NEW 25-11-2006

Congratulations! What a wonderful website you have developed. Thank you for sharing the information. I live in Australia but have spent many hours visiting your site.

My interest is in old Cosham where my ancestors lived in the late 1800s. My grandfather, Charles, came to Australia in 1870 having previously stopped off in New Zealand and eventually settled in Charleville.

His brother, William, lived in Cosham for many years where he was innkeeper at the Railway Hotel, on High Street. In the 1881 census, William was the licensed victualler. He was 24 and single, running the hotel with two servants, Rose Cross, aged 16, a domestic servant from Southampton and James Underwood, aged 34, an inn hostler from Wiltshire. William’s sister, Lavinia, was also staying at the hotel.

 My great grandparents were married in Wymering. Other relations ran the butcher shop at the top of High Street.

Rob Burcher - Brisbane, Australia - November 2006

The Pearce family were publicans and licensees of the Ship Inn on Cosham High Street for at least 50 years through the latter half of the 19th century. Horatio William Pearce (1852–87) was landlord of the Ship like his father William Joseph Pearce (1805–1870) before him.

In 1840 the inn was described as ‘a desirable roadside house with convenient stabling and clubroom’, and it was where the local branch (or 'Court') of the Ancient Order of Foresters (Court Unity, No 2295) met regularly. The Foresters was one of a number of friendly societies that came into being in the Victorian era as a mutual help group. Father and son were both Foresters (or ‘Brothers’) and hosted Court Unity's anniversary dinner each year in the Court-room at the Ship. These occasions were usually covered in some detail by the Portsmouth Evening News and its reports make clear that both men were capable and accomplished caterers: ‘an excellent dinner was provided by Bro Pearce’ (1867); ‘the catering of the host, Mr H.W. Pearce, gave much satisfaction’ (1876); and ‘the dinner was admirably served and reflected much credit on the host, Mr Horatio Pearce’ (1877).

William Pearce died at the Ship on 10 January 1870 aged 65. After six years running the pub his widow Susannah transferred the licence to their son, Horatio, on 16 August 1876. He ran the Ship for almost eleven years until his early death on 10 May 1887 (also at the Ship) after a protracted illness, aged only 37 (although latterly it must have been his wife Emma who was in charge). Emma continued as the licensee until the early 1900s when she gave it up but continued to work locally as a monthly nurse (a woman who looked after a mother and her baby for the first few weeks after birth). She died in 1911 aged 65.

Jonathan Falconer - May 2015

NEW 05-01-2014    Contributor: Andy Salter

 NEW 15-05-2006

50 years ago I left England and arrived in Australia. I have never returned to see the land of my birth and probably never will. I was born in the left side bedroom on the second floor of Fair House, Portsdown Hill Rd. and lived at this address apart from a time at Botley Drive Leighpark for 8 years.

My maternal grandfather, Alex Menzies, rented 'Fair House' from the army for quite some years and was the last resident before the house was condemned.

Leslie R Knight - May 2006