Hexham
Encyclopedia
Hexham is a market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...

 and civil parish in Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, located south of the River Tyne
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...

, and was the administrative centre for the Tynedale
Tynedale
Tynedale was a local government district in south-west Northumberland, England. It had a resident population of 58,808 according to the 2001 Census, and was named after the River Tyne . Its main towns were Hexham, Haltwhistle and Prudhoe...

 district from 1974 to 2009. The three major towns in Tynedale were Hexham, Prudhoe
Prudhoe
Prudhoe is a medium sized town just south of the River Tyne, in the southern part of the county of Northumberland, England about west of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. The town is sited on a steep, north-facing hill in the Tyne valley and nearby settlements include Ovingham, Ovington, Wylam,...

 and Haltwhistle
Haltwhistle
Haltwhistle is a small town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, situated east of Brampton, near Hadrian's Wall, and the villages of Plenmeller, Rowfoot and Melkridge...

, although in terms of population, Prudhoe was the largest. In 2001 Hexham had a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

 of 11,446.

There are many smaller towns and villages that surround Hexham, such as Corbridge
Corbridge
 Corbridge is a village in Northumberland, England, situated west of Newcastle and east of Hexham. Villages in the vicinity include Halton, Acomb, Aydon and Sandhoe.-Roman fort and town:...

, Riding Mill
Riding Mill
 Riding Mill is a village near Hexham in Northumberland, England. It is served by Riding Mill railway station and by a frequent bus service on the route from Hexham to Newcastle.Riding Mill is notable as the location of Riding Mill pumping station...

, Stocksfield
Stocksfield
Stocksfield is a small, sprawling commuter village situated close to the River Tyne, about west of Newcastle upon Tyne and east of Hexham in the southern part of Northumberland, England...

, Wylam
Wylam
 Wylam is a small village about west of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is located in the county of Northumberland.It is famous for the being the birthplace of George Stephenson, one of the early rail pioneers. George Stephenson's Birthplace is his cottage that can be found on the north bank of the...

 to the east, Acomb
Acomb, Northumberland
 Acomb is a village in the south of Northumberland, England. It is situated to the north of Hexham, not far from the junction of the A69 road and A6079 road...

 and Bellingham
Bellingham, Northumberland
Bellingham is a village in Northumberland, to the north-west of Newcastle upon Tyne and is situated on the Hareshaw burn at its confluence with the River North Tyne. Hareshaw Linn is a waterfall on the Hareshaw Burn near Bellingham. It is pronounced Bell-ing-jumFamous as a stopping point on the...

 to the north, Allendale
Allendale, Northumberland
Allendale is a large village in south west Northumberland, England. Allendale is within the - the second largest of the 40 AONBs in England and Wales...

 to the south and Haydon Bridge
Haydon Bridge
Haydon Bridge is a village in Northumberland, England, with a population of about 2000. Its most distinctive features are the two bridges crossing the River South Tyne; the picturesque original bridge for which the village was named and a modern bridge which used to carry the A69 road...

, Bardon Mill
Bardon Mill
 Bardon Mill is a village in Northumberland, England. It is situated to the west of Haydon Bridge and Hexham, on the River South Tyne.-Governance:Bardon Mill is in the parliamentary constituency of Hexham.-Transport:Rail...

 and Haltwhistle
Haltwhistle
Haltwhistle is a small town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, situated east of Brampton, near Hadrian's Wall, and the villages of Plenmeller, Rowfoot and Melkridge...

 to the west. The closest major city to Hexham is Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...

 which is about 25 miles (40 km) to the east.

History

Hexham Abbey originated as a monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...

 founded by Saint Wilfrid
Wilfrid
Wilfrid was an English bishop and saint. Born a Northumbrian noble, he entered religious life as a teenager and studied at Lindisfarne, at Canterbury, in Gaul, and at Rome; he returned to Northumbria in about 660, and became the abbot of a newly founded monastery at Ripon...

 in 674. The crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....

 of the original monastery survives, and incorporates many stones taken from nearby Roman ruins
Ruins
Ruins are the remains of human-made architecture: structures that were once complete, as time went by, have fallen into a state of partial or complete disrepair, due to lack of maintenance or deliberate acts of destruction...

, probably Coria
Coria (Corbridge)
Coria was a fort and town, located south of Hadrian's Wall, in the Roman province of Britannia. Its full Latin name is uncertain. Today it is known as Corchester or Corbridge Roman Site, adjoining Corbridge in the English county of Northumberland...

 or Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...

