Portsmouth HGS Family History Group meet Monthly to Inspire and Help with your Research

Welcome to the Portsmouth Group page.  This friendly and welcoming  group meets at 7:00pm for a 7:30pm start on the first Monday of the month (except January and August) in ‘The Links’, Cosham Baptist Church, Havant Road, Cosham, Portsmouth.

Our members come from all over the Portsmouth area and we are always pleased to welcome visitors and new members. Parking is available at the church, on the roads opposite, in the car park next to the church (50p an hour at all times), or 50 yards down the road behind the Red Lion pub (free after 6pm).  On arrival at the church, go through the main entrance and ‘The Links’ is the meeting room on the left.

Why Join Portsmouth Group?

Joining your local group provides an opportunity to meet other people who share the same enthusiasm for family history and to share skills and expertise. It’s also an opportunity to help others break down ‘brick walls’ in their research and to get assistance with your own. The talks, workshops, and social events also provide a great opportunity to extend knowledge and have fun!

If you have any articles that you would like included on our group page then please contact us, we would be delighted to receive them!

The Group meetings are either a talk from a speaker on a family history related subject, or a Members’ Evening, usually arranged around members interests or request for a particular topic. The meeting is preceded by tea/coffee and biscuits, giving the opportunity for members to chat with each other and the speaker.

HGS Portsmouth Group Events & Meetings

• March 2, 2020, 7:00 pm: My Genealogical Journey - Phil Brown
• April 6, 2020, 7:00 pm: Winchester: Bishops, buildings and bones: Part 2 - Andrew Negus

  The second talk in Andrew's series on the history of Winchester covers 1100-1600. We shall see how Winchester is involved in national events which brought wealth and prestige but sometimes extreme violence and destruction. We shall meet several rich and crafty bishops and look at the magnificent buildings and institutions they created. We shall see what a profitable businesses they promoted with Winchester’s collection of noble bones. However there will be rats to deal with in Winchester’s streets ‘strewn with donge and other filthy things’. These rats bring devastation to the city but also help create one of England’s most famous schools.

• May 4, 2020, 7:00 pm: Members’ Evening - House History
• June 1, 2020, 7:00 pm: The Ladies of the Tower - Tony Strafford
• July 6, 2020, N/A: Guided walk around Bedhampton
• August 3, 2020, N/A: Summer Break - No meeting
• September 7, 2020, 7:00 pm: The Triangle Girls - Cheryl Jewitt and Colin Lay
• October 5, 2020, 7:00 pm: Droughts, Deluges and Dust-devils: 350 years of Weather - Ian Currie

  Several centuries of weather with particular reference to SE England. From 7 metre high snowdrifts, cricket ball sized hail, blazing summers to violent tornadoes or devastating floods.

• November 2, 2020, 7:00 pm: Maps - Les Mitchinson

  Maps are valuable to family historians seeking to locate their ancestor’s property or to place them in a particular location.

• December 7, 2020, 7:00 pm: Christmas Evening

Find Us Here:

Cosham Baptist Church – The Links
Havant Rd
Cosham
PO6 2QZ