Summary
A memorial erected in c1866-8 commemorating the French soldiers who died at Dartmoor Prison where they were held as prisoners of war during the Napoleonic Wars of 1809-1816.
Reasons for Designation
The Obelisk at the French Prisoner of War Cemetery, H M Prison Dartmoor, erected in 1866-8 by prisoners of Dartmoor Prison (by then a civic prison), is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Artistic interest: despite its modest design, it is of good quality reflecting its function as a commemorative structure, and having been hand-carved by prisoners of Dartmoor Prison, adds further to its interest and poignancy;
* Historic interest: it is an important and rare example of a monument commemorating the French prisoners of war who lost their lives at Dartmoor Prison during the Napoleonic Wars;
* Group value: it forms an important focal point within the cemetery, and has important group value with the adjacent American Prisoner of War Cemetery laid out together as a matching pair, and with Dartmoor Prison.
History
During the Napoleonic Wars of 1809-1816 and the Anglo-American War of 1812-16, 271 American and around 1200 French soldiers died at Dartmoor Prison where they were held as prisoners of war. They were buried in unmarked graves in a field immediately west of the prison outside the prison walls. In the early 1860s, in response to reports that during ploughing of the field human remains regularly came to the surface, the Governor of Dartmoor Prison decided to create two burial grounds east of the prison, outside the prison walls, one for the French and one for American prisoners of war. The human remains were exhumed, divided into two parts and then reburied. The convicts of Dartmoor Prison (by then a civic prison) made a commemorative obelisk for each burial ground.
Details
A memorial erected in c1866-8 commemorating the French prisoners of war who died at Dartmoor Prison during the Napoleonic Wars of 1809-1816.
Sources
Books and journals Websites https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/253816 http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/2878 Other
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
End of official list entry
