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History of Southampton
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History of Southampton
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Southampton City, a city rich in history and influenced by so many great civilisations, Southampton has been the host to many great events of our nation, where kings have been crowned and treason has been plotted. We can trace Southampton back to the times of the Romans. The Romans conquered Southern parts of Britain in the first century, one of the first places was Venta Belgarum known today as Winchester. It was here that the Romans noticed that Venta Belgarum needed an outpost at the end of the river (Itchen). This outpost was named Clausentum. It was built in what is today called Bitterne Manor.
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The infamous Viking King Canute was crowned in Southampton. King Canute was the victor of Saxon, Ethelred the Redeless, who fled to France. Canute is famed for his attempt to command the waves of the Solent; he demanded that the tide move no further in-land, probably to disprove those who had been exaggerating his greatness. Unfortunately for him, King Canute got his feet wet. After William the Conqueror becoming King of England, there followed a period of greater prosperity and growth. Winchester was then the Capital, so the port at Southampton was more important and crucial than ever. The Normans began to build a wall, which would eventually encircle the town. It was in the mid-twelfth century that the Northern gateway (The Bargate) to the town was built.
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In 1348, The Black Death (Bubonic Plague) reached England and killed one in three everywhere, leaving Southampton downtrodden for the second time in ten years. Prior to Henry V's sailing from Southampton to his famous victory at Agincourt in 1415, a plot was discovered to kill the King. Treason was the charge and several men were executed near the Bargate. Their heads were spiked for public view. Among them was the Earl of Cambridge, a man of royal blood. When Henry VIII renounced the Roman Catholic Church, which resulted the end for many churches throughout England. St Deny's Priory was one such. On June 4th, 1553, King Edward VI gave permission for the establishment of a local grammar school. It still exists today.
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Southampton is known as the home of the Spitfire. Produced in Woolston, and devised by R J Mitchell and originally test flown from nearby Eastleigh airport. The arrival of French and British troops from Dunkirk was the first physical indication that the war really touched here. Air raids began in June 1940 and gradually increased. The worst raids were on November 30th/December 1st, 1940. The arrival of the Americans meant that locals knew the port would be involved in D-Day but the forces sailed on June 5th, 1944, to arrive in Normandy the next day. Over 3 million troops went through Southampton to the continent, 2 million of them American.
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| Southampton continues to prosper as a vibrant Cosmopolitan City wealthy in Industry, Culture, entertainment, heritage, history, parks, shopping, sport and much more. The City is also gaining a reputation for being the arts and entertainment capital of the south. History is what makes a city and it is due to the spice and variety of it's colourful past that Southampton is what it is today. |
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