Perth Prison in the Napoleonic Wars or the Time That Prisoners Tried to Escape by Balloon

It was a recent trip to Perth Museum and Art Gallery which inspired this post, more specifically, it was a box of dominos which were on display. I had glanced over this set of dominos without a second thought so many times, often my attention was more focused on the temporary exhibitions that were held in the museum or certain objects would simply hold my attention more than a set of dominos. It was when I was researching about the Suffrage movement in Perth and the role of Perth Prison had in the later years of the movement, that I had stumbled upon the history of Perth in the Napoleonic Wars, more importantly, the story behind the dominos.

Bone dominos and box made in Perth Depot by French prisoners c. 1812-1814. , Perth Museum and Art Gallery, accessed 1/04/2020, https://www.facebook.com/PerthMuseum/photos/a.301989303189338/2349909568397291/?type=1&theater

The Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815)  were a series of major conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon Bonaparte against European coalitions which were usually lead by the United Kingdom. The most memorable events of the twelve-year conflict that people tend to remember are the Battle of Trafalgar and the Battle of Waterloo, which has been engraved into public memory due to the ever so catchy song from ABBA that always gets stuck in my head.

Throughout the course of the Napoleonic Wars, Scotland would hold hundreds of prisoners of war from 1811. From 1812, Perth was to become the largest depot to hold prisoners of war in Scotland and it was to hold 7,000 prisoners until June 1814. [1]  The construction of the Perth Depot and the prison was described by a notable Perth historian, David Peacock as ' the finest specimen of...architecture.' [2] The construction of the depot was noted to have been constructed quickly and it was noted to have a force of 1500 people employed to construct the prison among with countless numbers of horses and carts, the cost was £130,000 (£6,048,276 according to 2017). [3]

Plan of the Old Perth Prison by Robert Reid c.1810-1812.  http://canmore.org.uk/collection/1036388

The Perth Depot, designed by the Robert Reid who would later become the King's architect and surveyor for Scotland (1808-40). As evident in the plan above, the depot was to become a large construction to be able to hold up to 7,000 prisoners. The depot consisted of five three-story buildings (prisons), each 130 feet long and 30 feet broad, each with an airing ground and all buildings were joined together with a 'market place.' In the middle of the prison, there was a large observation tower for the prison. This construction would also contain a two-storey building for the hospital with kitchens, guardrooms for the Agents and Surgeons, Governor, and the Chaplin of the main prison among with guardrooms.[4]  Notably, to prevent escape from the prison, there was a canal or a moat, that was ten feet wide on the inside of the prison. On the outside, there were high walls and an iron palisade, and there was a 'military walk,' where sentinels were posted.  There was a guard of 300 men each day, requiring the appointment of three regiments of foot in Perth, who were stationed in the barracks. [5]

The first prisoners in the depot arrived from Plymouth via Dundee in August 1812, marching their way to Perth. There were 400 prisoners and it has been noted that there were some women among the group. Great numbers of prisoners who arrived after the battle of Salamanca, who marched through Fife. [6]  The depot filled up quickly with prisoners of war and by January 1813, the Perth Depot was full and it was not able to accommodate any more prisoners, and it lead to 350 French prisons to be placed on patrol or they would be placed back into the army.  [7] French prisoners were also transferred to Edinburgh Castle, and 850 prisoners were transferred to Valleyfield depot in Fife in January 1813.    It is believed that Perth Depot held 7,761 prisoners between 1812-1814. [8]

While Perth Depot was built to accommodate French prisoners of war, there as a range of different nationalities hosted within the prison.  Throughout the Napoleonic wars, prisoners would be captured on the sea and on French Warships, this is demonstrated how 54 soldiers were captured on the HMS Active in February 1807. [9].  Prisoners of war would arrive at Perth Depot after the battles of throughout the course of the Napoleonic wars and it was described that 'a great many,' arrived after the battle of Salamanca in 1812.  It was noted in Perth Depot that only 300 prisoners were recorded as seamen. [10]


MacDougall's book of All Men are Breathern: Prisoners of War in Scotland, 1803-1814, noted that at least 2/3 of the prisoners who were held in Perth Depot were French. French prisoners were kept among Danish, Spanish, American, and other nationalities. The chart below is taken from the numbers from MacDougall's study on the prisoners of war in Perth Depot but there is a need for further investigation in this area.

