Mainsforth is a small village in
County Durham
County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly â€About North East E ...
, England.
It is to the east of
Ferryhill, and lies within the ecclesiastical parish of
Bishop Middleham. 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.
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. The most famous member of the family was
Robert Surtees (1779–1834), a County Durham historian.
Today the hamlet contains several farms and older cottages and some modern executive-style detached dwellings. It retains its character principally because of the many trees in the village and because of the retention of the wall of Mainsforth Hall in the centre of the village.
Mainsforth Colliery, active from 1872-1968, lay between the village and
Ferryhill Station.
References
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Villages in County Durham
Bishop Middleham