Mitford is a village in the borough of Castle Morpeth in the Wansbeck

Wansbeck (UK Parliament constituency)

Wansbeck is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...

 parliamentary constituency, in Northumberland

Northumberland

Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, about 2 miles (3 km) west of Morpeth

Morpeth, Northumberland

Morpeth is the county town of Northumberland, England. It is situated on the River Wansbeck which flows east through the town. The town is from the A1, which bypasses it. Since 1981, it has been the administrative centre of the County of Northumberland. In the 2001 census the town had a population...

.

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:

Mitforde was Mitforde when Morpeth was none,

and Mitforde shall be Mitforde when Morpeth is gone.

Governance

The village lies within the Ulgham Division of the unitary Council (Northumberland County Council

Northumberland County Council

Northumberland County Council is a unitary authority in North East England. It was originally formed in 1889 as the council for the administrative county of Northumberland and reformed in 1974 to cover a the newly formed non-metropolitan county of Northumberland...

), 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

Mitford Castle

Mitford Castle is an English castle dating from the end of the 11th century and located at Mitford, Northumberland. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade I listed building, enlisted on 20 October 1969. The castle is also officially on the Buildings at Risk Register...

 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

Norman architecture

About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...

 south arcade

Arcade (architecture)

An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....

 and 13th century chancel

Chancel

In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...

. The church is believed to have the oldest bell in the Diocese of Newcastle

Diocese of Newcastle

The Diocese of Newcastle is a Church of England diocese based in Newcastle upon Tyne, covering the historic county of Northumberland . The area of Alston Moor in Cumbria also forms part of the diocese.The diocese came into being on May 23, 1882, and was one of four created by the Bishoprics Act...

 cast no later than about 1150.

Fiction

In Light from Heaven, the last instalment of American author Jan Karon

Jan Karon

Jan Karon is an American writer and novelist, who has written for both children and adults. Karon was born in Lenoir, North Carolina, in 1937, as Janice Meredith Wilson. She retired from a career in advertising and moved to Blowing Rock, North Carolina, to write...

's contemporary Christian "Mitford Years" novel series (which is set in a fictional town in western North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

 bearing the same name), the series' setting and the Mitford of this article become "sister villages."

Notable people

The Mitford family

Mitford family

The Mitford family is a minor aristocratic English family that traces its origins in Northumberland back to the time of the Norman conquest. In the Middle Ages they had been Border Reivers based in Redesdale. The main family line had seats at Mitford Castle, Mitford Old Manor House and from 1828...

 held the Manor from Norman times. The ruins of their Manor House

Mitford Old Manor House

Mitford Old Manor House is an historic English manor house at Mitford, Northumberland and is a Grade II* listed building. The Manor of Mitford was held from ancient times by the Mitford family....

 stand on the eastern side of the River Wansbeck

River Wansbeck

The River Wansbeck runs through the county of Northumberland, England. It rises above Sweethope Lough on the edge of Forelaws Forest in the area known locally as The Wanneys ; runs through the town of Ashington before discharging into the North Sea at Sandy Bay near Newbiggin-by-the-Sea.The River...

. In about 1823 they abandoned the old Manor House for a new mansion house, Mitford Hall

Mitford Hall

Mitford Hall is a Georgian mansion house and Grade II* listed building standing in its own park overlooking the River Wansbeck at Mitford, Northumberland....

, which was designed by the famous Northern architect, John Dobson

John Dobson (architect)

John Dobson was a 19th-century English architect in the neoclassical tradition. He became the most noted architect in the North of England. Churches and houses by him dot the North East - Nunnykirk Hall, Meldon Park, Mitford Hall, Lilburn Tower, St John the Baptist Church in Otterburn,...

, and which was built on the opposite bank of the river and surrounded by woodland and a small deer park.

External links

• GENUKI (accessed: 21 November 2008)