| Official Name: | Mainsforth |
| Country: | England |
| Region: | North East England |
| Hide Services: | Yes |
| Static Image: | File:Mainsforth Village.jpg |
| Static Image Caption: | Mainsforth |
Mainsforth is a small village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Bishop Middleham, in the County Durham district, in the ceremonial county of Durham, England.[1] It is to the east of Ferryhill. The earliest settlement in Mainsforth may have been on Marble (Narble Hill). It has been suggested, without great historical foundation, that this was a Danish settlement. In 1961 the parish had a population of 229.[2] From medieval times through to the early twentieth century the village was in effect a small collection of farms and farm workers' cottages.
Mainsforth Hall was a significant building in the centre of this small village, until its demolition in the 1960s. The hall was for many years the dwelling of the Surtees family. A notable member of the family was Robert Surtees (1779–1834), a County Durham historian.[3]
Mainsforth Colliery, active from 1872-1968, lay between the village and Ferryhill Station.
Mainsforth was formerly a township in the parish of Bishop-Middleham,[4] from 1866 Mainsforth was a civil parish in its own right,[5] on 1 April 1983 the parish was abolished and merged with Bishop Middleham and Ferryhill.[6]