"Prisoners of War and British Port Communities, 1793-1815" Topic

"Between 1793 and 1815 approximately one-quarter of a million prisoners of war were held in Britain. At Chatham between 1803 and 1814 there were approximately 90,000; at Plymouth between 1793 and 1814, about 175,000; and at Portsmouth for the same period, approximately 360,000. At any one time there were thousands of prisoners confined in these areas and many more at other ports. Yarmouth held approximately 38,000, and Bristol and Liverpool about 40,000 each. Smaller ports absorbed fewer, but all prisoners were a potential source of trouble and a strain on local resources. Government responded to the 1797 invasion threat by gradually moving men away from the smaller ports, both in response to frantic appeals from local authorities and as a policy after 1803 to concentrate prisoners in fewer (if larger) depots.2 The impact of that situation on British ports and port communities is a considerable topic. This paper can only deal with some of the more general themes but it may offer insights into the nature of a society so dependent on the sea…"
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