During the wars of the 18^th and early 19^th centuries, Plymouth housed many thousands of prisoners. There was a purpose-built prison at Mill Bay as well as smaller ‘shed prisons’ and the notorious prison hulks. Many prisoners of war made items to sell. These included models of ships, usually carved in wood or mutton bone, with human or horse hair for their rigging. They were often stained with colour and some even had mechanisms or moving parts. Sometimes prisoners worked together to produce pieces, but the most skilled men worked alone. This is a model of L’Alexandre, a French ship launched in 1799, was captured by the British at the Battle of San Domingo, off the Caribbean islands of Hispaniola, in 1806. Badly damaged, and unfit for Royal Naval service, the ship became a Plymouth gunpowder hulk.

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