Mitford Old Manor House is an historic English manor house at Mitford, Northumberland and is a Grade II* listed building. The Manor of Mitford was held from ancient times by the Mitford family. The Manor House previously stood, adjacent to the old church of St Mary Magdalene, on the eastern side of the River Wansbeck. The substantial ruins now standing on the site represent the remains of a 16th-century house and of a porch tower built in about 1637. The original house was substantially demolished and rebuilt in about 1810, then abandoned by the Mitfords when they built a new mansion house, Mitford Hall, and park on the opposite bank of the river in 1828. In about 1960 a modern house was created out of the kitchen wing.
History
An early description of the ruin was given in about 1824 by Eneas Mackenzie who said that the greater part of the building had been taken down about 12 years ago by Bertram Mitford who was intending to build a new house across the river. This means that it was probably dismantled in about 1812. He mentioned that the kitchen which still remained was occupied by the gardener. A similar statement was made by John Hodgson who wrote about Mitford Manor in 1832 who said “the greater part of this seat- house was taken away about twenty years since”. He described what was standing in about 1830 in the following terms. The 1637 additions were made by Robert Mitford and his wife Philadelphia Wharton. Robert was born in 1612. He was the only son of Cuthbert Mitford who owned the Mitford estate. He went to the University of Cambridge and became a lawyer. In about 1831 he married Philadelphia Wharton who was the daughter of Humphrey Wharton of Gillingwood. In 1659 he was elected to Parliament as the Member for Morpeth. He died in 1674 and was succeeded by his eldest son Humphrey Mitford. The property descended through the Mitford family until it came into the possession of Bertram Mitford and his wife Frances. In 1812 Bertram partially demolished the house and from then it became the residence of the gardener. One of the first gardeners was Bartholomew Harbottle who was mentioned in 1825 as being in Mitford, Northumberland. He was a bachelor and is shown as living in the Manor House in both the 1851 and 1861 Census. There is an elaborate grave in the churchyard of St Mary Magdalene which is in his honour. The inscription says: “In memory of Bartholomew Harbottle who died March 31st 1862 aged 86. Having been for the last 46 years of his life the trusted servant of the Mitford family. In 1842 William Howitt visited Mitford and gave the following description of the Manor House where Bartholomew now lived. He said. Other gardeners who lived at the Manor House were William Duncan and George Douglass and his wife Margaret who are recorded in both the 1901 and 1911 Census.
