View source for Hexham

{{Short description|Town and civil parish in Northumberland, England}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2025}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2025}}{{Infobox UK place
|official_name = Hexham|label_position = top
|type              = [[Town]]
|static_image_name = {{multiple images|border=infobox|perrow=1 2|total_width=270px|align=center
| image1 = Hexham Abbey - geograph.org.uk - 4017740.jpg
| caption1 = [[Hexham Abbey]]
| image2 = The Old Gaol, Hexham - geograph.org.uk - 6356973.jpg
|caption2 = [[Hexham Old Gaol|Old Gaol]]
| image3 = Hadrians Wall at Planetrees, Brunton Bank, Hexham, Northumberland 1.jpg
| caption3 = [[Hadrian’s Wall]]
| image4 = England, Hexham, Hexham House Grounds.jpg
| caption4 = Hexham House 
| image5 = Hexham Farmers' Market - geograph.org.uk - 7751877.jpg
| caption5 = Farmers’ Market 
}}
|static_image_alt = 
|static_image_caption =
|static_image_2_name = Hexham Coat of Arms.svg
|static_image_2_width = 180
|static_image_2_caption = Coat of Arms of Hexham
|country = England
|coordinates = {{coord|54.971|-2.101|display=inline,title}}
| population = {{Population WD|show=value}}
| population_ref = ({{Population WD|show=year}})|civil_parish=  Hexham
|unitary_england = [[Northumberland]]
|lieutenancy_england = [[Northumberland]]
|region = North East England
|constituency_westminster = [[Hexham (UK Parliament constituency)|Hexham]]
|post_town = HEXHAM
|postcode_district = NE46–NE48
|postcode_area = NE
|dial_code = 01434
|os_grid_reference = NY9363
}}

'''Hexham''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|ɛ|k|s|əm}} {{respell|HEKS|əm}}) is a [[market town]] and [[civil parishes in England|civil parish]] in [[Northumberland]], England, on the south bank of the [[River Tyne]], formed by the confluence of the North Tyne and the South Tyne at [[Warden, Northumberland|Warden]] nearby, and close to [[Hadrian's Wall]]. Hexham was the administrative centre for the [[Tynedale]] district from 1974 to 2009. In 2011, it had a [[population]] of 13,097.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.northumberland.gov.uk/NorthumberlandCountyCouncil/media/Northumberland-Knowledge/NK%20place/Other%20area%20profiles/FactSheetPlanningAreasHexham.pdf|title=Northumberland Knowledge Census Fact Sheet}}</ref>

Smaller towns and villages around Hexham include [[Corbridge]], [[Riding Mill]], [[Stocksfield]] and [[Wylam]] to the east, [[Acomb, Northumberland|Acomb]] and [[Bellingham, Northumberland|Bellingham]] to the north, [[Allendale, Northumberland|Allendale]] to the south and [[Haydon Bridge]], [[Bardon Mill]] and [[Haltwhistle]] to the west. [[Newcastle upon Tyne]] is {{convert|25|mi|0}} to the east and [[Carlisle]] {{convert|37|mi|0}} to the west.

==Toponymy==
There are several theories surrounding the origin of the Hexham's name. One popular theory posits that the name derives from the [[Old English]] ''Hagustaldes ea'' and later ''Hagustaldes ham'' from which the modern form (with the "-ham" element) derives. ''Hagustald'' is related to the [[Old High German]] ''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").<ref>''[[Northumberland]] [[Placename|Place-Names]]'', by Stan Beckensall, Butler Publishing 2004, {{ISBN|0-946928-41-X}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521861076&ss=ind|title=Northern English – Cambridge University Press}}</ref> A credible suggestion for the modern form ''Hexham'', however, derives from ''Hextildesham'', the later medieval name for the town, believed to have originated in the 12th century in honour of Hextilda of Tynedale (1122 – 1182), the wife of the Scottish nobleman [[Richard Comyn]], who gave considerable land grants to the monks of Hexham.<ref>{{cite book| last = Hinds| first = Allen B.| title = History of Northumberland, Volume III, Hexhamshire: Part I| publisher = Andrew Reid & Company| year = 1896| location = Newcastle-upon-Tyne| pages = 241| isbn = 1333243456 | url = https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Hexhamshire/4qRIZ6Fo5QgC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=History%20of%20Northumberland%2C%20Volume%20III%2C%20Hexhamshire%3A%20Part%20I&pg=PA241&printsec=frontcover}}</ref>

