Dartmoor Prison

Crossing the moor on the way to N's uncle and aunt the road leads through Princetown, the home of the notorious Dartmoor Prison here in the hazy sunshine. There aren't many stopping places so this was the best I could do today! The prison was built originally for French POWs from the Napoleonic war. They arrived in 1809, followed by American POWs from the war of 1812. The building housed up to 6,000 many of whom died. From 1815-1850 the prison lay empty until the Victorians made it into a gaol which was the most severe in the country. During WWI it housed over a 1,000 conscientious objectors and after that it became a regular prison for the toughest criminals.

I remember in my childhood the guards used to ride ponies on the land surrounding the prison and every now and then one would hear of an escape and some cottage on the moor would be broken into for clothes, money and food.

The town of Princetown is in the middle of Dartmoor and is one of the highest in England at around about 1,400 feet. It was named after the Prince of Wales since he and his predecessors own most of the land on the moor.

The drive from Somerset was wonderful with brilliant hazy sunshine.