PRISONERS AT PORTCHESTER 215 



of war, while at least two thousand men belonging 

 to the various regiments on guard had been quartered 

 in the village. But with the departure of the prisoners 

 in the summer of 18 15 the village quickly returned to 

 its former condition of quiet and repose. The militia 

 regiments were disbanded, and the barracks which 

 they occupied, together with the military hospital, 

 were pulled down. The wooden buildings inside the 

 castle walls were cleared away, and before long the 

 ruin reverted to its former state of silence and de- 

 solation. Once more the jackdaws returned to their 

 ancient haunts, and owls again occupied the ivy- 

 mantled tower, while a pair of kestrels took up 

 their quarters in the lofty keep. Once more the 

 grass grew rank in the great enclosure, and not a 

 sign of the sojourn of the French prisoners remained, 

 except the names of some of them carved on the stone 

 walls near the summit of the Norman keep. 



