Manfield is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. It is a parish in the wapentake of Gilling East.[1] The closest major town is Darlington, which is 3.5 miles (5.6 km) east of Manfield.[2] It is close to the River Tees and Darlington and is notable for All Saints Church and Manfield Village School.

Manfield
All Saints Church, Manfield
Manfield is located in North Yorkshire
Manfield
Manfield
Location within North Yorkshire
Population279 (including Cliffe 2011)
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townDARLINGTON
Postcode districtDL2
PoliceNorth Yorkshire
FireNorth Yorkshire
AmbulanceYorkshire
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire
54°30′57″N 1°39′39″W / 54.5159°N 1.66073°W / 54.5159; -1.66073

History

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The first part of Manfield is the British or Celtic word 'Maen', meaning a stone or pile of stones. In Saxons times, this word signified the open country.[1] Manfield was once an oppidium characterised by fields, small hills and barrows.[1] The parish includes the township of Cliffe,[3] a hamlet situated on the River Tees.[4] Cliffe had a population of 53 in the early 1820s.[1] Manfield covers 3,455 acres of land, grounding 74 houses.[3] The Catholic chapel run by Reverend William Hogarth.

Population

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Data from historical and modern data census

The population of Manfield has very much fluctuated over time. With the population in 1801 reported to be 275, this grew dramatically, almost doubling to 493 in 1821.[5] This was due to a falling death rate, whilst birth rates remained the same.[6] The famine in 1845 caused the UK's population as a whole to decrease, and such effects were seen in Manfield. In 1841, its population fell from 474 to 276 in 1881.[7] Over the past 150 years, the population has clearly aged. However, mortality decline in the late 19th century was mainly due to the reduction of very high infant mortality rates.[8] In 2001, the population was 297, 21.5% of this being economically active. The majority of the population here was aged between 30 and 59 years old.[9] The population fell to 279 according to the 2011 census,[10] however the percentage of economically active persons rose to 26.4%.[11]

Occupational structure

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Pie-chart showing the occupational structure for Manfield in 1831

In the 1820s, there was a farm house called Clowbeck in the parish.[1] In 1831, 28 people worked on this farm. There were 16 professionals in the village and 100 people who worked as labourers and servants,[12] most likely for the manor in Manfield, the Lord of which was R. B. Wilson.[4] In 1881, 17% of the male population worked in agriculture, whilst the majority of women (37%) worked in 'unknown sectors', working in environments varying from manufacturing to services. Men worked in the hard labour sectors, whilst women worked in the more domestic industries. At this time there were only two professionals in the village, one male and one female.[13]

Amenities

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All Saints Church

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The All Saints Church dates back to Saxon times.[14] It is a vicarage located in the eastern end of Manfield.[15] It is dedicated to All Saints, in the deanery of Richmond, diocese of Chester.[16] Built in the 12th century, the ancient stone structure is made from sandstone, ashlar and rubble stone.[17] Its square tower was built in the 16th century,[15] contains a clock and three bells.[18] Among the stained glass windows there is one representing the Raising of Jairus' Daughter by Meyer.[1] More recently, windows of the Church have been replaced with other designs.[15] The first marriage in this church was in 1848.[19]

Manfield Village School

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Manfield's village school, the Crown pub to the right

The Church of England village school was built in 1857,[20] costing £800.[1] and had a fee of £10 per annum. It is run by volunteer workers, who teach the 11 pupils that attend here, aged 4 to 11.[21] The school has an annual fee of £30.[3] The school was originally built with the genuine belief in the value of education and the diminishing need for child labour in Victorian industries and farming. Those children who passed the Eleven Plus went to Richmond Girls High School or Boys' Grammar School or to the Richmond Secondary Modern.[22] Beside the school there is small reading room and a library where residents can reside.[23]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Hinson, Colin. "The Ancient Parish of Manfield". GENUKI. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
  2. ^ "Distance from Manfield". GENUKI. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  3. ^ a b c Wilson, John. "Manfield". Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales. A Vision of Britain. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  4. ^ a b "Manfield Parish". GENUKI. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  5. ^ Bartholemew, John. "A Vision of Britain". Historical Population Statistics for Manfield Civil Parish. Bartholemew.
  6. ^ Bloy, Marjorie. "The Web of English History". Population Growth in the Age of Peel. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  7. ^ "Historical Population Census Data on Manfield". A Vision of Britain. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  8. ^ Bartholomew, John (1887). Gazetteer of the British Isles (1st ed.). Edinburgh: Bartholomew. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  9. ^ "Age Structure, 2001". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  10. ^ "Manfield: Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  11. ^ "Manfield: Key Figures for 2001 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  12. ^ Barthomolemew, John. "Manfield". Gazetteer of the British Isles. A Vision of Britain. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  13. ^ "Manfield Industry Statistics". A Vision of Britain. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  14. ^ "Manfield Parish Information". GENUKI.
  15. ^ a b c "Parishes – Manfield". British History Online. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  16. ^ Hinson, Colin (2011). "Manfield Parish Registers". GENUKI. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  17. ^ Steel. "The Church of All Saints, Manfield". Geograph. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  18. ^ Hinson, Colin (2011). "Manfield Parish Information". GENUKI. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  19. ^ "All Saints Church Marriages" (PDF). Chardstock Web Museum. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  20. ^ "Manfield C of E (Voluntary Aided) Primary School". CommuniGate. Archived from the original on 24 October 2007. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  21. ^ "Manfield Church of England Primary School, Darlington". Schools Net.
  22. ^ "Manfield School A Glimpse into the Past". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  23. ^ "Manfield". Geographical and Historical from the year 1890. GENUKI. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
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