There have been boom settlements in the
area since before Roman times, mostly being offshoots of Portchester, which was
a Roman base (Portus Adurni) and possible home port of the Classis Britannica.
Winston Churchill stated in his book "A History of the English-Speaking
Peoples, Volume One: The Birth of Britain" (page 65) that Portsmouth was
founded in 501 by Port, the pirate. Others say that Portsmouth is commonly
regarded as having been founded in 1180 by the Anglo-Norman lord Jean de
Gisors. Most early records of Portsmouth are thought to have been destroyed by
Norman invaders following the
