Hornby
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HORNBY, a village, a township, and a chapelry, in Melling parish, Lancashire. The village stands at the confluence of the Wenning and the Lune rivers, adjacent to the Little Northwestern railway, 8½ miles NE by E of Lancaster; is neatly built; commands beautiful scenery along the valleys; is sometimes visited by tourists; has a station on the railway, a post office under Lancaster, and an inn; is a seat of petty sessions; was formerly a market town; and has still cattle fairs on every alternate Tuesday of the summer months. The township comprises 2,115 acres. Real property, £4,066. Pop., 317. Houses, 75. The manor belonged, in the 12th century, to Nicholas de Montbegon; passed to the Stanleys, Lords Monteagle; and belongs now to John Foster, Esq. Hornby Castle, the manorial seat, was founded by N. de Montbegon; retains two towers built by one of the Lords Monteagle and by Lord Wemyss; has undergone recent extensive renovations and improvements; and stands on an eminence, overlooking the rich surrounding scenery. The estate was the subject of a famous litigation, called "the Great Will Cause, " begun in 1826. Hornby Hall is the seat of John Murray, Esq. A Roman mound is near the Lune. A Premonstratensian priory, a cell to Croxton abbey, was anciently here; and was given, at the dissolution, to the Stanleys; and the remains of it are now a farm-house. The chapelry was constituted a parish in 1859, and is larger than the township. Pop., 455. Houses, 98. The living is a p. curacy in the diocese of Manchester. Value, £130. * Patron, John Foster, Esq. The church is ancient; has a chancel, and an octagonal tower, built by the first Lord Monteagle, after the battle of Flodden; and contains a tablet to Dr. Lingard, the historian. The shaft of an ancient cross is in the churchyard. A small Roman Catholic chapel, to the W of the church, was served by Dr. Lingard.

John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72)

Archives and libraries

Local studies information is held at Lancaster and Morecambe libraries.

Cemeteries

Census

Details about the census records, and indexes for Hornby.

Church History

Church Records

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Civil Registration

The Register Office covering the Hornby area is Lancaster.

Description and Travel

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Gazetteers

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Historical Geography

In 1835 Hornby was a township in the parish of Melling.

Maps

View maps of Hornby and places within its boundaries.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SD584686 (Lat/Lon: 54.111589, -2.637832), Hornby which are provided by:

Poor Houses, Poor Law

The Workhouse site has an interesting description of Lunesdale workhouse.

Probate Records

For probate purposes prior to 1858, Hornby was in the Archdeaconry of Richmond, in the Diocese of Chester. The original Lancashire wills for the Archdeaconry of Richmond are held at the Lancashire Record Office.

Societies

You can also see Family History Societies covering the nearby area, plotted on a map. This facility is being developed, and is awaiting societies to enter information about the places they cover.