Hexham, England
Today, I achieved my objective of learning more about the Northumbrian town of Hexham which has a population of 13.100 and lies just 25 miles west of Newcastle upon Tyne and 6 miles south of Hadrian's Wall. Landscape view of Hexham Despite proximity to the Wall the Hexham district was never settled by the Romans although nearby Corbridge was, being 4 miles to the east. Hexham seems to date from the early Saxon period in the second half of the first millennium. The name translates as 'Warrior's Homestead' which is apposite because the early Saxon period was violent with multiple and competing mini-kingdoms often engaged in conflict.On the plus side this was a time of immigration from Germany, Holland and Scandinavia which proved a linguistic melting pot and emergence of the basic building block of the English language. For persons who wish to connect with English ecclesiastic, cultural, and architectural history then a visit to Hexham Abbey is essential. This buildi...