. The current Hexham Abbey
Hexham Abbey
Hexham Abbey is a place of Christian worship dedicated to St Andrew and located in the town of Hexham, Northumberland, in northeast England. Since the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1537, the Abbey has been the parish church of Hexham.-History:...

 dates largely from the 11th century onward, but was significantly rebuilt in the 19th century. Other notable buildings in the town include the Moot Hall
Moot hall
A moot hall is meeting or assembly building, traditionally to decide local issues.In Anglo-Saxon England, a low ring-shaped earthwork served as a moot hill or moot mound, where the elders of the hundred would meet to take decisions. Some of these acquired permanent buildings, known as moot halls...

, the covered market, and the Old Gaol
Hexham Old Gaol
The Hexham Old Gaol is in the town of Hexham, Northumberland, England. It is reputed to be the oldest purpose-built prison in England.The gaol was built under the order of William Melton, the Archbishop of York, in 1330–33...

.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the Chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great...

(Manuscript D: Cotton Tiberius B IV) records the murder of King Ælfwald
Ælfwald I of Northumbria
Ælfwald was king of Northumbria from 778 to 788. He is thought to have been a son of Oswulf, and thus a grandson of Eadberht Eating.Ælfwald became king after Æthelred son of Æthelwald Moll was deposed in 778...

 by Sicga
Sicga
Sicga was a nobleman in the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria.Sicga first appears in the historical record as senior lay witness to the proceedings of a council held by Papal Legate, George, Bishop of Ostia in 786, where he is called a patrician , a term which may correspond with the Old English...

 at Scythlecester (which may be modern Chesters
Cilurnum
Cilurnum or Cilurvum was a fort on Hadrian's Wall mentioned in the Notitia Dignitatum. It is now identified with the fort found at Chesters near the village of Walwick, Northumberland, England...

) on 23 September 788:
This year Alfwald, king of the Northumbrians, was slain by Siga, on the ninth day before the calends of October; and a heavenly light was often seen on the spot where he was slain. He was buried at Hexham in the church.

Her wæs Alfwald Norðhymbra cyning ofslægen fram Sigan on .viiii. Kalendas Octobris, 7 heofonlic leoht wæs lome gesewen þær þær he ofslægen wæs, 7 he wæs bebyrged on Hagustaldesee innan þære cyrican.

The name of Hexham derives from the Old English Hagustaldes ea and later Hagustaldes ham whence the modern form (with the "-ham" element) derives. Hagustald is related to the Old High German
Old High German
The term Old High German refers to the earliest stage of the German language and it conventionally covers the period from around 500 to 1050. Coherent written texts do not appear until the second half of the 8th century, and some treat the period before 750 as 'prehistoric' and date the start of...

 hagustalt, denoting a younger son who takes land outside the settlement; the element ea means "stream" or "river" and ham is the Old English form of the Modern English "home" (and the Scots and Northern English "hame").

Like many towns in the Anglo-Scottish border
Anglo-Scottish border
The Anglo-Scottish border is the official border and mark of entry between Scotland and England. It runs for 154 km between the River Tweed on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west. It is Scotland's only land border...

 area and adjacent regions, Hexham suffered from the border war
Anglo-Scottish Wars
The Anglo-Scottish Wars were a series of wars fought between England and Scotland during the sixteenth century.After the Wars of Scottish Independence, England and Scotland had fought several times during the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. In most cases, one country had attempted to...

s between the kingdoms
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...

 of Scotland
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...

 and England
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...

, including attacks from William Wallace
William Wallace
Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight and landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence....

 who burnt the town in 1297. In 1312, Robert the Bruce
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and...

, King of Scotland, demanded and received £2000 from the town and monastery in order for them to be spared a similar fate. In 1346 the monastery was sacked in a later invasion led by King David II of Scotland
David II of Scotland
David II was King of Scots from 7 June 1329 until his death.-Early life:...

.

In 1464 during the Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...

, the Battle of Hexham
Battle of Hexham
The Battle of Hexham marked the end of significant Lancastrian resistance in the north of England during the early part of the reign of Edward IV....

 was fought somewhere to the south of the town; the actual site is disputed. The defeated Lancastrian commander Duke of Somerset
Duke of Somerset
Duke of Somerset is a title in the peerage of England that has been created several times. Derived from Somerset, it is particularly associated with two families; the Beauforts who held the title from the creation of 1448 and the Seymours, from the creation of 1547 and in whose name the title is...

 was executed in Hexham market place. There is a legend that Queen Margaret of Anjou
Margaret of Anjou
Margaret of Anjou was the wife of King Henry VI of England. As such, she was Queen consort of England from 1445 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471; and Queen consort of France from 1445 to 1453...

 took refuge after the battle in what is known as The Queen's Cave where she was accosted by a robber; the legend formed the basis for an 18th century play by George Colman the Younger
George Colman the Younger
George Colman , known as "the Younger", English dramatist and miscellaneous writer, was the son of George Colman "the Elder".-Life:...

