The place-name Stamfordham is first attested in the Pipe Rolls for 1188, where it appears as Stanfordhamn, which roughly translates as 'village at the stony ford'.

The large village green contains both a market cross (the Butter Cross, dating from 1735) and a village lock-up which is Grade II listed[4] and dates from the early 19th century, pre-dating the formation of police forces.

[5][6] The village has an Ofsted 'outstanding[7]' rated school (Stamfordham Primary School), a historic Village Hall (originally the school), a public house (Swinburne Arms), an annual fête and car show held on the August bank holiday Monday (Stamfordham Village Fayre), and a number of local social and sports clubs, notably Stamfordham Cricket Club (playing at Grange Park on the southern edge of the village), the first team of which competes in the West Tyne League.

The Grade II-listed Bay Horse Inn closed in November 2014.

Stamfordham was a parish until 1866,[9] on 1 April 1955 the parish was reformed from Cheeseburn Grange, Dalton, Eachwick, Harlow Hill, Hawkwell, Heugh, Nesbitt, and Ouston.