The tollbooth used to stand at the bottom of the town's High Street, on the corner with Moss Street. It dated from the end of the fifteenth century, and was designed and built by George Schaw. It was a key civic and commercial hub in the town. It was used for the collection of local tax, assigning official weights and measurements to assist with the buying and selling of produce, and served as a Town Hall where the local Council would congregate. The Tollbooth was handily placed at the junction between High Street and Moss Street as it enabled town officials to keep a close watch on market traders who operated at the Cross. Importantly, it was also where the dispensation of justice would take place.

In 1697, the building was a warren of rooms, and was adorned with a steeple that dominated the skyline for miles. It was in this building that the seven accused were detained, interrogated, most probably tortured through sleep deprivation techniques, and found guilty by the jury. They left this building for the final time on the day of the execution, and travelled up the High Street to the Gallow Green. Sitting between the Abbey and the Gallow Green, it geographically ties the story together amid the themes of justice, religion, and execution.