. xciii. ** Ibid. 



Close, 20 Edw. II, m. 8 d. 

 46 Pat. I Edw. Ill, pt. I, m. z. 



Pat. 20 Edw. Ill, pt. 2, m. 29. 



48 Ibid. 



48 Pat. 1 8 Ric. II, pt. 2, m. n. 



40 Pat. I Edw. IV, pt. 4, m. 12. 



61 Diet. Nat. Biog. Ivi, 414. 



M Pat. 7 Edw. IV, pt. 2, m. 13. 



68 Cal. S.P. Dam. 1629-31, p. 333. 



64 Letters from Northern Registers (Rolls 

 Ser.), 432. Shakespeare makes South- 

 ampton the scene of the discovery of the 

 plot, but it is here recorded to have taken 

 place ' apud castrum de Porchestrc junta 

 Southampton.' Portsmouth or Southamp- 

 ton with their larger harbours were the 

 ports to which the troops for foreign ex- 

 peditions were summoned, but the kings 

 appear to have preferred to stay at Port- 

 chester during the preparations. This 

 was probably done on this occasion. 



'53 



55 L. and P. Hen. Fill, viii, 1 90. 



M J. Mackenzie, Castles of Engl. i, no. 

 In 1601 'the Queene in her Progresse 

 entered into Hampshire' and said she was 

 never so honourably received in any 

 shire. It 'is full of delights for princes 

 of this land, who often make their pro- 

 gresses thither,' being ' well inhabited by 

 auncient gentlemen, civilly educated, and 

 who live in great amitie together ' (T. 

 Nichols, Progresses and Public Processions 

 of Queen Eli%abctb, ii, sub anno). 



Rep. on MSS. of Marquis of Salisbury 

 (Hist. MSS. Com.), pt. iv, 438. 



58 Pat. 8 Chas. I, pt. 5, m. 24. 



59 Recov. R. 3 Wm. and Mary, rot. 273. 



60 Recov. R. 20 Geo. II, rot. 265. 



81 Ref. on MSS. of Marquis of Salisbury 

 (Hist. MSS. Com.), pt. i, 275. 



20 



