Mainsforth

Human settlement in England
List of places
UK
England
County Durham
54°40′41″N 1°30′43″W / 54.678°N 1.512°W / 54.678; -1.512

Mainsforth is a small village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Bishop Middleham, in the County Durham district, in the ceremonial county of Durham, England.[1] It is to the east of Ferryhill. The earliest settlement in Mainsforth may have been on Marble (Narble Hill). It has been suggested, without great historical foundation, that this was a Danish settlement. In 1961 the parish had a population of 229.[2] From medieval times through to the early twentieth century the village was in effect a small collection of farms and farm workers' cottages.

Mainsforth Hall was a significant building in the centre of this small village, until its demolition in the 1960s. The hall was for many years the dwelling of the Surtees family. A notable member of the family was Robert Surtees (1779–1834), a County Durham historian.[3]

Mainsforth Colliery, active from 1872-1968, lay between the village and Ferryhill Station.

Civil parish

Mainsforth was formerly a township in the parish of Bishop-Middleham,[4] from 1866 Mainsforth was a civil parish in its own right,[5] on 1 April 1983 the parish was abolished and merged with Bishop Middleham and Ferryhill.[6]

References

  1. ^ Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 93 Middlesbrough (Darlington & Hartlepool) (Map). Ordnance Survey. 2010. ISBN 9780319228777.
  2. ^ "Population statistics Mainsforth CP/Tn through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  3. ^ "Robert Surtees (1779 - 1834)". co-curate.ncl.ac.uk. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
  4. ^ "History of Mainsforth, in Sedgefield and County Durham". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  5. ^ "Relationships and changes Mainsforth CP/Tn through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  6. ^ "Durham Western Registration District". UKBMD. Retrieved 7 August 2023.