• The old forts and 'Convict Hulks' (de-commissioned battleships) moored in south coast harbours; empty warehouses or similar buildings became overcrowded due to the huge increase of prisoners of war sent to Britain.
• The ground for the Depot was purchased by Lord Carysfort (formerly the Earl of Carysfort of the Irish Perrage) and was built in 1793.
• The Transport Commissioners applied to the Barack Office for the building to hold 10,000 prisoners but the plans had already been started.
• The prison was run by an 'Agent' (Superintendent), who was appointed by the naval and civilian Commissioners from the Transport Board of the Admiralty. A naval officer took on the role of prison governor.
• Other staff consisted of a Barrack master who was in charge of the prison building, a Brig-major in charge of the troops, a surgeon, turnkeys, 2 regiments of militia (circa 2000) of regular troops housed in barracks.
• It was built adjacent to the Great North Road (which linked London to York) and near to the fen waterways for numerous reasons - transportation of prisoners and troops, good costal access, clean water from deep wells, large open inland site, difficulty of or being helped with escaping, and the benefits from the large population and agricultural land and markets.
• The cost of the building programme was £34,581 11s 3d - more than other establishments at that time.
• In April 1797, the Depot received its first prisoners.
• Prisoners were transported by barges up the River Nene from Kings Lynn and Wisbech, disembarked at Peterborough Wharf and marched from there to the Depot.
• The prisoners of the Depot were mostly French and some Dutch. Mainly sailors and soldiers but also fishermen and civilians.
• Two acres of the ground were unoccupied by buildings and prisoners had to spend their time outdoors. The Prison Regulations enforced this, except in extreme weather.
• Prisoners were made to wear uniforms by the British government after the French Government became difficult with funding for clothing and food. The uniform consisted of a yellow suit, cap, jacket and trousers with a red waistcoat.
• Visitors to the Depot often stayed at Bell Inn at Stilton, a public house onthe Great North Road. Logins have been recorded from 1807.
• In 1800-1801, a typhoid epidemic killed more than 1000 prisoners. Around 1800 prisoners died during the time of the prison and were buried in Yaxley churchyard and cemetery, directly across the Great North Road.
• In 1804, forgery of bank notes was first detected. Banks started rewarding prisoners who acted as informers. Prisoners convicted were hung. Prisoners convicted of uttering forgeries were confined to cells in Edinburgh Castle or Newgate and the bank would pay the expenses themselves.
• To relieve boredom and to provide some self-finance, prisoners were allowed to sell their 'crafted' wares at a heavily patrolled weekly market outside the prison gates. Products were not to conflict with local produce. Most used beef and mutton bones from their meat rations and carved 'novelty' items such as detailed and mechanical models of vessels and guillotines, domino sets and mechanical toys. Others wove small straw objects such as calling card holders, pictures of scenery - local and foreign, and jewellery and cigar boxes even though there was an order in June 1798 to stop the illicit manufacture of straw plait hats. Models were also made using additional materials, dependent on the source, from wood, ivory, tortoise sell and metal (iron, brass, copper and even silver). Many prisoners took art up as an occupation, a famous French artist Louis Garneray being one of these who then published his works later in books. Some prisoners earned enough to be able to employ a servant amongst their colleagues
• The conditions of the Depot were very clean. Food was prepared in open air kitchens. Each prisoner was given the daily rations equivalent to the army; 1 qt beer,8oz beef, 2oz cheese, ½ pt pease.1.51bs of fresh vegetables, soap and tobacco.
• Pornography and indecent material was rife in the prison. The entire prison market was closed, the culprits caught and sentenced to the Hulk at Portsmouth.
• Locals were offered rewards if they caught an escapee. Few prisoners managed to escape. Attempts were made using a wooden chest, a manure cart, and even a prisoner wearing a replica Hertfordshire Militia disguised himself as a guard, but became caught when his replica gun became noticed. Some prisoners tried for civil crime in Huntingdon and one executed at prison for a stabbing. 700 daggers were found during a search.
• By 1810 there were 6,272 prisoners.
• In 1814 the Depot was finally closed, parts sold and demolished shortly there after. Only to survive were the Superintendent's and Barrack master's house along with a short length of the Depot Wall.
• After an appeal to local people in 1915, many items from the Depot were donated to the Peterborough Museum and around 800 pieces have been catalogued.
• The site of the Depot is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument and the private owner can only grant accessibility.
• In 1914, the L'Entente Cordiale Society erected a memorial of a bronze eagle on top of a stone column. The French Eagle with his lowered head, raised wings sat perched on a column, mourned the prisoners who dyed there.
• The eagle was later stolen in 1990 and has never been found.
• In 1998, the memorial column, plaque were re-erected on a new site in accordance with the A1, close to the Depot site and besides the A15, between the villages of Stilton and Yaxley, by RMG Construction JV Ltd.
• In 2005, a new bronze eagle sculptured by John Doubleday was resurrected and flood lit.

Architecture:

The Depot is built on a 42-acre site in the format of a right-angled oblong with a space sliced off at the northwest angle. From east to west it measured 457.2m (1500ft) and from north to south 376.7m (1236 ft). To the south of the Depot ran the length of Peterborough road, whilst fields surrounded the other three sides. Originally a strong stockade fence contained the grounds but this was replaced in 1805 by a brick wall.

