Hexham History | 1,300 Years of Abbey, Gaol & Market Town

Few towns of Hexham's size can claim a history running this deep — an Anglo-Saxon abbey, England's oldest purpose-built prison, a decisive battle in the Wars of the Roses, and one of the deadliest riots in English history, all within a few hundred yards of the Market Place.

Hexham Abbey — c.674 AD

Hexham's recorded history begins around 674 AD, when Æthelthryth, Queen of Northumbria, granted land to St Wilfrid, Bishop of York, to found a monastery. The church he built was one of the first in Anglo-Saxon Britain to make full use of stone — much of it salvaged from the ruins of the nearby Roman fort at Corbridge. The Saxon crypt from this original building survives beneath the Abbey today, one of the oldest structures of its kind in the country.

The abbey was refounded as an Augustinian priory in 1113, and following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1537, it became Hexham's parish church — a role it still holds today.

Hexham Old Gaol — 1330–1333

In 1330, William Melton, Archbishop of York, ordered the construction of a secure gaol to hold prisoners from the unruly Hexhamshire area, then plagued by Border Reivers. Completed around 1332–33, again using stone from the Roman ruins at Corbridge, it is recognised as the earliest recorded purpose-built prison in England.

The Gaol remained in use for around 500 years, until the 1820s, after which the building served variously as a bank, a solicitor's office, and a Second World War firewatch station, before reopening as a museum in 1980.

The Moot Hall — c.1379

Standing opposite the Old Gaol in the Market Place, the Moot Hall is a four-storey medieval gatehouse tower, built around 1379 for Archbishop Alexander Neville. It once housed a courtroom, a chapel, and even its own gaol, and remains one of the most complete surviving medieval gatehouses in England.

The Battle of Hexham — 15 May 1464

During the Wars of the Roses, a Lancastrian force led by the Duke of Somerset camped near Linnels Bridge, just south of Hexham. On 15 May 1464, a much larger Yorkist army under John Neville caught them by surprise. The resulting battle was a decisive Yorkist victory, and effectively ended organised Lancastrian resistance in the north of England.

The Hexham Riot — 9 March 1761

Known locally as "Bloody Monday," this was one of the deadliest civil disturbances in English history. A crowd gathered in the Market Place to protest the new Militia Act ballot, which could take a family's main breadwinner away for years of unpaid military service. When the Riot Act was read, and the crowd refused to disperse, the North Yorkshire Militia opened fire. Around 50 people were killed and hundreds more wounded — earning the militia the grim nickname "the Hexham Butchers."

Later History

Hexham's more recent past has been considerably calmer. Through the 18th and 19th centuries, the town became known for its leather industry, producing fine gloves that became known as "Hexham tans" — traces of the old leather works can still be seen around the Cockshaw area of town today.

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Historical dates and figures are drawn from multiple independent sources, including Historic England, the Hexham Local History Society, and Wikipedia, and are stated to the best available accuracy. If you spot an error, please let us know — hello@hexhamfocus.co.uk.