; but it has been established that Queen Margaret had fled to France by the time the battle took place.

Until 1572, Hexham was the administrative centre of the former Liberty or Peculiar of Hexhamshire
Hexhamshire
Hexhamshire was a county of northern England. It existed for several hundred years until it was incorporated into Northumberland in 1572.-County:...

.

In 1715, James Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater
James Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater
James Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater was an English Jacobite, executed for treason. His death is remembered in an English traditional ballad, "Lord Allenwater", collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1904 from the singing of Emily Stears.-Life:He was the son of Edward Radclyffe, 2nd Earl of...

, raised the standard for James Francis Edward Stuart
James Francis Edward Stuart
James Francis Edward, Prince of Wales was the son of the deposed James II of England...

 in Hexham Market place. The rising, however, was unsuccessful, and Derwentwater was captured and beheaded after the Battle of Preston
Battle of Preston (1715)
The Battle of Preston , also referred to as the Preston Fight, was fought during the Jacobite Rising of 1715 ....

.

In 1761, the Hexham Riot took place in the Market Place when a crowd protesting about changes in the criteria for serving in the militia was fired upon by troops from North Yorkshire Militia. Fifty-one protesters were killed, earning the Militia the soubriquet of The Hexham Butchers.

Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Hexham was a centre of the leather trade, particularly renowned for making gloves known as Hexham Tans - now the name of a vegetarian restaurant in the town.

"Hexham" was used in the Borders as a euphemism
Euphemism
A euphemism is the substitution of a mild, inoffensive, relatively uncontroversial phrase for another more frank expression that might offend or otherwise suggest something unpleasant to the audience...

 for "Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...

". Hence the term "To Hexham wi’ you an’ ye’r whussel!", recorded in 1873, and the popular expresion "Gang to Hexham!". "Hexham-birnie" is derived from the term and means "an indefinitely remote place".

Notable buildings

Hexham's architectural landscape is dominated by Hexham Abbey
Hexham Abbey
Hexham Abbey is a place of Christian worship dedicated to St Andrew and located in the town of Hexham, Northumberland, in northeast England. Since the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1537, the Abbey has been the parish church of Hexham.-History:...

. The current church largely dates from c.1170–1250, in the Early English Gothic
English Gothic architecture
English Gothic is the name of the architectural style that flourished in England from about 1180 until about 1520.-Introduction:As with the Gothic architecture of other parts of Europe, English Gothic is defined by its pointed arches, vaulted roofs, buttresses, large windows, and spires...

 style of architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...

. The choir, north and south transepts and the cloisters, where canons studied and meditated, date from this period. The east end was rebuilt in 1860.

The Abbey stands at the west end of the market place, which is home to the Shambles a Grade II* covered market built in 1766 by Sir Walter Blackett.

At the east end of the market place stands the Moot Hall, a c15 gatehouse that was part of the defences of the town. The Moot Hall is a Grade I listed building, and was used as a courthouse until 1838. The Moot Hall now houses the Council offices of the Museums Department, though not open to the public any relevant enquiries can be made on the first floor. The ground floor is an art gallery open to hire.

The Old Gaol
Hexham Old Gaol
The Hexham Old Gaol is in the town of Hexham, Northumberland, England. It is reputed to be the oldest purpose-built prison in England.The gaol was built under the order of William Melton, the Archbishop of York, in 1330–33...

, behind the Moot Hall on Hallgates, was one of the first purpose built jails in England. It was built between 1330-3 and is a Grade I listed Scheduled Monument. It was ordered to be built by the Archbishop of York. The building is now home to the Old Gaol museum which informs the visitor about the how the prisoners were kept at this time and how they were punished. There is also information concerning the local families of time, such as the Charlton and Fenwick families who still have descendants living in the area. There are many different displays in the museum of interest to the whole family. The museum also contains the Border History Library, where people are free to visit to research their family history.

Governance

Hexham is in the parliamentary
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...

 constituency of Hexham
Hexham (UK Parliament constituency)
- Elections in the 2000s :- Elections in the 1990s :- Elections in the 1980s :- Elections in the 1970s :-Notes and references:...

. Guy Opperman has been the member of parliament for Hexham since May 2010.
The town is part of Northumberland County Council and contains 3 wards: Hexham East, Hexham Central with Acomb and Hexham West. The councillors are Ingrid Brook, Terry Robson and Derek Kennedy respectively.

