In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Belford like this:
BELFORD, a small town, a township, a parish, a subdistrict, and a district, in Northumberland. The town stands on a gentle eminence, about a mile W of a station of its own name on the Northeastern railway, 15 ¼. Miles SSE of Berwick. It is neatly built; contains a church, two dissenting chapels, and a workhouse; has a head post office,‡ a market-place, and two chief inns; and is a seat of petty sessions. ...
The church was lately rebuilt, is in the early English style, and has a lofty tower. A weekly market is held on Wednesday; fairs, on Tuesday before Whitsunday and 23 Aug.; and races, in September.-The township includes the town, and comprises 2,698 acres. Pop., 1,067. Houses, 204.—The parish includes also the townships of Ross, Elwick, Easington, Easington-Grange, Middleton, and Detchant. Acres, 11,604; of which 2,224 are water. Real property, £11,901. Pop., 1,724. Houses, 329. The property is divided among five. Belford Hall is the seat of the Rev. J. D. Clark. Coal, lime, and freestone occur. Traces of an ancient chapel are on a rising-ground near the town; and remains of a very strong Danish camp, encompassed by a deep ditch, are not far distant. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Durham. Value, £147.* Patron, the Rev. J. D. Clark.-The subdistrict and the district are coextensive; and contain the parishes of Belford and Bambrough, the extra-parochial tracts of Monk's-House and Fern-Islands, and part of the parish of Ellingham. Acres, 41,753. Poor-rates in 1866, £4,548. Pop. in 1861, 6,260. Houses, 1,221. Marriages in 1866, 41; births, 174,-of which 17 were illegitimate; deaths, 120, of which 24 were at ages under 5 years, and 4 at ages above 85 years. Marriages in the ten years 1851-60,198; births, 2,007; deaths, 1,072. The places of worship in 1851 were 6 of the Church of England, with 1,920 sittings; 1 of the Church of Scotland, with 500 s.; 2 of the United Presbyterian Church, with 730 s.; 3 of the Presbyterian Church in England, with 1,027 s.; and 1 of Roman Catholics, with 70 s. The schools were 10 public day schools, with 606 scholars; 8 private day schools, with 363 s.; and 13 Sunday schools, with 678 s.
Belford through time
Belford is now part of Berwick upon Tweed district. Click here for graphs and data of how Berwick upon Tweed has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Belford itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Belford, in Berwick upon Tweed and Northumberland | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/4168
Date accessed: 23rd April 2024
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