Stocksfield

Stocksfield is a small village situated close to the

The township of "Stokesfeld" was first mentioned in 1242, and was part of Bywell St Andrew's parish. The origins of the name are uncertain, but it may be derived from the Old English for "open land belonging to an outlying hamlet".^[2] in 1673 Birches Nook was home to Ann Armstrong, a "notorious witch-finder" whose accusations caused a great sensation throughout the county.^[1]

Governance

Stocksfield is in the parliamentary constituency of Hexham. Guy Opperman of the Conservative Party is the Member of Parliament.

For

In the 2011 census the median age in Stocksfield and Broomhaugh was 49 years. 98.6 per cent of the population had white ethnicity and 68.8 per cent were Christian. No other religion exceeded 0.3 per cent with 23.9 per cent having no religion.^[4]

Transport

Railway

The village is served by the

Stocksfield has a school, Broomley First School, which is part of the Whittonstall and Broomley First Schools Federation.[6] Stocksfield lies in the catchment area for Ovingham Middle School and Prudhoe High School.^[7] Mowden Hall School is a private prep school near Newton, north of the river.^[8]

Religious sites

There are four Christian places of worship in Stocksfield: a

Stocksfield Community Centre is owned and managed by Stocksfield Community Association (formerly SICA) which is a charitable company limited by guarantee. The Association's objectives are to promote the benefit of the all inhabitants of Stocksfield and its neighbourhood, without distinction by associating with local authorities, voluntary organisations and inhabitants in a common effort to advance education and provide facilities, in the interests of social welfare for recreational and leisure time occupation, with the object of improving the conditions of life for residents. The Community Centre is available for hire by local groups and individuals for events, activities, meetings and private functions.^[citation needed]

Sports and Recreation

Stocksfield boasts many sporting facilities including a cricket club, tennis club,^[11] golf club.^[12] and a running club known as Stocksfield Striders. There are also two play areas and a well-utilised Community Centre. In 2012, Stocksfield was one of the official stop off points for the Olympic torch before it made its way to the Olympic Games opening ceremony.

Awards

The parish of Broomley and Stocksfield was officially crowned Calor Northumberland Village of the Year in November 2008. The competition is organised annually by Community Action Northumberland (CAN) with sponsorship provided by LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) supplier Calor.^[13]

Photographs of Stocksfield

• 
  Bywell Bridge
• 
  Dr. Syntax pub sign
• 
  The Fords
• 
  The Golf Course
• 
  St Andrew's Church
• 
  Apperley Bank

Notable people

Born in Stocksfield

• Mabel Atkinson (1876–1958), feminist and socialist^[14]
• Dame Veronica Wedgwood (1910–1997), historian^[15]

• Rodney Atkinson (born 1948), academic and author^[16]
• Rowan Atkinson (born 1955), actor and comedian^[17]
• Edgar Bainton (1880–1956), composer^[18]
• Francoise Boufhal (born 1988), actress and model^[19]
• Alan Clark (born 1952), ex Dire Straits keyboard player^[17]
• Brendan Foster (born 1948), ex athletics 10,000 m record holder^[17]
• Frances Hardcastle (1866–1941), mathematician and women's activist^[20]
• Richard Harpin (born 1964), businessman^[21]
• Graeme Lowdon (born 1965), businessman and entrepreneur^[22]
• Alan Milburn (born 1958), politician^[23]
• Chris Paisley (born 1986), professional golfer^[24]
• Sir Richard Pease, 3rd Baronet (born 1922), banker^[25]
• Ethel Williams (1863–1948), physician and suffragist^[20]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stocksfield.