Local media

The Hexham Courant is the local newspaper, serving Hexham and Tynedale since 1864. It was first launched by J. Catherall & Co., and at that time espoused the Liberal cause. It later absorbed the Conservative-supporting Hexham Herald. In 1977, CN Group
CN Group
The CN Group Limited is an independent local media business based in Carlisle which operates in three different media fields.The company was formerly known as the Cumbrian Newspapers Group Ltd but changed its name to reflect the fact that is no longer primarily a newspaper publisher...

 had taken over the business and has since continued to grow.

From within the Hexham Courant office a webcam over-looking Hexham Abbey can be viewed on the following website: Hexham Courant
Hexham also has a town webportal called HexhamNet HexhamNet. It was first launched in October 2003 and continues to attract web visitors from all over the world.
It is managed by the Hexham Courant on behalf of the Hexham Community Partnership.
The website is part of the North East Regional Webportal project whereby most of the market towns in the North East of England were to have a virtual gateway for attracting both local and external visitors to the website.

Road

Hexham is bypassed
Bypass (road)
A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety....

 to the north by the A69 road
A69 road
The A69 is a major road in northern England, running east-west across the Pennines, through the counties of Tyne and Wear, Northumberland and Cumbria. Originally the road started in Blaydon, but since the creation of the A1 Western Bypass around Newcastle upon Tyne, it now starts at Denton Burn a...

, linking it with Carlisle to the west and Newcastle to the east, which bypasses the original route, the A695
A695 road
A695 road is a road in northern England linking Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, with Hexham, Northumberland. It was part of the proposed A695 Shields Road Motorway.-References:...

. There are frequent bus services to Newcastle; regular services to Carlisle; and infrequent services to other places e.g. Alston
Alston, Cumbria
Alston is a small town in Cumbria, England on the River South Tyne. It is one of the highest elevation towns in the country, at about 1,000 feet above sea level.-Geography:...

 and Bellingham
Bellingham, Northumberland
Bellingham is a village in Northumberland, to the north-west of Newcastle upon Tyne and is situated on the Hareshaw burn at its confluence with the River North Tyne. Hareshaw Linn is a waterfall on the Hareshaw Burn near Bellingham. It is pronounced Bell-ing-jumFamous as a stopping point on the...

.

Rail

The town is served by Hexham railway station
Hexham railway station
Hexham railway station serves the town of Hexham in Northumberland, England. It is located on the Tyne Valley Line which runs from Newcastle upon Tyne to Carlisle, and is managed by Northern Rail who provide most passenger train services.-History:...

 on the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway
Newcastle and Carlisle Railway
The Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, occasionally referred to as the Tyne Valley Line, is a railway line in northern England. The line was built in the 1830s, and links the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in Tyne and Wear with in Cumbria. Formal opening took place on 18 June 1838.The line follows the...

, also known as the Tyne Valley Line. The line was opened in 1838, and links the city of Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...

 in Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...

 with Carlisle
Carlisle railway station
Carlisle railway station, also known as Carlisle Citadel station, is a railway station whichserves the Cumbrian City of Carlisle, England, and is a major station on the West Coast Main Line, lying south of Glasgow Central, and north of London Euston...

 in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...

. The line follows the course of the River Tyne
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...

 through Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...

.

Passenger services on the Tyne Valley Line are operated by Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...

 and First ScotRail
First ScotRail
ScotRail Railways Ltd. is the FirstGroup-owned train operating company running domestic passenger trains within Scotland, northern England and the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service to London using the brand ScotRail which is the property of the Scottish Government...

. The line is also heavily used for freight
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...

.

The station forms part of Hexham Transport Interchange.

Air

Newcastle Airport
Newcastle Airport
Newcastle International Airport is located in Woolsington in the City of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, north-west of the city centre. In 2010 it was the 11th busiest airport in the United Kingdom....

 is about 12 miles (19 km) away, and provides 19 daily flights to London (Heathrow
London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...

, Gatwick
London Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is located 3.1 miles north of the centre of Crawley, West Sussex, and south of Central London. Previously known as London Gatwick,In 2010, the name changed from London Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport...

, Stansted
London Stansted Airport
-Cargo:-Statistics:-Infrastructure:-Terminal and satellite buildings:Stansted is the newest passenger airport of all the main London airports. The terminal is an oblong glass building, and is separated in to three areas: Check-in concourse, arrivals and departures...

 and London City
London City Airport
London City Airport is a single-runway airport. It principally serves the financial district of London and is located on a former Docklands site, east of the City of London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It was developed by the engineering...

), with regular flights to other UK centres. The airport also operates regular flights to many European destinations, along with destinations in Africa and North America.

Local services

A special tourist bus operates from Hexham tourist office up to the main sites on Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...

