AMONG the most prominent buildings in Britain are prisons, many being as well known as castles and palaces, and the most famous — indeed, notorious — of the lot, is Dartmoor.

For more than 200 years this grey, uncompromising granite-built edifice set in the middle of the moor has been a stark symbol of retribution for those who break the law, plus a precious source of material for writers of both fact and fiction. One of the central characters in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous Sherlock Holmes mystery The Hound of the Baskervilles is an escaped convict from Dartmoor Prison.

Much, of course, has already been said regarding the moor and 'the big house' at its core, but they are inviting seams to mine, and the three authors of 'Rendezvous in Princetown' have struck a rich lode in this thoughtful, well researched book.

Trevor James, a Tavistock man born and bred and an author of several insightful books of local history and reminiscence, is ideally placed to be co-writer of this publication, as in addition to his literary skills, he worked for many years in the works department of HMP Dartmoor.

Such knowledge of the penal system past and present clearly is invaluable. This though, is no ordinary jail tale, for it is not about the incarceration of criminals, but the detention of prisoners of war.

From its opening in 1809, built over three years under the supervision of Sir Thomas Tyrwhitt, until 1815 and the end of the Napoleonic wars, 10,000 French prisoners found themselves behind the prison's high, resolute walls.

The harsh climate, sickness and disease caused 1,200 of them never to leave it, their remains being buried in Dartmoor's thin soil.

Full appreciation of the grim realities of life in the prison, plus the cultural and political differences between two very long-standing foes on either side of the English Channel, needed input from someone of Gallic extraction. This role is fulfilled by Alain and Monique Sibiril. Alain is the honorary French consul at Plymouth, born, like his wife, in Brittany.

They have lived in our local area for 40 years, and, in an evocative chapter entitled Bretons in Devon, they chart much of their personal history and how they came to be involved with the creation of this book.

There are many dates featured, but the most relevant is a very recent one, May 24, 2009 — the date of the bicentenary of the opening of Dartmoor Prison. On this day a range of British and French folk gathered at the memorial to the Gallic POWs buried in their designated cemetery at Princetown.

Local dignitaries, high ranking French officials, a contingent of sailors from their warship Premier Maitre L'Her, plus, poignantly, descendents of men who lie there, were present at the cemetery, as were many others who appreciated the significance of the occasion.

The recording of this day, memorable in numerous ways, among them the delight that, un-Princetown-like, the sun beamed down all day, is the fulcrum of this book, but the substance lies in all that led up to it.

The foreword on the building of the prison, the strict routine the inmates would have followed, fascinating and often poignant records of movements in and out, deaths of prisoners and the like, all this has a voice of its own.

And then there is the 'big day' itself. The research to ensure authenticity, the detailed planning towards making it the moving yet satisfying occasion which clearly it turned out to be, all this and beyond, is there for the reader to absorb and enjoy.

There are also copious pristine photographs, with the middle section of the book given over to a pictorial record of the events of May 24.

There is also, for the scholar, the knowledge that everything stated is authentic, as those foremost in the organising of the celebrations are the ones writing about them, and the history which brought them about.

Trevor James and Alain and Monique Sibiril have created a most satisfying work. Lucidly written and evocative, though deftly penned to avoid sentimentality and mawkishness, the facts are allowed to generate their own powerful imagery — also the quality of the publication is of the highest order.

However, to end with a mild health warning, when picking up the book for perusal, do not panic if it appears to be all in French, rather, just turn it over and all becomes clear.

It is very much a publication of two halves, and for two nations, for the text is French at one end and English the other.

Rendezvous in Princetown is written and published by Trevor James, Alain and Monique Sibiril and printed by Hedgerow Print (ISBN 9781898964902) and is available at Bookstop, the Spar shop in Tavistock and at the Dartmoor Prison Museum, Princetown, priced at £5.

Ted Sherrell