== History ==
[[Hexham Abbey]] originated as a [[monastery]] founded by [[Wilfrid|St Wilfrid]] in 674. The [[crypt]] of the original monastery survives, and incorporates many stones taken from nearby Roman [[ruins]], probably [[Coria (Corbridge)|Corbridge]] or [[Hadrian's Wall]].<ref name=Graham>{{cite book| last = Graham| first = Frank| title = Hexham and Corbridge: a Short History and Guide| publisher = Butler Publishing| year = 1992| location = Thropton, Rothbury, Northumberland| pages = 2, 4, 5| isbn = 0-946928-19-3}}</ref>

The ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'' (Manuscript D: [[Cotton Tiberius]] B IV) records the murder of King [[Ælfwald I of Northumbria|Ælfwald]] by [[Sicga]] at ''Scythlecester'' (which may be modern [[Cilurnum|Chesters]]) on 23 September 788:
<blockquote>This year Alfwald, king of the Northumbrians, was slain by Siga, on the ninth<ref>By modern counting, the 8th day before. By Roman counting the ''x''th day was (''y''-''x''+1) days before the ''y''th day: see [[Roman calendar#Months]].</ref> 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.<ref>Kirby, pp. 153–154; Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Ms. D, s.a. 789.</ref><br>
''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.''</blockquote>

Like many towns in the [[Anglo-Scottish border]] area and adjacent regions, Hexham suffered from the [[Anglo-Scottish Wars|border war]]s between the [[Monarchy|kingdoms]] of [[Kingdom of Scotland|Scotland]] and [[Kingdom of England|England]], including attacks from [[William Wallace]] who burnt the town in 1297. In 1312, [[Robert I of Scotland|Robert the Bruce]], 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]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.battlefieldstrust.com/resource-centre/campainview.asp?CampainId=51|title=Neville's Cross Campaign 1346|publisher=Battlefields Trust|access-date=7 April 2023}}</ref>

In 1464, during the [[Wars of the Roses]], the [[Battle of Hexham]] was fought somewhere to the south of the town; the actual site is disputed. The defeated Lancastrian commander, [[Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset]], was executed in Hexham marketplace. There is a legend that Queen [[Margaret of Anjou]] 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]] (''[[The Battle of Hexham]]''); but it has been established that Queen Margaret had fled to France by the time the battle took place. The Queen's Cave in question is on the south side of the West Dipton Burn, to the southwest of Hexham.<ref>[[Ordnance Survey]] OL43 map, '[[Hadrian's Wall]]'.</ref>

[[File:Stmaryschurchhexham peter brooks.jpg|thumb|200px|[[St Mary's Church, Hexham|St Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Hexham]]]]

Until 1572, Hexham was the administrative centre of the former Liberty or Peculiar of [[Hexhamshire]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=43686 |title=Journal of the House of Lords May 1572|access-date=7 April 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=43688|title= Journal of the House of Commons May 1572|access-date=7 April 2023}}</ref>

In 1715, [[James Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater]], raised the standard for [[James Francis Edward Stuart]] in Hexham Market place.<ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=QBYHAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA58 |title=Dilston hall; or, Memoirs of James Radcliffe, Earl of Derwentwater|first=William Sidney |last=Gibson|year= 1850|page=58|publisher=Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans}}</ref>

"Hexham" was used in the Borders as a [[euphemism]] for "[[Hell]]". Hence the term "To Hexham wi' you an' ye’r whussel!", recorded in 1873, and the popular expression "Gang to Hexham!".<ref name=rox/> "Hexham-birnie" is derived from the term and means "an indefinitely remote place".<ref name=rox>''The Roxburghshire word-book: being a record of the special vernacular vocabulary of the county of Roxburgh, with an appendix of specimens'' by George Watson, The University Press, 1923. p. 170</ref>

===Hexham riot===
In 1761, the [[List of massacres in Great Britain|Hexham Riot]] took place in the Market Place when a crowd protesting about changes in the criteria for serving in the [[Militia (Great Britain)|militia]] were fired upon by troops from the [[North York Militia]]. Some 45 protesters were killed, earning the Militia the [[sobriquet]] of The Hexham Butchers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hexham Riot |url=http://www.ndfhs.org.uk/Articles/HexhamRiot.html |access-date=2008-11-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081021052058/http://www.ndfhs.org.uk/Articles/HexhamRiot.html |archive-date=21 October 2008 }}</ref>