 - the route number is AD122 - the date of the building of the wall.

Hexham is also serviced by several taxi firms operating from two taxi ranks in the town: one in the town centre on Priestpopple, and one at Hexham railway station
Hexham railway station
Hexham railway station serves the town of Hexham in Northumberland, England. It is located on the Tyne Valley Line which runs from Newcastle upon Tyne to Carlisle, and is managed by Northern Rail who provide most passenger train services.-History:...

.

Awards

Hexham won the Town award in the 2005 Britain in Bloom
Britain in Bloom
RHS Britain in Bloom, supported by Anglian Home Improvements, is the largest horticultural campaign in the United Kingdom. It was first held in 1963, initiated by the British Tourist Board based on the example set by Fleurissement de France. It has been organised by the Royal Horticultural Society ...

 awards. In the same year Hexham was also named * 'England's Favourite Market Town' by the magazine Country Life
Country Life (magazine)
Country Life is a British weekly magazine, based in London at 110 Southwark Street, and owned by IPC Media, a Time Warner subsidiary.- Topics :The magazine covers the pleasures and joys of rural life, as well as the concerns of rural people...

.

Economy

Hexham had been long famous for its manufacture of leather. Wright (1823) gives some statistics — 77 men & boys employed as Leather dressers and Glove-cutters, 40 boys employed as Dusters and 1,111 women employed as Sewers. Skins dressed annually were 80,000, and 18,000 skins of dressed leather were imported. From these were made and exported annually 23,504 dozens of pairs of gloves. Dutch Oker was used in the processing, but local fell clay could be used if necessary. Tanning was a necessary allied industry and there were four tanneries, employing a score of men. In a year they dealt with 5,000 hides
Hides
A hide is an animal skin treated for human use. Hides include leather from cattle and other livestock animals, alligator skins, snake skins for shoes and fashion accessories and furs from wild cats, mink and bears. In some areas, leather is produced on a domestic or small industrial scale, but most...

 and 12,000 calf skins
Calfskin
Calfskin is a leather or membrane produced from the hide of a calf. Calfskin is particularly valuable because of its softness, and non fine grain. It is commonly used for high-quality shoes, wallets and similar products, as well as traditional leather bookbindings...

. They supplied local saddlers, bootmakers and cobblers.
Hexham also had 16 master hatters, and the trade employed 40 persons. There were two woollen manufactories, worked by steam power and two rope manufactories. There were corn water mills below the bridge. A windmill on the Seal was ruinous, but there was one still working on Tyne Green. It was, and still is a flourishing market, including a mart for cattle and other farm animals.

In Hexham the Subskimmer
Subskimmer
The Subskimmer is a Diver Propulsion Vehicle which is a form of RIB with an outboard petrol engine. It is equipped to inflate and deflate itself as it runs. When submerged it seals its motor and runs with battery-electric thrusters, which are on a rotatable cross-arm, and is deflated...

 was designed and made by Submarine Products
Submarine Products
Submarine Products Ltd were a diving gear manufacturer with a factory in Hexham in Northumberland in England. It was founded in 1959 by Lt.Cdr.Hugh Oswell....

. The town is also the site of a chipboard factory owned by the Austrian firm Egger Retail Products GmbH.

Sport

Hexham has a notably picturesque racecourse
Hexham Racecourse
Hexham Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing track located in Hexham, Northumberland, England.Situated 800 feet above sea level at High Yarridge, just south of the town, the course is a left-handed circuit of about one and a half miles with a short uphill climb on the approach to the finishing...

 at Yarridge Heights in the hills above the town, with National Hunt (steeplechase) races throughout the year

Notable people

Lived in Hexham
  • Ann Cook (fl.
    Floruit
    Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...

     1760), innkeeper and author of Professed cookery, see Hannah Glasse
    Hannah Glasse
    Hannah Glasse was an English cookery writer of the 18th century. She is best known for her cookbook, The Art of Cookery, first published in 1747...

  • Mark Elder
    Mark Elder
    Sir Mark Philip Elder, CBE is a British conductor. He is the music director of the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester, England.-Biography:Elder was born in Hexham, Northumberland, England, the son of a dentist...

    , conductor
  • Wilfrid Wilson Gibson
    Wilfrid Wilson Gibson
    Wilfrid Wilson Gibson was a British Georgian poet, associated with World War I but also the author of much later work.-Early work:...

    , poet
  • Hannah Glasse
    Hannah Glasse
    Hannah Glasse was an English cookery writer of the 18th century. She is best known for her cookbook, The Art of Cookery, first published in 1747...

