Matfen

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.

Matfen
Matfen
Matfen Location within Northumberland
Population	495 (2001 census)[1]
OS grid reference	NZ029719
Civil parish	Matfen
Unitary authority	Northumberland
Ceremonial county	Northumberland
Region	North East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE
Postcode district	NE20
Dialling code	01661
Police	Northumbria
Fire	Northumberland
Ambulance	North East
UK Parliament	Hexham
List of places UK England Northumberland 55°02′28″N 1°57′14″W

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

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.