== Notable buildings ==
Hexham's architectural landscape is dominated by [[Hexham Abbey]]. The current church largely dates from c. 1170–1250, in the [[English Gothic architecture|Early English Gothic]] style of [[architecture]]. The choir, north and south transepts and the cloisters, where canons studied and meditated, date from this period.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1042576|desc=The Priory Church of St Andrew|access-date=7 April 2023}}</ref>

The abbey stands at the west end of the market place, which is home to the Shambles, a covered market built by [[Walter Calverley-Blackett|Sir Walter Blackett]] in 1766; it is a Grade II* [[listed building]].<ref>{{NHLE|desc=The Shambles|num=
1370800|access-date=7 April 2023}}</ref>

[[File:Hexham_Old_Gaol.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The [[Hexham Old Gaol|Old Gaol]]]]

At the east end of the market place stands the Moot Hall, originally commissioned as a gatehouse that was part of the defences of the town. The Moot Hall, which is considered one of the best examples of a medieval courthouse in the north of England,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tree-Ring Analysis of Timbers from the Moot Hall, Market Place, Hexham. Historic England Research Report 41/2004|url=https://research.historicengland.org.uk/Report.aspx?i=14273&ru=/Results.aspx?p=1&n=10&rn=41&ry=2004&ns=1|last=Arnold, Howard, Litton|date=2004|website=research.historicengland.org.uk|access-date=2020-05-10}}</ref> is a Grade I [[listed building]].<ref>{{NHLE|num= 1042577|desc=The Moot Hall|access-date=7 April 2023}}</ref>

The [[Hexham Old Gaol|Old Gaol]], behind the Moot Hall on Hallgates, was one of the first purpose-built jails in England. It was built between 1330 and 1333 and is a Grade I [[listed building]].<ref>{{NHLE|desc=The Manor Office|num=1281526|access-date=7 April 2023}}</ref>

The Leazes on Shaws Lane is a Grade II listed mansion built in 1853 by [[John Dobson (architect)|John Dobson]] for William Kinsopp.<ref>{{NHLE |desc=The Leazes |num=1204227 |access-date=3 January 2019}}</ref>

[[File:Hexham, Queen's Hall (geograph 5616173).jpg|thumb|200px|The [[Queen's Hall, Hexham|Queen's Hall]]]]
Hexham Library and the Queen's Hall Art Centre can both be found in the [[Queen's Hall, Hexham|Queen's Hall]], completed in 1866. The building contains the Brough Local Studies Collection which is the second-largest local history collection in the county.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.northumberlandlife.org/hexhamlibrary/|title=Hexham Library|publisher=Northumberland Life|access-date=30 August 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.northumberland.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=10444|title=Hexham Library|publisher=Northumberland County Council|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140704124301/http://www.northumberland.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=10444|access-date=30 August 2021|archive-date=4 July 2014}}</ref>

[[Dare Wilson Barracks]], the home of X Company, 5th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, was completed in 1891.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/volmil-england/vinf-no/nd-4.htm|title=4th Battalion, The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers|publisher=Regiments.org|access-date=8 July 2017|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020113534/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/volmil-england/vinf-no/nd-4.htm|archive-date=20 October 2007}}</ref>

== Governance ==
Hexham is in the [[British House of Commons|parliamentary]] constituency of [[Hexham (UK Parliament constituency)|Hexham]]. [[Joe Morris (politician)|Joe Morris]] has been the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] member of parliament for Hexham since July 2024.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hexham Parliamentary constituency |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001285 |access-date=5 July 2024}}</ref> The town comes under [[Northumberland County Council]] and contains three wards: Hexham Central with Acomb, Hexham East and Hexham West.

== Local media ==
[[File:Hexham BeaumontStreet.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Beaumont Street in Hexham with the ''Courant'' offices]]
[[File:England, Hexham, Priestpopple (street).jpg|thumb|right|200px|Priestpopple street]]
[[File:England, Hexham, Hexham House Grounds.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Hexham House Grounds]]
[[File:England, Hexham, Market Street (1).jpg|thumb|right|200px|Market Street in the old centre]]
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]] acquired the newspaper.