     (1708–1770), cookery writer, best known for The Art of Cookery
  • Robson Green
    Robson Green
    Robson Green is an English actor, singer–songwriter and presenter.-Biography:Robson Golightly Green was born in Hexham, Northumberland, and baptised in Bethel Chapel, , and named in Northeast tradition as first son after family surnames: Robson is his grandmother's maiden surname, while Golightly...

    , actor
  • William Hewson, surgeon and anatomist
  • John of Hexham
    John of Hexham
    John of Hexham was an English chronicler, known to us merely as the author of a work called the Historia XXV. annorum, which continues the Historia regum attributed to Symeon of Durham, and contains an account of English events from 1130 to 1153.From the title, as given in the only manuscript, we...

    , chronicler
  • Joseph Parker (1830–1902), Congregationalist preacher and writer
  • Richard of Hexham
    Richard of Hexham
    Richard of Hexham was an English chronicler. He became prior of Hexham about 1141, and died between 1155 and 1167.He wrote Brevis Annotatio, a short history of the church of Hexham from 674 to 1138, for which he borrowed from Bede, Eddius and Symeon of Durham...

    , chronicler
  • Dorothy Samuelson-Sandvid
    Dorothy Samuelson-Sandvid
    Dorfy , is a noted dialect author and journalist who specialises in the Geordie dialect.Born in to a Quaker family in George Scott Street, South Shields, England influenced by her childhood, she went on to write works concerned with the Geordie dialect.Dorfy also had her own column for many years...

     (Dorfy), noted Geordie
    Geordie
    Geordie is a regional nickname for a person from the Tyneside region of the north east of England, or the name of the English-language dialect spoken by its inhabitants...

     Dialect author, born South Shields
  • Matt Wells
    Matthew Wells (rower)
    Matthew Wells is a British Olympic rower.Wells was born in Bradford and grew up in Hexham, where he learnt to row at Queen Elizabeth High School...

    , Olympic rower


Born in Hexham
  • Ailred of Rievaulx
    Ailred of Rievaulx
    Aelred , also Aelred, Ælred, Æthelred, etc., was an English writer, abbot of Rievaulx , and saint.-Life:...

    , Cistercian abbot, author of "Spiritual Friendship," "On the Saints of Hexham," and other spiritual and historical works
  • Daniel Ainsleigh
    Daniel Ainsleigh
    Daniel Ainsleigh is an English actor and renowned acting coach.-Biography:Daniel Ainsleigh was born in Hexham, Northumberland...

    , actor
  • Martyn Amos
    Martyn Amos
    Martyn Amos is a Reader in the School of Computing, Mathematics and Digital Technology at Manchester Metropolitan University, and an expert on natural computation and DNA computing. He was born in Hexham, Northumberland in 1971. He graduated with a degree in Computer Science from Coventry...

     (born 1971), academic and author, currently at Manchester Metropolitan University
    Manchester Metropolitan University
    Manchester Metropolitan University is a university in North West England. Its headquarters and central campus is in the city of Manchester, but there are outlying facilities in the county of Cheshire. It is the third largest university in the United Kingdom in terms of student numbers, behind the...

    , born in Hexham
  • Glenn Brown
    Glenn Brown
    Glenn Brown is an English artist. He was nominated for the Turner Prize in 2000.-Working practice:Brown appropriates images created by living, working artists, such as Frank Auerbach and Howard Hodgkin, as well as images by artists more established in the historical canon, such as Rembrandt or...

     (born 1966), artist, nominated for the Turner Prize
    Turner Prize
    The Turner Prize, named after the painter J. M. W. Turner, is an annual prize presented to a British visual artist under the age of 50. Awarding the prize is organised by the Tate gallery and staged at Tate Britain. Since its beginnings in 1984 it has become the United Kingdom's most publicised...

     in 2000
  • Dave Cliff
    Dave Cliff
    -Career:David John “Dave” Cliff was born in Hexham, Northumberland. He began his career playing rhythm and blues in the Newcastle area. In 1967, he moved to Leeds and gained a diploma in jazz studies from Leeds College of Music while studying with bassist Peter Ind and Bernie Cash.In 1971, after...

     (born 1944), jazz guitarist
  • Pete Doherty
    Pete Doherty
    Peter Doherty is an English musician, writer, actor, poet and artist. He is best known musically for being co-frontman of The Libertines, which he reformed with Carl Barât in 2010. His other musical project is indie band Babyshambles...

     (born 1979), musician, The Libertines
    The Libertines
    The Libertines were an English rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât and Pete Doherty . The band, centred on the song-writing partnership of Barat and Doherty, also included John Hassall and Gary Powell for most of its recording career...

     and Babyshambles
    Babyshambles
    Babyshambles are an English indie rock band established in London. The band was formed by Pete Doherty during a hiatus from his former band The Libertines, but Babyshambles has since become his main project . Babyshambles has released two albums, three EPs and a number of singles...

