A1-The Great North Road

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Norman Cross

On Armstrong's road map of 1776, the crossed swords of battle are marked north east of the crossroads.

At the end of the 18th century, in the Napoleonic wars, several thousand French and Dutch prisoners were held at Yaxley Barracks.  One thousand seven hundred and seventy of those prisoners died in captivity and with the demolition of the barracks in 1816 might have been forgotten.  But almost a century later, on the eve of the First World War in July 1914, a monument to their memory was erected.  On a tall stone pillar a bronze French Eagle overlooks the Great North Road.  325 miles up the road another memorial to the victims of the Napoleonic wars, in this case Scottish soldiers, overlooks the far end of the Great North Road in Edinburgh.  Prisoners were used in the labour of the Newark Hill Cutting.

Bessie Garfoot-Gardner appears to have been particularly moved by the memorial. Here is her account from 1949:

"The road-side Memorial of Norman Cross may be described as the most striking and most beautiful structure to be found on those 395 miles linking the two capitals. The grandeur of the French Imperial Eagle with out-spread wings is dramatically impressive, appearing at the summit of a dignified column.  A solid rectangular base rests upon a substantial platform.  To appreciate the memorial in its fullest glory, one should view it upon a moonlight night.  Then the particular background of local type, appears as a most enchanting setting.  It seems rather remarkable that the eagle was set up in July 1914, upon the eve of the 1914-18 war, being unveiled by the French Ambassador, repres­enting the Entente Cordiale.

"Thus after the passing of 100 years, an eternal memor­ial was set up for the brave French soldiers and sailors buried beneath the mounds of the large burial ground by the road-side.  The large Norman Cross Prison was opened in 1797, and the average number of prisoners was about 6000. This continued till about 1814.  The parish register, which is at Yaxley, contains no contemporary records of deaths of prisoners, but several French names still survive in nearby villages.

"This very large prison was eventually disbanded, but two large and distinguished houses of officials, exists in perfect condition.  It is interesting to know that George Borrow the writer spent his younger days here, as his father was a Governor.

"In Peterborough Museum may be seen a most wonder­ful collection of articles made by the prisoners. These are world famous and have been refused, to would be purchasers for the British Museum.  The two chief varieties made, were pictures etc. of straw marquetry and working models of theatres, guillotine etc. made from discarded dinner bones.

"A model of the prison exists in the Mus'ee de L' Armee Hotel des Invalides, Paris."

 

This picture comes from Norman Webster's 1974 book The Great North Road before the eagle was stolen.

 

Sadly, in 1990, the bronze eagle was stolen.  Two accounts explain the event.  The establishment view is that it was stolen by gypsies looking for the scrap metal value.  Conspiracy theorists prefer skulduggery at the Highways  Agency.  The government, fearing protests over proposals to move a war memorial for the convenience of motorway construction, arranged for the eagle to be 'stolen'. The The Norman Cross Eagle Appeal was successfully established to raise the £30,000 necessary to replace the bronze bird and restore the memorial to these otherwise largely forgotten victims of war. The pillar has been moved to make way for the motorway and now stands on the north side of the Yaxley Road (actually called London Road and the A15) near the hotel entrance.  A new eagle has yet to land and the pillar still stands empty. After a surprisingly long delay, the new bronze eagle, created by sculptor John Doubleday, is due to be unveiled in April 2005.

Wikipedia have some more stuff on Norman Cross.

And here it is.  The Eagle has landed.   The new bronze in all it's magnificence.

 

There are other memorials related to Napoleonic days along the Great North Road at Thornton-le-Street, Felton and Edinburgh

 

 

 This model ship in its marquetry box was made by the prisoners.  It is now at Gunby Hall, a National Trust property in Lincolnshire, near Skegness. The gardens are really good - no need to bother with Skeggy.

 

Garfoot-Gardner mentioned George Borrow's knowledge of the prison.  Here is his description, given in chapter 4 of Lavengro, first published in 1851 and now widely available as e-text such as from The Project Gutenberg.

