In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Mitford like this:
MITFORD, a village, a township, and a parish, in Morpeth district, Northumberland. The village stands at the confluence of the rivers Font and Wansbeck, near the Wansbeck Valley railway, 2½ miles W by S of Morpeth; was originally called Midford; was once a markettown; and has a post office under Morpeth.-The township includes the village, and extends into the country. ...
Pop., 210. Houses, 35.—The parish contains also the townships of Molesden, Spittal-Hill, Edington, Benridge, Newton-Underwood, Newton-Park, Throphill, Nunriding, Pigdon, and High and Low Highlaws. Acres, 9,595. Real property, £7,252. Pop., 646. Houses, 118. The property is divided among a few. The manor belonged, before the Norman conquest, to the Mitfords; passed by marriage, soon after the Conquest, to Sir Richard Bertram; was ravaged by the Flemish Rutars, in consequence of Roger Bertram having joined the barons against King John; was forfeited in 1264, in consequence of another Bertram having rebelled against Henry III.; passed to the Earls of Pembroke and Athole, and to the Percys; went back to the Mitfords in the time of Charles II.; belongs now to Admiral Mitford; and is associated with William Mitford, author of the "History of Greece, ''and with Mary Russell Mitford, author of "Our Village." A castle was built here in 1150-70, by W. Bertram; and is still represented by a ruined massive keep, with two posterns, and two waggonheaded vaults. The old manor house was built in 1637, out of materials of the castle; and is still represented by a turreted porch and some offices. The present mansion, the seat of Admiral Mitford, is a modern edifice after designs by Dobson. Spittal-Hill House is the seat of the Bullock family; and occupies the site of an hospital, founded by Sir William Bertram. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Durham. Value, £100.* Patron, the Bishop of Durham. The church stands embosomed in trees; is cruciform, 109 feet long, with Norman nave, a good Norman door, and an early English chancel; has a picturesque W turret; and contains an effigies of a Bertram.
Mitford through time
Mitford is now part of Castle Morpeth district. Click here for graphs and data of how Castle Morpeth has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Mitford itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Mitford, in Castle Morpeth and Northumberland | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/9496
Date accessed: 26th April 2024
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