  • Andy Duncan
    Andy Duncan (footballer)
    Andy Duncan is an English footballer who plays as a central defender. He stands at 180 cm ....

    , footballer, Cambridge United
    Cambridge United F.C.
    Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...

  • Gabriel Fielding
    Gabriel Fielding
    Gabriel Fielding , pen name of Alan Gabriel Barnsley, was a British novelist whose works include: In the Time of Greenbloom, The Birthday King, Through Streets Broad and Narrow and The Women of Guinea Lane.-Biography:Fielding's father, George, was an Anglican vicar at Hexham...

    , novelist
  • Fraser Forster
    Fraser Forster
    Fraser Gerard Forster is an English footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Celtic, on loan from Newcastle United.He started his career with Newcastle and has had loan spells with Stockport County, Bristol Rovers and Norwich City as well as being on loan to Celtic for the 2010–11 season.-Early...

    , footballer, Newcastle United
  • Norman Graham
    Norman Graham
    John Norman Graham, born at Hexham, Northumberland, on 8 May 1943, was a cricketer who played for Kent during the county's years of success in the late 1960s and early 1970s....

     (born 1943), cricketer who played for Kent, born at Hexham
  • Ken Graveney
    Ken Graveney
    John Kenneth Richard Graveney was an English cricketer who played for and captained Gloucestershire.Ken Graveney was a lower order left-handed batsman and a right-arm fast-medium bowler of outswingers...

     (born 1924), cricketer, captain of Gloucestershire, born Hexham
  • Joe Kirkup
    Joe Kirkup
    Joe Kirkup is a retired English footballer who played as a full-back.-Playing career:Kirkup played Junior football with West Ham United, and was a member of the FA Youth Cup Final team of 1956-57 alongside John Lyall and John Smith...

     (born 1939), footballer
  • Frank Lees
    Frank Lees
    Francis Pearson Lees , known as Frank Lees, was a chemical engineer and a Professor at Loughborough University who is noted for his contribution to the field of industrial safety.-Education:Lees was born in Hexham, Northumberland...

     (1931–1999), chemical engineer, professor at Loughborough University
  • Lewy Pattinson
    Lewy Pattinson
    Lewy Miall Pattinson was founder of the firm Washington H. Soul Pattinson, chemists and donor to the Royal Flying Doctor Service.-Immigration from England:...

     (1852–1944), Australian businessman
  • William Peel (colonial administrator) (born 1875), colonial administrator, Governor of Hong Kong
  • Vanessa Raw
    Vanessa Raw
    Vanessa Raw is a professional English triathlete, member of the British Olympic Triathlon Academy Squad and a recognized artist...

    , a professional triathlete and artist
  • Joseph Richardson (British politician)
    Joseph Richardson (British politician)
    Joseph Richardson [1] was a Liberal Party politician in England.He was elected as Member of Parliament for South East Durham at the 1892 general election. He was defeated at the 1895 general election by the Liberal Unionist Sir Henry Havelock-Allan, who he had ousted in 1892...

    , 'Well-natured Richardson', writer and MP
  • James Robb (RAF officer)
    James Robb (RAF officer)
    Air Chief Marshal Sir James Milne Robb GCB, KBE, DSO, DFC, AFC, RAF, was a senior Royal Air Force commander. After early service in the First World War with the Northumberland Fusiliers, Robb joined the Royal Flying Corps and became a flying ace credited with seven aerial victories...

     (1895–1968), Air Chief Marshal, and was Commander-in-Chief of Fighter Command, 1945–1947
  • Keith Ward
    Keith Ward
    Keith Ward is a British cleric, philosopher, theologian and scholar. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and an ordained priest of the Church of England. He was a canon of Christ Church, Oxford until 2003...

     (born 1938) Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford University
  • Kevin Whately
    Kevin Whately
    Kevin Whately is an English actor.Whately is known for his starring role as Neville Hope in the British television comedy Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, his role as Dr Jack Kerruish in the drama series Peak Practice, and as Robert "Robbie" Lewis in the crime dramas Inspector Morse and...

     (born 1951), actor, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
    Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
    Auf Wiedersehen, Pet is a British comedy-drama television programme about seven English migrant construction workers. In the first series, the men live and work on a building site in Düsseldorf....

    , Peak Practice
    Peak Practice
    Peak Practice is a British drama series about a GP surgery in Cardale — a small fictional town in the Derbyshire Peak District — and the doctors who worked there. It ran on ITV from 10 May 1993 to 30 January 2002 and was one of their most successful series at the time...

