Who was the bishop killed in Portsmouth in 1450?
An angry mob killed Bishop Adam Moleyns in January 1450, and the town's church was shut for nearly 60 years. Plus the Duke of Buckingham's murder, a royal wedding and a powder store that nearly went up.
Adam Moleyns, Bishop of Chichester, was killed at Portsmouth on 9 January 1450 by unpaid sailors or soldiers. The town was placed under a church ban and St Thomas's, now Portsmouth Cathedral, was shut for 58 years until 6 April 1508.
In 1450, an angry mob killed a bishop in Portsmouth, and the town's church was shut for nearly 60 years. It is one of the darkest stories in the history of Old Portsmouth.
The short answer
The bishop was Adam Moleyns, Bishop of Chichester. On 9 January 1450 he was killed at Portsmouth by unpaid sailors or soldiers, dragged from the Domus Dei. Our sources differ slightly on who the killers were. Wikipedia's Domus Dei page says naval seamen, while its Adam Moleyns page says soldiers, and Portsmouth Cathedral's own page and Wikipedia agree on the story.
Why the church was shut
The Pope deprived the townspeople of the sacraments, and the town was placed under what Wikipedia calls the Greater Excommunication. St Thomas's, now Portsmouth Cathedral, was shut for 58 years. The ban was lifted on 6 April 1508. In other words, one killing in January 1450 cost the town its church for most of two generations. Who lifted it depends on who you ask: Wikipedia says it followed a request from Bishop Foxe, and the cathedral says the Pope, so we do not say.
A duke stabbed on the High Street
On 23 August 1628, John Felton stabbed George Villiers, the first Duke of Buckingham, to death on Old Portsmouth's High Street. Sources disagree on the exact building. Wikipedia says it was the Greyhound pub, now Ye Spotted Dogge, while the cathedral says number 11 High Street, so we name no building.
A royal wedding, and a church with no roof
On 21 May 1662, Charles II married Catherine of Braganza at the Governor's House beside the Royal Garrison Church, according to English Heritage. The church beside it has had no roof over its nave since the Second World War raid of 1941, when bombs destroyed the roof. Sources describe those bombs as incendiary and high-explosive, so we keep it simple.
The cathedral that was a lighthouse
Portsmouth Cathedral's medieval central tower was used as a lookout point and lighthouse, according to Wikipedia, which cites the listing text. It was also a royalist lookout in 1642. This one is thinly sourced, so we say it "once doubled as a lighthouse" and leave it there.
The Hot Walls
The Hot Walls are said to be named for heating cannonballs to fire at ships. Visit Portsmouth reports that this is the local nickname's supposed origin, though residents often assume the name comes from the sun-warmed south-facing walls. It is a single-source legend and not a documented fact.
The powder store that was nearly blown up
During the siege of Portsmouth in 1642, the Square Tower held a powder store of 1,200 barrels of gunpowder. The royalist governor, Colonel Goring, threatened to blow it up unless his surrender terms were agreed. Parliament accepted them.
Watch the reel
Watch it on the Waterlooville.co Facebook page, and follow us there for a new local history story every day.
Share this article