TALES FROM THE GAOL

QUIZ! MUSIC! PRIZES!

That’s right folks, there’s be a special TALES FROM THE GAOL quiz night on Thursday March 19^th, at the Garden Coffee House, just next to the Gaol, 6-8pm. And inbetween the rounds of exciting questions we’ll have some live tunes for you too. Yes, the gaoler will be dragging his shiny guitar up from deepest Darktown to entertain you, and he’ll be joined by at least one local musician, your deputy mayor, Penny Grennan, possibly more…

And if you get enough questions right, you might even win a prize. Go solo, team up with a marra, or form a small quiz group. And best of all… it’s completely FREE! Just bring along some money to spend on wine (or beer) with the good folks at the wonderful Garden Coffee House. See you there…

FANCY A SEAT?…

If any of you are free on Wednesday March 4^th, at 3pm, we’re going to be premiering the bench I painted in last month’s thrilling instalment, just opposite Queens Hall. Look for a crowd & come on over. Suzanne from Bloodaxe Books will also read out the wise words that inspired the project, from Benjamin Zephaniah. So come along, have a wee look, & plonk yourself down on a brand new bench. Someone else will join you, I’m sure, because after all…

People still need people…

POOR PETER PATTERSON

I was sent a great document from the curators at the Museum, with a cast of historical characters we associate with the Gaol. And one for my HEXHAM HORRORS part of the transformed museum is the 74 year old gentleman named above. He was accused of being involved in the famous Hexham Riot of 1761. His punishment for his supposed riotous behaviour was to be ‘hung, cut down alive, disembowelled and his entrails burnt in front of his eyes, before being quartered.’ His punishment was then reduced to simply being hanged. But the rope snapped as he was nearing the end of his agony, but not before we was able to utter these profound words… Innocent blood is hard to spill…

You see, he wasn’t even in Hexham the day of the riot… oh dear… Poor Peter Patterson…

RIOT? MASSACRE?

In 1761, Hexham has a riot…

In 1819, Manchester has a massacre…

What’s the difference?

The Hexham Riot sees ordinary folks gather on March 9^th, 1761, to protest against balloting, a form of military conscription. More soldiers were needed for what became known as the Seven Years War, mostly colonial conflicts in places like India, & America. The angry crowd, who had congregated from the towns & villages around Hexham, numbered approximately 5,000. They refused to disperse, the riot act was read & 240 soldiers from the North Yorkshire Infantry proceeded to open fire on them. The death toll is suggested to be around 50, with around 300 injured.

In St Peter’s field in Manchester, on 16^th august 1819, a crowd of 60,000 gathered to protest the appaling living condition of working class folks. The right to vote was scarce, & the corn laws meant even a loaf of bread was unafordable, altogether becoming an economic slump that they could no longer endure. Once more, the riot act was read, and soldiers o horseback charged with sabres. Figures say 18 people were killed, with estimates of 400-700 injured.

So, why isn’t it called The Hexham Massacre?

Or the Peterloo Riot?

Riot suggests the hoi polloi are to blame – badly behaved… unruly.

Whereas massacre surely shifts blame on the authorities, suggesting an innocence for the crowd, which I think is true of both times.

The soldiers in Hexham became known as The hexham Butchers. But as you can imagine, no one was held to account, on either occasion. Riot at your own risk, regardless of the reasons…

By the time Peterloo happened, had the working class organised themselves better, realising they had strength & power as a semi-unionised force, battling against the conditions in the early days of the The Indistrial Revolution? And the press, namely The Manchester Observer, a radical newspaper, were the first to call it a masacre. Commemotative objects then appeared, such as jugs & handkerchiefs.

Yet there seems to a lot less commemoration, or publicity for the dead folks in Hexham.

Mike Leigh made a wonderful film of that day in Peterloo in 2018. Warning… it’s not easy watching.

Perhaps we need Ken Loach to tackle the Hexham Riot…

HEXHAMSHIRE HEROES

I think there’ll be a section in the new museum call Hexhamshire Heroes. So, do you know of any? They needn’t be well known. Perhaps you have a family member you consider a hero, or someone in your community. Let me know please. From a historical viewpoint, I’m thinking of the poet Wilfrid Gibson, & the singer-songwriter Terry Conway. Pete Doherty is from Hexham, is he a local hero? There’s John Martin the painter (his painting in the Laing Gallery in Newcastle is always worth a viewing). Robson Green the actor?..

And so the list goes on… but I’m sure you’ll have folks to add to the list that are less obvious…

CALLING ALL WORKSHOPPERS…

It’s official! You can book yourself into a workshop by me, at the The Old Gaol on either April 26^th, or May 3^rd, 10am – 12pm, to coincide with the amazing book festival, when it’s in town.

I’ll be publishing a new book of three poems (more details later on that), & your job in my workshop is to create a unique, one-off dustjacket to go around it. It’ll fun, I promise…

Email me & I’ll put your name on that extra special list… the places are filling up, so don’t delay… and… IT’S FREE!