Matfen is a village and a civil parish in Northumberland, England, near the town of

Hexham Hexham ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Northumberland, England, on the south bank of the River Tyne, formed by the confluence of the North Tyne and the South Tyne at Warden, Northumberland, Warden nearby, and ...

and the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is an example of a 19th-century planned estate village. It was the birthplace of the 7th Premier of British Columbia, William Smithe.

History

Matfen is a few miles north of

Hadrian's Wall Hadrian's Wall ( la, Vallum Aelium), also known as the Roman Wall, Picts' Wall, or ''Vallum Hadriani'' in Latin, is a former defensive fortification of the Roman province of Britannia, begun in AD 122 in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. R ...

. About halfway between the two there is a prehistoric

standing stone A menhir (from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large human-made upright rock (geology), stone, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. T ...

called Stob Stone, adjacent to Standing Stone Farmhouse. The stone is about seven feet high and decorated with cup marks. The place-name ''Matfen'' is first attested in the Pipe Rolls for 1159, where it appears as ''Matefen''. The name means ''Matta's fen''. The civil parish was formed in 1955 from East Matfen, Fenwick, Ingoe, Kearsley, Ryal and West Matfen.

Landmarks

Matfen Hall Matfen Hall is a 19th-century country mansion in Matfen, Northumberland, England, the seat of the Blackett baronets and now also a hotel and country golf club. It is a Grade II* listed building. The manor of West Matfen was owned in the 13th ce ...

now houses a hotel and country club. The Grade II* listed building was built about 1828 by Sir Edward Blackett to replace an earlier, 17th-century house. The Devil's Causeway passes the village less than to the west. The causeway is a Roman road, which starts at Port Gate on

, north of Corbridge, and extends northwards across Northumberland to the mouth of the Tweed at Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Notable people

Thomas Bates Thomas Bates (1567 – 30 January 1606) was a member of the group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Bates was born at Lapworth in Warwickshire, and became a retainer to Robert Catesby, who from 160 ...

(1775–1849), an eminent stockbreeder, was born in Matfen. * William Smithe (1842–1887), the 7th premier of British Columbia, was born in Matfen. *

Lorna Hill Lorna Hill (born Lorna Leatham, 21 February 1902 in Durham, England, died 17 August 1991 in Keswick, Cumbria), was an English author of over 40 books for children. These remained popular into the 21st century. Life and works Lorna, the daugh ...

(1902–1991), a writer of over 40 books for children, was the wife of the rector of Matfen.

References

External links

Tourist guideMatfen Parish Council
Villages in Northumberland Civil parishes in Northumberland {{Northumberland-geo-stub