The open-air prison itself occupied 22 acres. It was divided into 4 symmetrical quadrants 'airing courts', each around 3.5 acres and boarded by a flag pavement. Each quadrant was encased in by strong stockade wooden fences and separated by a 6.1m (20ft) wide road, which crossed in the middle and finished at 4 main gates within the boundary wall. The north gate opened into sheds at the back of the prison, both the east and the west gates opened onto roadways that ran between the military barracks and the prison and from Peterborough Road and the south gate was opposite the main entrance. Later more doors were added; a south wall door to the agent's house, and a door to the northern wall, which adjoined the court to a separate boys' prison.

Each quadrant had 4 two-storey prisoner barracks (caserns), built parallel to each other. 16 buildings faced east, with eight wooden caserns built with their outer ends to the north fence and the further eight built with their outer ends to the south fence. The caserns, 6.7m (22ft) wide by 30.5m (100ft) long were designed to hold 500 men sleeping in hammocks tiered above one another. The 2 floors were partitioned into 3 chambers and had no central heating.

In each open 'airing ground', there were 2 deep (nearly 30m (100ft)) wells in each quadrangle near the caserns. For sanitation, night soil carts moved all refuse without any intervention of drains, cesspools or midens. The prison held over 30 wells.

In 1796 the wooden buildings of Norman Cross were commenced and took 500 carpenters 4 months to build. Made in London, the timber framework was transported by cart down to Norman Cross. The wooden buildings were erected on a foundation of buried brick or stone, with feather-edged boards overlapping one another, which encased the strong frame outer walls.

Central to the quadrants and prison was an octagonal 'Blockhouse' protected by cannons, a wide ditch with sentry posts and patrols and a wooden perimeter fence. A brick wall later replaced the fence, as sections were ransacked by prisoners.

In the southeast quadrangle (right of the central south entrance to the prison from Peterborough Road), as well as the 4 caserns, also situated were the agents office, a storehouse, clerks / officials office, cooking-house, and as in each of the other quadrangles, 2 turnkey's lodges which were directly behind the boundary fences.

Within the southwest quadrangle and additional to the caserns, storehouse and cooking house was a straw barn, which provided for the prisoners palliasses. Enclosed in court near to the turnkey lodges for the problematic prisoners, was the 'black hole'. 12 small isolation cells secured by bars, padlocks and fencing.

The north-eastern site of the Depot was mainly used for as a hospital, 2 caserns that eventually turned to three, was for the accommodation of the surgeon and prison assistant surgeons, reception and accessory building of the hospital. Behind the caserns was the mortuary.

The Military Hospital, separated on its own within the northwest corner of the depot and served all troops in both barracks.

Beyond the boundary wall, east and west were 3 casern military barracks built to enclose the guardhouse and barrack square. The officer's quarters were situated in the barrack facing the guardhouse and they were divided into 23 officers' rooms, a mess-room, kitchen and other offices. In the barracks either side, private soldiers were also divided into 10 separate rooms to sleep 60 men. Also enclosed were 2 smaller buildings for the non-commissioned officers, a substantial canteen, sutling house and numerous offices. Again the buildings were secured by strong stockade fencing.

East and west of the prison, outside the fencing was the accommodation for the troops, a detached house for the field officers, 2 smaller house for the staff sergeants, the powder magazine, a fire-brigade/house, stables that held 35 horses and rooms for their batman (men in charge of a Bathorse - horse which carried a pack) and a school.

South east of the depot, between the boundary and Peterborough Road, was the location of the houses of the barrack master and of the agent.

The Agent's house is now two dwellings and was extended to the left (south) in 1816, by the purchaser, Captain Robert Handslip, who encased the original square 2-storey house and adjoining house in rendered brick. The original Welsh slate roof of 1796 was changed to a concrete tile M-shape hip roof when extended. The east elevation of the building consists of 3-storey with 3 symmetrical windows. Doors and sashes were updated in 1980's.

The west elevation consists of 2-storeys with 2 glazed bar semi circular arched sash windows and raised quoin strips and parapets, which continue around the side elevations. The west has a central bay entrance with a panelled fanlight set in a semi-circular arched architrave, a portico with fluted columns, and semi-circular arched sash windows with glazing bars. The south elevation has 12-pane sashes set in square-headed architraves.

The interior consisted of panelled doors set in moulded wood architraves, an open-well staircase with stick balusters, ramped handrail and early 19th Century first-floor fireplace with roundels.

Privately owned now by J.A Herbert, Esq. J.P, the large white building is now surrounded by trees and shrubs, unlike the baron land at the time of the Depot.

The Barracks House formerly known as the Norman Cross Barrack Master's House is now known as the Norman House was altered in the late 19th century. The 3 storey and half basement house is painted brick and has limestone dressing.

The walkway to Norman House is made by balustrade stone and has a 19th century veranda and 18th cntury pediment door case. The south elevation consists of 5 bays with the centre bay unfilled and 12-paned hung sash windows, which on the third storey have been reduced to 6 panes. To the north are 2 planned stacks and to the south is a breaking plain parapet, which continues to each elevation. Shaped screen walls were flanked and decorated with small urns.

Directly west of the barracks master's house was a straw barn and yard, which provided bedding for the soldiers. A gate near the barn lead onto a road, which ran between the prison proper and the east barracks. This gate was for those who came to the prison markets or other business.

There were 4 entrances to the Depot, 3 from Peterborough Road, adjoining the barracks and the prison. The fourth entrance was exactly opposite the Western Military Barracks and linked itself to the Great North Road. It was the main entrance for the deliverance of provisions for the prisoners and the exit for those who died and were then taken to the cemetery.