If I were ever so unfortunate as to be imprisoned in the Old Gaol at Hexham, I would definitely want to be accommodated on the first floor.

The gaol was built on the orders of Archbishop Melton in 1330. Unusually for the time, it was designed from the outset to be a prison. Until 1546, Hexham was an ‘archiepiscopal liberty’ meaning that the Archbishop of York, rather than the King, was responsible for law and order. As the King’s officials had no authority in the area, law breakers fleeing justice could take refuge in Hexham.

A display on the ground floor explained the hierarchical layout of the building in a manner rather reminiscent of a department store:

• Top floor: Gaoler’s lodgings
• First floor: Upper class prisoners: resignedly cheerful
• Ground floor: Slightly depressed prisoners
• Dungeon: miserable prisoners, rats

If you would like to share the experience of the miserable prisoners…