A large memorial, taking the form of a Greek sarcophagus mounted on a substantial pedestal, the French Prisoners' Monument commemorates 309 prisoners-of-war, who died while confined in Valleyfield Mill and are buried nearby. The monument lies at the end of Bellerophon Drive in the Valleyfield district of Penicuik (Midlothian), just to the southeast of the kirkyard surrounding the ruin of St. Kentigern's Church. It was designed by Thomas Hamilton (1784 - 1858) and erected in 1830 at the expense of the mill-owner Alexander Cowan (1775 - 1859). Between 21st March 1811 and 26th March 1814, Cowan's Valleyfield Mill was used to accommodate 6000 French prisoners captured during the Napoleonic Wars, having been taken over by the Government.
The monument is now B-listed
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