Matfen

Human settlement in England

Matfen

Unitary authority

Northumberland

Northumberland

Region

North East

CountryEnglandSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townNEWCASTLE UPON TYNEPostcode districtNE20Dialling code01661PoliceNorthumbriaFire Northumberland Ambulance North East UK Parliament

Hexham

List of places: UK; England; Northumberland

55°02′28″N 1°57′14″W / 55.041°N 1.954°W / 55.041; -1.954

Matfen is a village and a civil parish in Northumberland, England, near the town of Hexham 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. In 2001 it had a population of 495.

History

Matfen is a few miles north of Hadrian's Wall. About halfway between the two there is a prehistoric standing stone called Stob Stone, adjacent to Standing Stone Farmhouse. The stone is about seven feet high and decorated with cup marks.^[2]

The place-name Matfen is first attested in the Pipe Rolls for 1159, where it appears as Matefen. The name means Matta's fen.^[3] The civil parish was formed in 1955 from East Matfen, Fenwick, Ingoe, Kearsley, Ryal and West Matfen.^[4]

Landmarks

Matfen Hall 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.^[5]

The Devil's Causeway passes the village less than 2 miles (3 km) to the west. The causeway is a Roman road, which starts at Port Gate on Hadrian's Wall, north of Corbridge, and extends 55 miles (89 km) northwards across Northumberland to the mouth of the Tweed at Berwick-upon-Tweed.^[6]

Notable people

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

References

^ Office for National Statistics: Neighbourhood Statistics
^ Nikolaus Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Northumberland, p. 387.
^ Eilert Ekwall, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names, p. 318.
^ "Matfen CP through time". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
^ Historic England. "Matfen Hall (1155328)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
^ "The Devil's Causeway". Retrieved 17 December 2008.