"And a strange place it was, this Norman Cross, and, at the time of which I am speaking, a sad cross to many a Norman, being what was then styled a French prison, that is, a receptacle for captives made in the French war. It consisted, if I remember right, of some five or six casernes, very long, and immensely high; each standing isolated from the rest, upon a spot of ground which might average ten acres, and which was fenced round with lofty palisades, the whole being compassed about by a towering wall, beneath which, at intervals, on both sides, sentinels were stationed, whilst outside, upon the field, stood commodious wooden barracks, capable of containing two regiments of infantry, intended to serve as guards upon the captives. Such was the station or prison at Norman Cross, where some six thousand French and other foreigners, followers of the grand Corsican, were now immured.

"What a strange appearance had those mighty casernes, with their blank blind walls, without windows or grating, and their slanting roofs, out of which, through orifices where the tiles had been removed, would be protruded dozens of grim heads, feasting their prison-sick eyes on the wide expanse of country unfolded from that airy height. Ah! there was much misery in those casernes; and from those roofs, doubtless, many a wistful look was turned in the direction of lovely France. Much had the poor inmates to endure, and much to complain of, to the disgrace of England be it said - of England, in general so kind and bountiful. Rations of carrion meat, and bread from which I have seen the very hounds occasionally turn away, were unworthy entertainment even for the most ruffian enemy, when helpless and a captive; and such, alas! was the fare in those casernes. And then, those visits, or rather ruthless inroads, called in the slang of the place 'strawplait-hunts,' when in pursuit of a contraband article, which the prisoners, in order to procure themselves a few of the necessaries and comforts of existence, were in the habit of making, red-coated battalions were marched into the prisons, who, with the bayonet's point, carried havoc and ruin into every poor convenience which ingenious wretchedness had been endeavouring to raise around it; and then the triumphant exit with the miserable booty; and, worst of all, the accursed bonfire, on the barrack parade, of the plait contraband, beneath the view of the glaring eyeballs from those lofty roofs, amidst the hurrahs of the troops, frequently drowned in the curses poured down from above like a tempest-shower or in the terrific war-hoop of 'VIVE L'EMPEREUR!'"

The George Borrow Society was founded in July 1991 to promote knowledge of the life and works of George Borrow (1803-81).

 

The eagle has now been restored.  Here's a report from the BBC from 2nd April 2005

Hundreds remember Napoleonic POWs 

More than 400 people have gathered for the unveiling of a memorial in honour of thousands of Napoleonic troops who perished in a prisoner of war camp. The monument was dedicated to the 1,700 mostly French captives who died at the Norman Cross prisoner of war camp near Peterborough between 1797 and 1814.

The event on Saturday was led by the 8th Duke of Wellington, whose ancestor defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815. Those attending the ceremony included French dignitaries.

The original monument - a cast eagle on top of a stone column - was erected in 1914 to mark the "entente cordiale" between Britain and France but was vandalised 15 years ago and the bird stolen. Peter Lee, chairman of the organising committee which raised more than £30,000 to replace the memorial and create a new eagle, said he was pleased with the "tremendous turnout".

'Remembering the peace'

Mr Lee said visiting French dignitaries joined more than 400 people gathered close to the junction of the A1(M) and the A15, near the site of the Norman Cross museum, to celebrate the unveiling. He said history re-enactors representing British, French and German regiments associated with the camp gave a colourful aspect to the day with their bright red and yellow costume jackets and white trousers. Mr Lee said: "This memorial isn't a memorial to English soldiers it is a memorial to our enemies and that's particularly unusual. "It helps to remind us of the long-standing peace between England and France and reminds us to continue that peace." Mr Lee said wreaths were laid at the memorial by French and British veterans and prayers and anthems from both sides of the channel were recited by the crowds in memory of the dead.

Norman Cross was the first purpose-built prison - known as a depot - for French prisoners of the revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars between 1793 and 1815.More than 1,000 prisoners died from typhoid in 1800 and 1801 and as many as 1,800 prisoners died during the life of the prison.

 

 

Just north of Norman Cross the radio masts of Morborne Hill can be seen on the western horizon.

 

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