Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 3.djvu/254

242 PORTSMOUTH. presb. of Skye and synod of Glenelg, and in the patron. of the crown. The church was built shortly after the erection of the parish in 1726. There are also a Free church and four other places of worship. Large cattle fairs are held on the last Wednesdays in May and June, each continuing for four days. PORTKOE, a post-offico vil. in the par. of Castle- townarra, bar. of Owney and Arra, co. Tipperary, prov. of Jlunster, Ireland, 7 miles N.W. of Nenagh. It is situated on the road from Portumna to Killaloo. It contains a police station, a Roman Catholic chapel, and a dispensaryi which last is within the Nenagh poor-law union. Fairs are held on 26th February, 22nd March, 14th May, '23rd July, and llth November. PORTRUSH, a small post town and seaport in the par. of Ballywiliie, bar. of Lower Dunluce, co. Antrim, prov. of Ulster, Ireland, 5 miles W. of .Bushmills. It is a station on the Belfast and Northern Counties railway. It is a sub-port to Coleraine. The town stands at the extremity of a peninsula very near the basaltic forma- tion known as the Skerries. It is the resort of numerous visitors in the bathing season. The Giant's Causeway is about 6 miles distant. There is a commodious har- bour and pier. A considerable coasting and export trade is carried on. PORTSALLAGH, a small harbour on the coast of co. Donegal, Ireland, 1 mile S. of Inishowen Head, and 4 miles N.E. of Moville. POitTSBURGH, EASTER AND WESTER, in the borough of Edinburgh, co. Edinburgh, Scotland, ad- joining Edinburgh, of which they form extensive suburbs, and are under the government of a baron bailie, imd two bailies. PORTSCUETT or PORTSKEWIT, a par. in the upper div. of Caldicott hund., co. Monmouth, 4 miles S. W. of Chepstow, its post town, and 1 1 from Usk. It is a station on the South Wales railway. The village, which is small and wholly agricultural, is situated nuar the Black Rock Inn ferry, on the river Severn, formerly called the New Passage. The land is nearly evenly divided between arable and meadow. There are traces of an ancient chapel. Near tho bank of the Severn are vestiges of a treble-ditched Roman camp at Sudbrook on the Via Julia, part of which has been swept away by the river. Tho ancient road from this station to the great camp at Caerwent passed through this parish. The living is a rect.* with those of St. Pierre and Sudbrook annexed, val. 405, in the dioc. of Llan- daff. The church is dedicated to St. Mary. PORTSDOWN, a hund. in the co. of Hants, contains the town of Portsmouth, and the pars, of Bedhampton, Boarhunt, Farlington, Porchester, Portsea, Portsmouth, Great Salterns, Southwick, Waterloo, Widley, and Wymering, comprising an area of 16,800 acres, exclusive of Portsmouth and Portsea. PORTSDOWN, a hill, forming one of the summits of a ridge between Havant and Fareham, co. Hants, 4 miles N. of Portsmouth. On its summit is the Nelson column, erected in 1805, shortly after the battle of Tra- falgar, and on its sides several holes or pits, some of which have recently been filled up in connection with the extensive fortifications at present being constructed for the defence of Portsmouth harbour. The view from this ridge takes in Porchester Castle, Portsmouth and Langston harbours, part of the Isle of Wight, Chichester Cathedral, and towards the N. the heights of Bere Forest. A fair is held at the Running Walk on the 26th of July and two following days. PORTSEA, a par. and fortified town, including the royal dockyard, on a flat island of the same name, locally in Portsdown hund., and borough of Portsmouth, co. Hants, adjoining Portsmouth, and 69 miles from London by road, or 90 by the South- Western and 95 by the Brigh- ton and South Coast railway's. The par. comprises the town of Portsea, the towns and vils. of Southsea, Halfway houses or Landport, Milton, Somers Town, Kingston, Stamshaw, and Buckland, all within Portsea guild. See PORTSMOUTH. PORTSEATON, a vil. in the par. of