Place:Mitford, Northumberland, England

source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is based on an article in Wikipedia

Mitford is a village in the Borough of Castle Morpeth in Northumberland, England, about 2 miles (3 km) west of Morpeth.

Mitford was once a far greater market place for local people. Morpeth's market soon grew in prominence and Mitford fell from grace.

end of Wikipedia contribution

A Vision of Britain through Time provides the following description of Mitford from John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales of 1870-72:

"MITFORD, a village, a township, and a parish, in Morpeth [registration] 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. Population: 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. Population: 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 was an ancient parish in the Morpeth Ward which also became a civil parish in the 19th century. From 1894 it was part of Morpeth Rural District. In 1974 rural districts were abolished and Mitford became part of the Castle Morpeth District until 2009 when Northumberland became a unitary authority.

Townships in Parish

• Benridge
• Edington
• High and Low Highlaws
• Molesden
• Newton Underwood
• Newton Park
• Nunriding
• Pigdon
• Spital Hill
• Throphill

Research Tips

• Northumberland Archives previously known as Northumberland Collections Service and Northumberland County Record Office. Now based within Woodhorn Museum in Ashington and providing free access to numerous records for local and family historians alike.

Full postal address: Museum and Northumberland Archives, Queen Elizabeth II Country Park, Ashington, Northumberland, NE63 9YF; Phone: 01670 624455

There is a branch office in Berwick upon Tweed.

• Northumberland and Durham FHS covers both Northumberland and County Durham. The Family History Society have a research centre in Percy House in central Newcastle upon Tyne (full address on website), open Monday to Friday from 10 am to 4 pm. Browse the website to see what else the society can provide.
• Further information from GENUKI
• Ordnance Survey map of Northumberland 1832 provided by A Vision of Britain through Time. This map includes the boundaries of the various Wards (or "hundreds") in existence at that time.
• Ordnance Survey map of Northumberland 1900 provided by A Vision of Britain through Time
• Ordnance Survey map of Northumberland 1944 provided by A Vision of Britain through Time
• English Jurisdictions 1851, a parish finding aid provided by FamilySearch, particularly helpful in large towns and cities.
• Unfortunately, there is no Victoria County History for Northumberland.