Mrs Hawes just asked me: why are Portsmouth called Pompey?

(Actually she asked me why Southampton are called Pompey, but she was almost right.)

Anyway, I realised to my surprise I didn’t know.

So I looked it up. And guess what - no-one does.

At least, according to the University of Portsmouth library, and I’m inclined to believe them. Check out this brilliant list of possible explanations:

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Posted By: Tricky Hawes, Feb 12, 22:50:16