Nationality of Prisoners in Perth [11]	Numbers
English	35
German	599
Italian	463
Dutch	149
West Indian	12

The set of dominos that are held in  Perth Museum had started off my investigation of Perth Depot. In the Perth Depot, the prisoners were allowed to go to the daily market providing that they did not have contraband, where they were able to buy potatoes, bread, soap, tobacco, and firewood among with other luxury goods. [12]  The prisoners would occupy themselves by making small goods which they would sell at the markets. The majority of these goods were toys and jewellery were made out of beef bones and wood among other materials. Some of the prisoners were noted to have dug out the clay from the courtyard and made figurines. [ 13] It can be assumed that the dominos are held in the museum was an example of prisoner industry.



When they were not making goods, industrious prisoners would also use their time thinking of ways to escape from the depot. Attempts to escape would happen on a weekly basis and could be considered to be Hoodini worthy, including attempts to escape through tunnels being in the latrines of the depots, the creation of mines,  disguising themselves and sneaking into the markets, and climbing out of windows by rope ladders. [14]  It was noted that between 14 September 1812 and 24 September 1813, there were fourteen escape attempts, half were successful and it allowed 61 prisoners to escape out of the prison and twenty-nine had gotten away completely.    One of the most notable escape attempts took place on August 15 1813, involved the prisoners attempting to escape through hot air balloon. The escape attempt was unsuccessful and it was recorded in a local newspaper that 'the balloon very large...the force became so powerful from a hasty increase of fire to pursue it's upright position against the force of the wind, that it burst its strings...torn against a tree.'  [15]

Another attempt on August 24 1813  had prisoners escaping through a mine dug from a latrine of No.2 prison to the bottom of the southern outer wall. At 2am that day, one of the prisoners fell into the water when trying to jump the 'moat,' which alerted the guards. It was revealed that twenty-three prisoners had escaped. Ten prisoners were caught. Two were caught attempting to board a boat, one had climbed a tree but eventually came down, one tried to swim the Tay, and the others were caught near the river, and thirteen had temporarily gotten away.  It was noted in the Caledonian Mercury that 'four of the prisoners who lately escaped from Perth Depot were discovered within a mile of Arbroath on August 28,' and that 'were on board of a vessel on Dundee, but were unable to carry off...other three or four prisoners had been apprehended and lodged in the Forfar Goal...Several others had gone Northwards by the Highland Road in the direction of Inverness.'   The prisoners in Forfar made another attempt to escape by breaking through a prison wall with a part of a fire grate. [15]

It was after the dethronement of Napoleon in 1814, that the prisoners of war were realised from Perth Depot. It was noted by observers that in June 1814 when the prisoners were removed that the ones who went down the river in boars were 'cheered by the people.' Others were marched to Newbrough and they held one last market for the sell of thier goods and people were 'anxious to get mementoes and willing to pay well for them.'  [16]

The Depot was finally closed on July 31 1814. Between 1815 to 1833, the depot was used as a military clothing store before it was turned into a General Prison for Scotland, where it would later be involved in events in local history such as Perth's involvement in the woman's suffrage movement.

There is still much-needed work to be done in Scotland's involvement of the Napoleonic Wars, especially in the role of Perth in this moment of history. Often historiography neglects small cities such as Perth when it comes to the history of Scotland. The history of Perth seems to end after the removal of the Stone of Destiny in 1296 in textbooks, and local history is so rarely taught in schools. I do hope that this can generate some interest in the history of Perth, as even though we are a small city, we are thankfully enriched in history that is needed to become unearthed.
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[1]  F. Abell, Prisoners of War in Britain 1756 to 1815; A Record of their Lives, Their Romance and Their Sufferings  (London, 1914), pp. 155-165.

[2] D. Peacock, Perth:It's Annals and Its Archives ( Perth, 1849). p.496.

[3] ibid. p.496.

[4] Abell, Prisoners of War in Britain, p. 155; Peacock, Perth, its Annals and Its Archives, pp. 496-497.

[5] Peacock,  Perth, Its Annals and Its Archives, pp. 496-497.

[6] Abell, Prisoners of War in Britain, pp. 155-156.

[7] I. MacDougall, All Men Are Brethern: Prisoners of War in Scotland, 1803-1814  (Edinburgh, 2008), pp. 114-115

[8] ibid., pp. 114-115.

[9] ibid.  pp. 1128-126.

[10] Abell, Prisioners of War in Britain,  p. 156; G. Penny, Traditions of Perth: Containing Sketches of the Manners and Customs of the Inhabitants, and Notices of Public Occurrences, During the Last Century ( Perth, 1836), p. 92

[11] MacDougall, All Men Are Brethern, pp. 118- 126;181-90.

[12]  G. Penny, Traditions of Perth  pp. 92-93

[13] Abell, Prisoners of War in Britain, pp. 158-159.

[14] ibid. pp. 160-165.

[15] MacDougall, All Men Are Brethern, p. 501.

[16] Abell, Prisoners of War in Britain,  pp. 162-163.