Hexham

I'm not from Newcastle in England actually.

I'm from Hexham, which is...

I'm not even from Hexham.

I, I'm from outside Hexham, which is a market town.

But even the city that I spent many, many years living in, Newcastle, if I, uh...

Oh, I know where that is.

Sometimes, the most unsettling things in the world are buried just a few inches beneath the damp, dark earth of a regular old backyard.

Now, that brings us to the spring of 1971, over in a little place called Hexham, up in the north country of England.

A land where the soil is old, heavy with history, and full of things that perhaps ought to have stayed buried.

There were two young brothers living there, Colin and Leslie Robson.

Now, Dr. Ross was no superstitious gullible type.

She was a highly respected archeologist, an expert in ancient Celtic history and folklore, working with the University of Southampton.

She took one look at the Hexham heads and felt a chill go right down her spine.

To an expert eye, these heads looked like Celtic artifacts, maybe 1,800 years old, dating back to a time when the local tribes worshiped the human head as the seat of the soul.

During his expedition to Northumbria, William narrowly escaped receiving the reward of his demerits, an example of poetic justice that would have been particularly striking to the historian and useful to the moralist.

While on the march from Hexham to York, he became involved in a wild and unknown country.

his horses perished, his soldiers were reduced to the extremes of suffering and privation, and William missed his way, in the obscurity of a night-march, and was reduced to a state of great anxiety, not to say fear, being uncertain of the ground over which he wandered, and equally uncertain of the direction in which his troops were marching.

the north continued to suffer from war and invasion malcolm wasted northumberland a d ten seventy nine and his wild scots invaded the country as far as the time and re-entered scotland with much spoil and many prisoners the bishopric of durham had been bestowed upon walcher of lorraine and as he equally governed by crozier and sword taxing the people heavily and allowing his norman mercenaries to plunder insult and slay his flock at their pleasure he was bitterly hated and when his servant gilbert murdered lilfe a noble englishman who had married jarl suard's widow the mother of the heroic their rage knew no bounds walter consented to confer with the northumbrians at gateshead and was attended by a large escort Every Englishman carried a weapon with him, concealed beneath his garment, and the bishop, becoming alarmed for his life, took refuge in the church, which was speedily fired.

Edward was duly crowned, but his throne was threatened by the plots of the Lancastrians, although he kept the headsman's axe steadily at work.

in fourteen sixty two the scots caused some trouble in the north and towards the close of the year margaret appeared in arms but precipitately retired without being able to make head against the king in fourteen sixty four Margaret again appeared in the north, when the gallant Sir Ralph Percy was slain on Hedgley Moor, fighting for the Red Rose.

The Battle of Hexham followed a rout of the Lancastrians, whose leaders Somerset, Ross, and Hungerford were executed.

Sir Ralph Grey, having betrayed Bamburgh Castle to the Queen, and then defended it against Edward, was executed at Doncaster.

You know, my father in Northumberland lived next to a church that had the banishment window.

So if someone, it was in a place called Hexham, if somebody...

I know Hexham.

Someone didn't conform, they were banished.

But they had to come to church.

To these parishes resort the wit-riding men, otherwise thieves of that English march.

reed riseth within three miles of the scottish march it riseth in the north and cometh south-west through ridesdale and so into north tyne arm a little lower than bellingham that standeth somewhat of north tyne and is a ten miles above hexham north tyne riseth plain north and runneth almost plain north till he meeteth with south tyne some hold opinion that at holystone or in the river of cockett thereabout were three thousand christened in one day in primitiva ecclesia sacks cockett river for a certain space of miles divideth cockdale from rydesdale cockett cometh by harbottle a goodly castle and thence to lynn briggs some time of stone now fallen thereabout was great building but now desolation Newcastle, a market-town.

Hexham, a market-town.

Morpeth, a market-town, is twelve long miles from Newcastle.

Wandsbeck, a pretty river, runneth through the side of the town.

Thereby is a strong, missing word.

Betwixt Dunstanborough and Banborough is Embleton, a mile from the shore, and a mile from Dunstanborough.

bamborough sometime a huge and great castle one of the strongest in those parts agaston a tower upon the south side of lindis river chillingham castle longing to sir edward grey whose wife was married to sir robert heldercar ford castle in glindale upon the east side of till it is meetly strong but in decay castle standing on plain ground hard on the east side of till longing to the earl of rutland eaton castle longing to sir edward grey two miles lower on till than eatal it standeth on the west side of till the scots at flodden field beat it sore workcastle on the south side of tweed a pretty town there norham castle on the same side berwick on the north side houses of religion in northumberland bolton of shannon's in cokedale which they call commonly glinedale the lord rose was founder there Holystone Nunnery, in Ridsdale, betwixt Aden Bridge and Hexham.