Local news and television programmes are provided by [[BBC North East and Cumbria]] and [[ITV Tyne Tees]].

Hexham's local radio stations are [[BBC Radio Newcastle]] on 103.7 FM, [[Capital North East]] on 105.8 FM, [[Heart North East]] on 96.4 FM, [[Smooth North East]] on 101.2 FM and [[Hits Radio North East]] on 103.2 FM.

Horse racing from the town's course on Yarridge Heights is regularly featured on telecasts by Racing UK and other selected broadcasters. Regular sound broadcasts of cricket commentary for Tynedale CC can be heard via the internet during summer on Spreaker Internet Radio.

== Education ==
Hexham is served by state first, middle and high schools and uses the [[Three-tier education|three-tier system]] as does the rest of Northumberland. [[Queen Elizabeth High School, Hexham|Queen Elizabeth High School]], partly located in a former hydropathic hotel, is the town's major educational centre. The nearest [[Private schools in the United Kingdom|private school]] is [[Mowden Hall School]], a prep school located {{convert|10|mi|km}} away in [[Stocksfield]].

== Transport ==
=== Air ===
The nearest airport to Hexham is [[Newcastle International Airport]], which is located around {{convert|20|mi|km|abbr=}} away by road. [[Carlisle Lake District Airport]] and [[Teesside International Airport]] are located around {{convert|32 and 58|mi|km|abbr=}} away by road, respectively.

=== Rail ===
The town is served by [[Hexham railway station|Hexham]], a station on the [[Tyne Valley line|Tyne Valley Line]]. It is situated on part of the original [[Newcastle and Carlisle Railway]] route, dating back to 1837, and links the city of [[Newcastle railway station|Newcastle upon Tyne]] with [[Carlisle railway station|Carlisle]]. The line follows the course of the [[River Tyne]] through [[Northumberland]].

Services on the Tyne Valley Line are currently operated by [[Northern Trains]]. As of the December 2019 timetable change, the station is served by a twice-hourly service heading west towards [[Carlisle railway station|Carlisle]], and three trains per hour heading east towards [[Newcastle railway station|Newcastle]].

=== Road ===
Hexham is served by the [[A69 road]], which runs for {{convert|54|mi|0}} from [[Carlisle, Cumbria|Carlisle]] to [[Newcastle upon Tyne]]. This road serves as an alternative to the original route, the [[A695 road|A695]], which runs from Hexham to Newcastle upon Tyne, serving [[Corbridge]], [[Stocksfield]], [[Prudhoe]] and [[Blaydon-on-Tyne|Blaydon]].

=== Bus station ===
{{Infobox station
| name = Hexham Bus Station
| image = Loosing Hill Bus Station (geograph 5286382).jpg
| address = Hexham, [[Northumberland]]
| country = England
| coordinates = {{coord|54.9704|-2.0959|format=dms|region:GB_type:landmark|display=inline}}
| owned = [[Northumberland County Council]]
| operator = [[Northumberland County Council]]
| bus_stands = 5 (A–E)
| connections = {{rws|Hexham}} {{rint|gb|rail}}
| opened = {{start date and age|df=yes|2016|11|29}}
| map_type = United Kingdom Northumberland
| map_caption = Location in [[Northumberland]], England
| map_size = 
}}

The original bus station was located at Priestpopple, dating back to the 1930s. In November 2016, the bus station was relocated to its current site at Dene Avenue – at a cost of £2.28{{nbsp}}million.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Muncaster|first=Michael|date=2016-11-29|title=Convoy of vintage buses marks official opening of new Hexham Bus Station|url=http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/convoy-vintage-buses-marks-official-12246214|access-date=2020-06-18|website=ChronicleLive}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=30 November 2016|title=Hexham's new bus station is just the ticket|url=http://newsroom.gonortheast.co.uk/news/hexhams-new-bus-station-is-just-the-ticket-202849|access-date=20 February 2020|website=Go North East}}</ref>

[[Go North East]] provide most services in and around Hexham, with local services operating under the Tynedale Links brand. The AD122 tourist bus service operates year-round with increased services during the summer months, serving a number of locations along [[Hadrian's Wall]], as well as the [[market town]] of [[Haltwhistle]]. Memorably, the route number, AD122, is the date of the building of the wall.