Tranent, co. Haddington, Scotland, 2 miles N.E. of Prestonpans, and 1 mile from the port of Cockenzie on the Frith of Forth. It is a small fishing village founded by the Seatons, who had a castle here, which was destroyed by the English army in 1544. PORTSHOLME MEADOW, a level field adjoining the town of Huntingdon, co. Hunts, where the races are held. It is situated on the river Ouse, and once be- longed to the Protector Cromwell. PORTSKERRAY, a vil. in the par. of Reay, co. Sutherland, Scotland, 3 miles E. of Strathy. It is situated on a bay of the same name. PORTSLADE, a par. in the hund. of Fishergate, rape of Lewis, co. Sussex, 3 miles N.E. of New Shore- ham, its post town, and 5 S.E. of Steyning. It is a station on the Brighton and South Coast railway. The village, which is of considerable extent, is situated at the base of the southern slope of the South Downs. The parish is bounded on the S. by the English Channel, and intersected by the road from Brighton to Portsmouth. Copperas Gap, a portion of Portslade, is about 3 miles W. of Brighton, on the Brighton and Shoreham road, near the railway station. The population and property of Portslade has greatly increased of late years, owing to the formation of a canal and basin which is connected with the harbour of Shoreham. Many of the inhabit- ants are engaged in the coal and general trade of Brigh- ton and its vicinity. The appropriate tithes, belonging to the Archbishop of Canterbury, have been commuted for a rent-charge of 237 9s., with a glebe of 11 acres, and the vicarial tithes for one of 142 14s., with a glebe of 15 J acres. The living is a vie.* with the cur. of St. Andrew's annexed, in the dioc. of Chichester, val. 171. The church, dedicated to St. Nicholas, has an embattled tower, and was enlarged some period back. There is a National school. John Borrer, Esq., is lord of the manor. PORTSMOUTH, a municipal and parliamentary borough, seaport, market, and garrison town in Ports- down hund., in the southern div. of the co. of Hants, 26 miles S.E. of Southampton, and 28 S. by E. of Win- chester. The borough includes Portsmouth, Portsea, Landport, Southsea, and Kingston, all of which are situated on Portsea Island, between Portsmouth har- bour on the W., and Langston harbour on the E. It lies in 50 48' N. lat., and 1 6' W. long., being 94 miles S.S.W. from London by the South- Western railway, and 70 by road. Tho Saxon name of the locality was Llongporth, but as early as the time of Henry I. it was known as Portesmuth. The Saxon chief, Porta, landed here in 501, and was defeated by King Arthur. Robert, Duke of Normandy, attacked the town in the reign of Henry I., when it had already assumed some importance as a naval station, which it never lost. The fleets of both Richard I. and Henry III. met here before their invasion of France, and it became subsequently the chief station for the royal navies, being scarcely second in importance to Southampton. The return of members to parliament dates from the reign of Edward I. In 1337 the French burnt the town, but it was soon rebuilt and fortified. Edward IV. added two towers at the mouth of the harbour, with a strong chain, which could be fastened between them, to pre- vent the passage of ships. This was used as recently as 1779, when there was some danger of the harbour being attacked by the French and Spanish fleet. The forti- fications were continued by Richard III., by Henry VIL, who founded the dockyard, and by Henry VIII., who completed them, and built Southsea, Calshot, and other castles along the S. coast. They have been since ex- tended to meet modern requirements, and additional forts are in course of erection on Portsdown Hill and at Spithead, commanding the harbour. The celebrated ship, the Henri Grace a Dien, was built in the dockyards, by Henry VIII.; and the Mary Rose, another of his fleet, was capsized in 1546, while preparing, with other ships, to attack tho French fleet, under Viscount Annebaut. The Duke of Buck- ingham was stabbed at the " Spotted Dog," now