    , Inspector Morse
    Inspector Morse (TV series)
    Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis. Dexter makes a cameo appearance in all but three of the episodes....

    , and Lewis

See also

  • Hexham Bridge
    Hexham Bridge
    Hexham Bridge is a road bridge in Northumberland, England linking Hexham with the North Tyne valley. It lies north of the town of Hexham and is the main access to the A69 bypass.- History :...

  • Hexham Old Bridge
    Hexham Old Bridge
    Hexham Old Bridge was an 18th-century stone bridge across the River Tyne at Hexham, Northumberland, England, and was located about upstream of the present Hexham Bridge.-History:...

  • Hexham railway station
    Hexham railway station
    Hexham railway station serves the town of Hexham in Northumberland, England. It is located on the Tyne Valley Line which runs from Newcastle upon Tyne to Carlisle, and is managed by Northern Rail who provide most passenger train services.-History:...

  • Hexham Old Gaol
    Hexham Old Gaol
    The Hexham Old Gaol is in the town of Hexham, Northumberland, England. It is reputed to be the oldest purpose-built prison in England.The gaol was built under the order of William Melton, the Archbishop of York, in 1330–33...

  • St Joseph's R.C. Middle School
    St Joseph's R.C. Middle School
    St Joseph's Roman Catholic Middle School is one of the two middle schools in Hexham, Northumberland, England, the other being Hexham Middle School. It is voluntary aided...

  • Devil's Water
    Devil's Water
    Devil's Water is a river in Northumberland, England. A tributary of the River Tyne it joins that river from the south, near the village of Dilston about south-west of Corbridge. It is formed from the waters of several smaller burns and sikes between Embley and Hackford some to the south of...

  • Hexham (UK Parliament constituency)
    Hexham (UK Parliament constituency)
    - Elections in the 2000s :- Elections in the 1990s :- Elections in the 1980s :- Elections in the 1970s :-Notes and references:...

  • Ailred of Rievaulx
    Ailred of Rievaulx
    Aelred , also Aelred, Ælred, Æthelred, etc., was an English writer, abbot of Rievaulx , and saint.-Life:...

  • Acca of Hexham
    Acca of Hexham
    Acca , Bishop of Hexham.Born in Northumbria, Acca first served in the household of Bosa, the future Bishop of York, but later attached himself to Saint Wilfrid, possibly as early as 678, and accompanied him on his travels. On the return from their second journey to Rome in 692, Wilfrid was...

  • Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle
    Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle
    The Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle in the Province of Liverpool, known also on occasion as the Northern Province.-History:...

  • Eata of Hexham
    Eata of Hexham
    Eata , also known as Eata of Lindisfarne, was bishop of Lindisfarne from 678 until 685, and of Hexham from then until his death...

  • Richard of Hexham
    Richard of Hexham
    Richard of Hexham was an English chronicler. He became prior of Hexham about 1141, and died between 1155 and 1167.He wrote Brevis Annotatio, a short history of the church of Hexham from 674 to 1138, for which he borrowed from Bede, Eddius and Symeon of Durham...

  • John of Hexham
    John of Hexham
    John of Hexham was an English chronicler, known to us merely as the author of a work called the Historia XXV. annorum, which continues the Historia regum attributed to Symeon of Durham, and contains an account of English events from 1130 to 1153.From the title, as given in the only manuscript, we...

  • Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
    Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
    The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle is a Roman Catholic diocese of the Latin Rite centred around St Mary's Cathedral in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in England...

  • Battle of Hexham
    Battle of Hexham
    The Battle of Hexham marked the end of significant Lancastrian resistance in the north of England during the early part of the reign of Edward IV....

  • Battle of Heavenfield
    Battle of Heavenfield
    The Battle of Heavenfield was fought in 633 or 634 between a Northumbrian army under Oswald of Bernicia and a Welsh army under Cadwallon ap Cadfan of Gwynedd. The battle resulted in a decisive Northumbrian victory. The Annales Cambriae record the battle as Bellum Cantscaul in 631...

  • Battle of Neville's Cross
    Battle of Neville's Cross
    The Battle of Neville's Cross took place to the west of Durham, England on 17 October 1346.-Background:In 1346, England was embroiled in the Hundred Years' War with France. In order to divert his enemy Philip VI of France appealed to David II of Scotland to attack the English from the north in...

  • Robbs
    Robbs
    Robbs is a mid-size department store in Hexham, owned by Beales. It was set up and created in 1819 by William Robb and expanded in the 1920s and 1980s respectively. It has had a long and extravagant history...


External links

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