St Michaels? Where?

[JK]

On the 1851 census one of my 3x GRt Grandfathers birthplace is given as St Michael, Hampshire, born 1799.
He and his family lived in Portsea and from the census he will have been a sailor as he is a Greenwich pensioner. Does any local Hampshire bod have any idea where St Michael would have been or indeed still is, is it maybe a parish in Portsmouth or another place altogether?  I am struggling to understand or find anything conclusive that pin points where it is/was.
His wife is from Liss and they married at St Thomas's Portsmouth if that helps at all
Cheers
Jk

[Jebber]

There is the parish of St. Michael in Portsea, you may find something of use here.

http://www.knightroots.co.uk/resources.htm


Jebber

[Wendi]

Hi Jk !

Portsmouth Reference Library have an email address.  I'm sure they'd know !

http://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/learning/1042.html

Wendi 

[JK]

Thanks for the replies guys am more confused this evening as I googled the St Michaels at Portsea and it seems to come up as St Michaels and all Angels but that wasn't established until the 1880's so can't be that one, but is that the same one you found Jebber? Think I'll email the library see what they suggest. Oh why didnt it just say a place name on the census

[Little Nell]

Hi JK

It might be St Michael in Southampton.  Most parishes are not ususally shown by the dedication of the church, unless they are in a major city with more than one ancient parish, hence my suggestion.  St Michael in Southampton is the oldest building in the city, parts of it dating from the 11th century.

Just a suggestion.

Nell

[JK]

Thanks Nell, Had a feeling this might be tricky, more investigation required me thinks, I just thought maybe it was like a well known Hampshire thing, obviously not, must have made sense to the enumerator when he recorded it thats why I was thinking it would be Portsmouth or nearby, how frustrating

[Little Nell]

There are lots of parishes in Hampshire where the church is dedicated to St Michael and I didn't want to put you off by listing them all!

In 19th century, Hamsphire was often known as the county of Southampton.  I wonder if they have put Hampshire because they thought it was the county instead of the city of Southampton?  Only a suggestion.

Nell

[JK]

Thanks Nell, That explains why I keep finding Hampshire and in brackets Southampton on pages documenting Hampshire history, I wondered why that was

[Wendi]

Hi Jk !

Do you have access to the actual census page?

The enumerator has listed the county first and the place second, so for those born on the island he has written "Hants Portsea" which would indicate to me that St Michael might be a place rather than a parish in Portsmouth........

Also the "Hants St Michael" is written for the person above - overwritten on ditto marks (it looks like to me) and your Gt.Grandfathers place of birth is actually ditto marks ~ any chance he was born Ireland?

HO107/1658 Folio 279 Page 57

Have you pursued the Greenwich pensioners records at all ?

Wendi