Riverside village with roots in history

ONE of my favourite villages is Hornby.

It is easily reached from East Lancashire via the M6 and turning off at junction 34 near Lancaster. The A683 leads to Hornby.

The village is situated on the River Wenning, which is a tributary of the River Lune. Another river which is a tributary of the Wenning is the Hindburn, often confused with the Hyndburn in our own area. Both take their name from the hind (a deer) and a burn (a stream where the animals came down to drink).

The name Hornby is Viking or Danish in origin and obviously there was once an important settlement here, probably controlling the river crossing.

There is evidence to suggest that Hornby was on the line of a drove road where cattle were driven to markets up and over the high fells of Roeburndale. This latter name also has associations with the deer, which were once very common in this region. No doubt because of the existence of the drove tracks, the turnpike roads passed through Hornby and on the road to Lancaster is a fine example of a toll house - now part of a garage.

Until 1968 Hornby also had a railway station and a reminder of this link can still be seen in the name of Station Road. The most dramatic feature of the village, however, is the majestic castle. Although it is now privately owned, the full glory of the fortress can be seen from beneath the bridge where the Wenning tumbles over a weir.

The castle has its origins way back in Anglo Saxon times and some historians think this site may be even more ancient. Parts of the tower date back to the 13th century but the bulk of the construction dates to between the 16th and 19th century.

The heyday of Hornby was certainly in Tudor times and many local men were with Henry VIII's army which defeated the Scots at the battle of Flodden in 1513. The Wenningside men were led by Sir Edward Stanley and Henry rewarded his general by making him Lord Monteagle. Edward then rewarded Hornby by constructing an octagonal tower and dedicated the church which dominated it to his own personal St Margaret.

Inside the church are a number of Saxon crosses, which it is thought came from an ancient monastery which has long been demolished. Nobody knows for certain where this monastery was sited but the present Priory Lane could well be the site. Lord Monteagle himself was buried within the Priory and the remains of this grand old warrior have also been lost.

A tour around Hornby is full of fascinating bits of history.

Ones of history to look out for include the war memorial, perched on top of a set of worn stone steps. These were part of the site of the medieval market which was so important and possibly dated back to the drove roads.

Look out also for the attractive presbytery of the Catholic church which, from 1811 to 1851, was the home of Dr Lingard. Almost forgotten these days, Lingard wrote The History of England and was the most famous scholar of his age.

Hornby may not be a mecca for historians these days but it should certainly be one of the shrines for Lancashire folk who enjoy fascinating walks.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.