Prison's 200th anniversary marked

A commemoration has taken place marking the bicentenary of the opening of Dartmoor Prison in Devon.

The prison, in Princetown, opened on 24 May 1809 after three years of construction, which began in 1806.

It was originally built to hold French prisoners from the Napoleonic Wars. It also housed American prisoners from the War of 1812 in its early years.

A service was held at Princetown Parish Church and was attended by some descendents of the French prisoners.

'Something special'

Plymouth's honorary French Consul, Alain Sibiril, said tracing the descendents of some of the jail's original prisoners had been an "interesting journey".

He said: "When we set out to commemorate the French prisoners, we really wanted to do something special."

During the Napoleonic Wars, thousands of prisoners were taken and confined in prison ships until the prison was built and they could be transferred.

At one time, the prison population numbered almost 6,000, the Dartmoor Prison Museum said.

A memorial to more than 1,100 French and 271 American prisoners of war who died at Dartmoor Prison stands in the prison's cemeteries.

Both the French and American wars were concluded in 1815 and repatriations began.

The prison was then left empty until 1850 and has been in constant use since, with many of its current buildings dating from the late 19th Century.

It is currently a Category C prison which can house about 640 inmates.

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Dartmoor Prison Museum
BBC Devon - Prison marks 200 years gallery
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