Construction began on Dartmoor Prison in 1806 and finished in 1809 and was built using rocks found around Princeton supplemented by the Herne Hole Quarry nearby. It was originally constructed to house French POWs during the Napoleonic wars. After the war of 1812, a conflict between the UK and US, American prisoners were also housed here. After 1815, the prisoners of both countries were repatriated and the prison lay dormant for the next 36 years.
Dartmoor was recommissioned as a penal prison in 1851 and received its first prisoners from the mothballed prison hulks of Gosport and the Thames. This first group was comprised mainly invalids as it was supposed that the ‘fresh air’ of Dartmoor would do them good.
In January 1852, 700lbs of gunpowder was found stashed away in Herne Hole in what was supposed to be an escape attempt by prisoners. On discovery, forty-six soldiers and their officers belonging to the 19th Regiment were sent to the prison immediately to bolster the wardens.
In May 1856, a gang of convicts working within the quarry made an almost fatal error in priming the explosives which did not immediately ignite. Two inmates, bolder than the rest, went to check on the charges which suddenly exploded in their faces; they were seriously wounded but survived.
In 1917, all convict prisoners were withdrawn from Dartmoor and dispersed amongst the remaining prisons. The cells instead would now be filled by 1,100 conscientious objectors who refused to fight in the first world war. Despite the locks being removed from their doors and the ability to wander around the community of Princetown, these men, and their families living locally, faced great stigma and hardship.
Such was the infamy of the returning inmates in Dartmoor, that in 1932 a great net was erected around the entrance to obfuscate the convicts from onlookers and a policeman was always on duty to deter loiterers.
Dartmoor is still used to this very day, providing crucial vocational courses, rehabilitation and behaviour-changing treatment for its 640 inmates. Despite this, Dartmoor is scheduled to close in 2023.
If you’re interested in visiting or want to know more, read about our visit to Dartmoor Prison Museum here.