These men and women were captured both on land and sea.

French soldiers captured at Pondicherry in India in 1793 were transfered from Chatham to Norman Cross in 1800.

The great victory of the Royal Navy over the Dutch fleet at Camperdown in October 1797 brought 5,000 Dutch seamen to Norman Cross.

From 1808 onwards, a certain General Sir Arthur Wellesley campaigned successfully in Spain and Portugal, finally driving the French over the Pyrenees and back into France in 1814.

This soldier later became known as the Duke of Wellington, and it is appropriate that the present Duke has very kindly agreed to become one the patrons of the Norman Cross Eagle Appeal; especially appropriate, as it was his famous ancestor who put many prisoners in the depot at Norman Cross in the first place.

The prisoners incarcerated within the walls of the depot occupied their time by attending classes in languages, dancing, mathematics and navigation; or by manufacturing bone and wood models of ships, guillotines and anything that caught their imagination. A supurb collection of this work may be seen in Peterborough Museum.

These activities were encouraged by the authorities, as they allowed the prisoners to earn money from the sale of such models in the prison market, and kept the hands and minds of the men away from causing trouble or attempting escape.

The prisoners were also engaged in other activities; activities that were not condoned by the authorities, such as the illegal manufacture of straw plait; the forging of banknotes; and the not inconsiderable output of material of a pornographic nature.

<< 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 >>

updated april 2005 | copyright | privacy | web by d-zine