{{As of|2024|9}}, the stand allocation is:
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
!Stand
!Route
!Destination
|-
! rowspan="3" |'''A'''
!10
|[[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]] {{rint|gb|bus}} {{rint|newcastle}}<br>{{small|via Corbridge {{rint|gb|rail}}, Riding Mill {{rint|gb|rail}}, Stocksfield {{rint|gb|rail}}, Prudhoe, Crawcrook, Ryton, Blaydon {{rint|gb|bus}} {{rint|newcastle}}, Metrocentre {{rint|gb|bus}} {{rint|newcastle}} & Teams}}
|-
!683
|[[Hexham General Hospital]]
|-
!689
|[[Consett]] {{rint|gb|bus}}<br>{{small|via Dilston, Slaley, Whittonstall, Ebchester, Shotley Bridge & Blackhill}}
|-
! rowspan="3" |B
!684
|[[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]] {{rint|gb|bus}} {{rint|newcastle}}<br>{{small|via Corbridge {{rint|gb|rail}}, Ovington, Ovingham, Wylam {{rint|gb|rail}}, Heddon-on-the-Wall, Throckley, Walbottle & Denton Burn}}
|-
!685
|[[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]] {{rint|gb|bus}} {{rint|newcastle}}<br>{{small|via Corbridge {{rint|gb|rail}}, Horsley, Heddon-on-the-Wall, Throckley, Walbottle & Denton Burn}}
|-
!X85
|[[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]] {{rint|gb|bus}} {{rint|newcastle}}<br>{{small|''express'' via Corbridge {{rint|gb|rail}} & A69}}
|-
! rowspan="2" |C
!74
|[[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]] {{rint|gb|bus}} {{rint|newcastle}}<br>{{small|via Oakwood, Great Whittington, Matfen, Stamfordham, Dalton, Medburn, Darras Hall, Ponteland, Callerton, Westerhope, Slatyford & Cowgate}}
|-
!688
|[[Allendale, Northumberland|Allendale]]<br>{{small|via Langley, Catton, Allenheads, Sinderhope & Sparty Lea}}
|-
! rowspan="3" |D
!683
|Beaumont Park
|-
!685
|[[Carlisle]] {{rint|bus}} {{rint|gb|rail}}<br>{{small|via Haydon Bridge {{rint|gb|rail}}, Bardon Mill {{rint|gb|rail}}, Melkridge,{{efn|Some journeys omit Melkridge, running direct via A69.}} Haltwhistle {{rint|gb|rail}}, Brampton & Warwick Bridge}}
|-
!X85
|Leazes
|-
! rowspan="5" |E
!680
|[[Bellingham, Northumberland|Bellingham]] <br>{{small|via Acomb, Wall, Chollerford, Humshaugh & Wark}}
|-
!682
|[[West Woodburn]]<br>{{small|via Acomb, Wall, Barrasford, Gunnerton, Barrasford Park & Ridsdale}}
|-
!683
|Haugh Lane Industrial Estate
|-
!889
|[[Alston, Cumbria|Alston]]<br>{{small|via Langley, Staward, Whitfield, Ninebanks, Carrshield & Nenthead}}
|-
!AD122
|[[Milecastle 45|Walltown]]<br>{{small|via Acomb, Wall, Chollerford, Hadrian's Wall, Haltwhistle {{rint|gb|rail}} & Greenhead}}
|}

== Awards ==
Hexham won the town award in the 2005 ''[[Britain in Bloom]]'' awards.<ref>{{Cite news|title=A Blooming Good Show by the North|date=2005-09-29|work=[[The Journal (Newcastle upon Tyne newspaper)|The Journal]]}}</ref> In the same year, it was also named ''England's Favourite Market Town'' by the magazine ''[[Country Life (magazine)|Country Life]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tynedale.gov.uk/residents/newsviewsdetails.asp?newsid=448|title=Hexham named England's favourite market town 2005|date=2005-11-24|website=Tynedale Council|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060627061820/http://www.tynedale.gov.uk/residents/newsviewsdetails.asp?newsid=448|archive-date=2006-06-27}}</ref>

