[Bravehart3]

Ive been trying to find out why Portsmouth is nicknamed Pompey but I havent fond any web sites that as info on the reason behind the name. Can anyone fill me in?

[kbsj]

Origin of the Term "Pompey" for Portsmouth

[portsmouth]

Why Pompey? That is possibly the greatest mystery in the story of Portsmouth Football Club. The origins of the club itself are firmly documented; more obscure though are the origins of a nickname which is perhaps the most instantly recognised in the English game. What is not disputed is that Pompey is Naval in origin - but about the origins of that nickname are numerous theories.
Some claim it lies in an 80-gun French warship Le Pompee captured in 1793 which later fought with distinction in the battle of Algeciras in 1801 and then became guardship of Portsmouth Harbour. Others maintain it was the product of a far from sober sailor's interruption of a talk by AgnesWeston, the naval temperance worker. He surfaced from a beery slumber during her lecture on the Roman Empire to hear that the general Pompey had been killed. 'Poor old Pompey' he is said to have shouted . . . . such are the roots of legend. Bu there is another more authenticated potential root in Naval folk-lore. In 1781 some Portsmouth-based English sailors scaled Pompey's Pillar near Alexandria and 98 feet up above Egypt, toasted their ascent in punch. Their feat earned them the Fleet's tribute as 'The Pompey Boys'.