In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Mainsforth like this:
MAINSFORTH, a township in Bishop-Middleham parish, Durham, on the river Little Skerne; near the Darlington railway, 7½ miles E of Bishop-Auckland. Acres, 627. Real property, £586. Pop., 58. Houses, 10. Mainsforth Hall belonged to the Huttons; passed to the Surteeses; and is notable for the residence in it of the late Robert Surtees, the county historian and antiquary. ...
Sir Walter Scott often visited it; and he planted an oak tree, which flourishes at the end of the houseterrace. An association, called the Surtees society, in memory of Mr. Robert Surtees, was formed immediately after his decease, for publishing unedited manuscripts relating to the North of England. An antler of a moose deer was found in the township; and an ancient camp is here, occupying 16 acres.
Mainsforth through time
Mainsforth is now part of Sedgefield district. Click here for graphs and data of how Sedgefield has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Mainsforth itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Mainsforth, in Sedgefield and County Durham | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/1909
Date accessed: 05th November 2024
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