Hexham was voted the happiest place to live in Britain, 2019 and 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-11-24|title=Where is the happiest place to live near you? {{!}} Property blog|url=https://www.rightmove.co.uk/news/articles/property-news/happiest-place-every-region-britain-2021/|access-date=2021-11-30|website=rightmove.co.uk|language=en-GB}}</ref>

== Economy ==
The major employer in Hexham is Austrian firm [[Egger (company)|Egger]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/business/business-news/major-hexham-employer-egger-uk-14239794|title= Major Hexham employer Egger UK|date= 4 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/business/business-news/egger-uk-hexham-posts-rise-12519075|title= Hexham employer Egger UK posts rise|date= 27 January 2017}}</ref> 
Its [[Particle board|chipboard]] factory vents steam which can be seen from miles away.

Hexham had been long famous for its manufacture of leather. Wright (1823) gives some statistics<blockquote>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 [[Ochre|Oker]] was used in the processing, but local fell clay could be used if necessary.</blockquote>Tanning was a necessary allied industry and there were four tanneries, employing a score of men. In a year they dealt with 5,000 [[Hide (skin)|hides]] and 12,000 [[Calfskin|calf skins]]. 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 Sele 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.<ref name=Rowland>{{cite book
| last = Rowland
| first = T. H.
| author-link = T. H. Rowland
| title = Waters of Tyne
| publisher = Sandhill Press Ltd.
| year = 1994|edition=Reprint
| location = Warkworth, Northumberland, England
| isbn = 0-946098-36-0
}}</ref>

In Hexham the [[Subskimmer]] was designed and made by [[Submarine Products]].

Botanical brewery [[Fentimans]] is based in Hexham.

=== Shopping ===
Hexham has many shops commonly found in other English market-towns, with five central supermarkets, multiple clothes shops, charity shops, banks, estate agents, antique shops and chemists.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.visithexham.net/shops-specialist.htm|title=Hexham Shops|website=visithexham.net/|access-date=23 January 2017|archive-date=2 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202014011/http://www.visithexham.net/shops-specialist.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Cafes and coffee shops are also common in Hexham, from commercial chains to family run independents.

== Sport ==
Hexham's [[Hexham Racecourse|racecourse]] is at Yarridge Heights in the hills above the town, with National Hunt ([[Steeplechase (horse racing)|steeplechase]]) races throughout the year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hexham-racecourse.co.uk|title=Hexham Racecourse – Horse Racing – Homepage}}</ref>

The town is also home to Tynedale Cricket Club, who play their home matches on Prior's Flat. 
Founded in 1888, the club has had its most successful period over the most recent 40 years when they dominated the Northumberland County League, before starting the 21st century by winning several championships in the newly created Northumberland & Tyneside Senior Cricket League.
In late 2017, Tynedale CC became a founder member of the new Northumberland & Tyneside Cricket League (NTCL), formed when a merger between NTSCL & Northumberland Cricket League was voted through by constituent clubs at the inaugural AGM held at Kingston Park Rugby Ground.
This league comprises six divisions with divisions 5 and 6 regionalised into north and south sections.

== Twin towns ==
Hexham is [[sister city|twinned]] with:
*  [[Metzingen]], Germany<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hexham Town Twinning|url=http://www.hexhamtowntwinning.co.uk/|access-date=2021-12-14|website=Hexham Town Twinning|language=en}}</ref>
*  [[Noyon]], France

== People from Hexham ==
{{further|:Category:People from Hexham}}

== See also == <!-- sorted by places, governance, religion, warfare -->
* [[Hexham Bridge]]
* [[Hexham Old Bridge]]
* [[Devil's Water]]
* [[Hexham (UK Parliament constituency)]]
* [[Ailred of Rievaulx]]
* [[Acca of Hexham]]
* [[Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle]]
* [[Eata of Hexham]]
* [[Richard of Hexham]]
* [[John of Hexham]]
* [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle]]
* [[Battle of Heavenfield]]
* [[Battle of Neville's Cross]]
* [[Robbs]]
* [[Hexham Heads]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wikivoyage|Hexham}}
{{Commons category|Hexham}}
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*[http://www.visithexham.net Hexham visitor website]
*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Hexham|short=x}}
*[http://www.hexhamhistorian.org Hexham local history society website]
{{Northumberland}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Hexham| ]]
[[Category:Market towns in Northumberland]]
[[Category:Towns in Northumberland]]