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A brief google brings up the website http://northumberland-cam.com/bedlington/index.htm Included is a picture of said cross, with the caption: "The old Market Cross - erected in 1782" I can find no reference to a source for this, and would actually reckon it be older.

I find this quite intriguing; it's well known that market crosses - popular constructions - were placed so that those who came to barter had a point of focus. Indeed, the type of cross we have at bedlington - quite rare now, as it happens - is known as a 'nail'. One explanation for the expression 'to pay on the nail' is the association with bartering and dealing at them in markets. This information was told to me by my grandfather when I was about eight, when visiting bedlington to see relatives. When it was built may be something of a mystery, but I don't believe why should be.

Is there really to ba 'speakers corner' or are you inciting rebellion?

Haven't we already got one - right here by the looks of it! Either way the local politicos will still ignore it - until election time, of course! Try gathering a crowd at the Market Cross and you'd probably get arrested for disturbing the peace. A quaint term which often meant simply upsetting the local squire. Anyway the only ones that would gave the guts to use it would be the BNP (complete with minders). So in current thinking that sort of rules it out completely.