Key figures in a market town riot which cost more than 50 lives took centre stage again yesterday.

The costume call was in advance of a partial re-enactment on Saturday of the Hexham Riot of 1761 in which soldiers opened fire on a crowd of 5,000 protesters.

The tragedy, which is not widely known, will be marked by the unveiling on Saturday of a plaque in the market place where the riot happened.

Around 100 volunteers, including members of two 18th Century re-enactment groups, will play out some of the events of that day while six local people will take the parts of real characters who were involved in the disaster. Their words have been gleaned from diaries and letters of the time.

Saturday's event will be rounded off by around 100 singers from Northumberland community choirs who will perform a song about the riot by Terry Conway.

One of the real 18th Century characters, Jane Allgood, will be played by her namesake and direct descendant. Today's Jane works in Liverpool but her parents live in Nunwick near Hexham, which in the 18th Century was the home of Sir Lancelot Allgood and wife Jane.

Sir Lancelot was a landowner, magistrate and MP who also had a town house in the market place. Researchers have drawn on letters written by Jane Allgood in which she describes being hauled out of her house by villagers who threatened to burn it down.

About 10 other descendants of people involved in 1761 will be in attendance on Saturday for the event, which has been backed by a £24,640 Local Heritage Initiative grant and involves the Hexham Community Partnership.

The riot was one of a series in the North-East over the drawing of ballots to select men for military service.

Agricultural workers, craftsmen and miners were reluctant to be taken away from their work and families.

Disturbances in Gateshead and Morpeth had stopped the drawing of ballots by magistrates.

"By the time it came to Hexham the countryside was on fire," said Hexham historian Tom Corfe.

Around 200 Yorkshire militia, stationed at Newcastle were marched to Hexham.

One of the characters, called Sarah Carter, who will be played by Lucy Hutchinson, was a mother who went to the market place to find her young son. She was killed when the militia opened fire.

Tom said: "The town is at last marking this event, 243 years late."

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