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Summary

A burial ground laid out in 1866-8 to commemorate the American prisoners of war who died at Dartmoor Prison during the Anglo-American War of 1812-1815. Designated in 2016 as a Registered Park and Garden; only the second on Dartmoor.

Location

Protected Status

• Registered Park or Garden (II) 1427525: H M Prison Dartmoor: American Prisoner of War Cemetery

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57SE/344/1

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CEMETERY (XIX - 1866 AD to 1868 AD (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

Garden is depicted on the late 19th century historic map.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

'American Cemetery' marked on the early 20th century historic map.

Joy, R., 2002, Dartmoor Prison A Complete Illustrated History Volume 2 The Convict Prison 1850-Present Day At Her Majesty's Pleasure, 173, photographs (Monograph). SDV359843.

During 2002, upgrades were made to the French and American cemeteries, including the American obelisk. Images of the gates to the American memorial arch, presented by members of the United States Navy and new gates to the American cemetery, made and fitted by the prison.

Historic England, 2016, Case Name: H M Prison Dartmoor: American Prisoner of War Cemetery (Report - Assessment). SDV359541.

A burial ground laid out in 1866-8 to commemorate the American prisoners of war who died at Dartmoor
Prison during the Anglo-American War of 1812-1815.
During the Napoleonic Wars of 1809-1816 and the Anglo-American War of 1812-1815, around 1200 French and 271 American soldiers died at Dartmoor Prison where they were held as prisoners of war. They were buried unmarked 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, Captain Stopford, Governor of Dartmoor Prison, decided to create two burial grounds 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 two burial grounds were enclosed by a stone wall and the convicts of Dartmoor Prison (by then a civic prison) made a commemorative obelisk for each cemetery.
In 1928 the National Society United States Daughters, founded in 1892, added a Dartmoor granite memorial gate to the American cemetery, and later cast iron gates were added, presented by members of the US Navy.
In 2002, on the instruction of the Governor Graham Johnson, the obelisks to both cemeteries were restored, and a cast iron entrance gate was added to the south side, including seats and a flagpole. In 2012 two further marble memorials were erected behind the obelisk, inscribed with the names of the 271 American prisoners of war who are known to have died at Dartmoor Prison.
The American Prisoner of War Cemetery at Dartmoor Prison continues to be regularly used for
commemorative ceremonies.
Reason for Designation
The American Prisoner of War Cemetery, HMP Dartmoor, a landscaped burial ground laid out in 1866-8 to commemorate the American soldiers who lost their lives whilst in captivity at Dartmoor Prison during the Anglo-American War of 1812-5 is included on the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Date: a good and relatively early example of a landscaped prisoners of war burial ground associated
with Dartmoor Prison, reflecting changing attitudes to respecting the dead and military commemoration from the 1850s onwards;
* Rarity: it is the only known example of a burial ground in England associated with the Anglo-American War of 1812-15;
* Historic associations: it is an important and poignant reminder of the Anglo-American War of 1812-5,
the last military conflict between the United States and Great Britain, and it continues to be a focal point for reflection and commemoration;
* Quality of monuments: the obelisk and entrance gate of 1928, (listed at Grade II) reflect, despite their
modest design, the importance of the burial ground as a landscape of remembrance, and having been
hand-carved by prisoners of Dartmoor Prison (by then a civic prison), adds to their interest and poignancy;
* Group value: the burial ground forms an important group with the adjacent French Prisoner of War
Cemetery laid out and planted together in 1866-8 as a matching pair and with Dartmoor Prison.

Ordnance Survey, 2016, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV359352.

Cemetery is depicted on the modern mapping.

Unknown, 2017, Autumn New articles (Article in Serial). SDV360889.

Landscaped burial ground was created between 1866-1868; before that it was open moorland. The Prisoners of War who died at the prison were buried with neither coffins or ceremony. After the Napoleonic Wars ended, the prison closed, but later was rebuilt and re-opened (1850-1) as a convict gaol. By 1860 the harsh weather and grazing animals had uncovered the remains of the Prisoners of War and the governor ordered every remnant, both French and American should be collected and reburied.
Trevor James, who has published a book on the history of the prison with Alain Sibiril (the Honorary Consul of France living in Plymouth, who discovered the overgrown plot in 2001) and his wife said that it was decided to apportion the remains 50:50 American: French (although not an accurate reflection), which were then buried in two separate compounds marked by two obelisks.
The grassy expanse surrounded by trees that can be seen today is the careful work of prison inmates but with the prison's future in doubt, there are concerns that the cemeteries could be at risk.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7115 - Assessment of the buildings at Princetown Prison, Dartmoor

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