- Mitford, Northumberland
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For the prominent English family, see Mitford family.
Coordinates: 55°10′05″N 1°43′34″W / 55.168°N 1.726°W
Mitford 
Mitford
Mitford shown within NorthumberlandPopulation 431 (2001 census)[1] OS grid reference NZ175860 Unitary authority Northumberland Ceremonial county Northumberland Region North East Country England Sovereign state United Kingdom Post town MORPETH Postcode district NE61 Police Northumbria Fire Northumberland Ambulance North East EU Parliament North East England UK Parliament Wansbeck List of places: UK • England • Northumberland Mitford is a village in the borough of Castle Morpeth in the Wansbeck parliamentary constituency, in Northumberland, England, about 2 miles (3 km) west of Morpeth.
Contents
History
Mitford was once a far greater market place for local people. Morpeth's market soon grew in prominence and Mitford fell from grace. However, even today's loyal Mitfordians recant the old rhyme:
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- Mitforde was Mitforde when Morpeth was none,
- and Mitforde shall be Mitforde when Morpeth is gone.
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Governance
The village lies within the Ulgham Division of the unitary Council (Northumberland County Council), represented Cllr David James Towns (Conservative) and the Wansbeck parliamentary constitency (Dennis Murphy MP, Labour). The Boundary Commission has recently unveiled proposals to transfer the village into the Hexham parliamentary constituency, although the proposals have been put on hold until local government reorganisation is completed.
Landmarks
Mitford Castle was built in the 11th century by William Bertram but by 1323 was no longer used. Today it is in ruins, and has recently undergone a major programme of structural support works.
Religious sites
The ancient church of St Mary Magdalene was rebuilt in 1875, but has preserved its Norman south arcade and 13th century chancel. The church is believed to have the oldest bell in the Diocese of Newcastle cast no later than about 1150.[2]
Fiction
In Light from Heaven, the last instalment of American author Jan Karon's contemporary Christian "Mitford Years" novel series (which is set in a fictional town in western North Carolina bearing the same name), the series' setting and the Mitford of this article become "sister villages."
Notable people
The Mitford family held the Manor from Norman times. The ruins of their Manor House stand on the eastern side of the River Wansbeck. In about 1823 they abandoned the old Manor House for a new mansion house, Mitford Hall, which was designed by the famous Northern architect, John Dobson, and which was built on the opposite bank of the river and surrounded by woodland and a small deer park.
See also
References
- ^ Office for National Statistics: Neighbourhood Statistics
- ^ Purves, Geoffrey (2006). Churches of Newcastle and Northumberland. Stroud, Gloucestershire, England: Tempus Publishing Limited. pp. 67. ISBN 0 7524 4071 3. http://www.tempus-publishing.com.
External links
- GENUKI (accessed: 21 November 2008)
Categories:- Villages in Northumberland
- Northumberland geography stubs
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