''The American Prisoner'' is a British novel written by

Eden Phillpotts Eden Phillpotts (4 November 1862 – 29 December 1960) was an English author, poet and dramatist. He was born in Mount Abu, India, was educated in Plymouth, Devon, and worked as an insurance officer for ten years before studying for the stage ...

and published in 1904 and adapted into a film by the same name in 1929. The story concerns an English woman who lives at

Fox Tor Fox Tor is a relatively minor tor on Dartmoor in the county of Devon, England. On the flank of the tor, about 500 m to the north stands Childe's Tomb - according to local legend, the last resting place of Childe the Hunter, an unfortunate ...

farm, and an American captured during the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

and held at the prison at

Princetown Princetown is a villageDespite its name, Princetown is not classed as a town today – it is not included in the County Council's list of the 29 towns in Devon: located within Dartmoor national park in the English county of Devon. It is the ...

Dartmoor Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, South West England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers . The granite that forms the uplands dates from the Carb ...

. In the novel ''Malherb'' is a miscreant who destroys

Childe's tomb Childe's Tomb is a granite cross on Dartmoor, Devon, England. Although not in its original form, it is more elaborate than most of the Dartmoor crosses, crosses on Dartmoor, being raised upon a constructed base, and it is known that a kistvaen ...

and beats his servant. He is depicted as a victim of his own bad temper rather than a sadist. Malherb is introduced as the younger son of a noble family and he builds the Fox Tor house to be the impressive gentleman's residence suggested by

William Crossing William Crossing (1847–1928) was a writer and chronicler of Dartmoor and the lives of its inhabitants. He lived successively in South Brent, Brentor and Mary Tavy but died in Plymouth, Devon. Early life Crossing was born in Plymouth on 14 No ...

rather than the humble cottage which it actually is.

References

External links

* 1904 British novels British novels adapted into films Novels set during the American Revolutionary War Novels set on Dartmoor Works by Eden Phillpotts {{1900s-hist-novel-stub