THORNTON IN CRAVEN: 1866 INFORMATION

[Stanley]

THORNTON IN CRAVEN:
Geographical and Historical information from the year 1868.
"THORNTON IN CRAVEN, a parish in the E. division of Staincliffe wapentake, West Riding county York, 6 miles S.W. of Skipton, its post town, and 6,'- E. of Colne. It is a station on the Colne branch of the Midland railway. The village, which is still considerable, was formerly a market town under the Munceys by charter of Edward I. It is situated on the Leeds and Liverpool canal, and is intersected by a rivulet, which falls into the river Aire. The parish contains the townships of Earby, Kelbrook, and Harden. The soil consists principally of loam with a subsoil of limestone, which is quarried for building, and for burning into lime. The population in 1861 was 2,112. The living is a rectory* in the diocese of Ripon, value £248. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, is old. The register dates from 1566. There is also the district church of Kelbrook, the living of which is a perpetual curacy, value £120, in the patronage of the bishop. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, is a Gothic structure, erected and endowed in 1838 by Miss Currer. The parochial charities produce £120 per annum, of which £20 go to the free school at Earby, founded in 1633 by Robert Windle. There are almshouses founded by Mrs. Rachel Smith in 1815 for five poor women. A National school for both sexes has been recently built by subscriptions, at which a Sunday-school is also held."

"EARBY, a township in the parish of Thornton-in-Craven, West Riding of county York, 5 miles S.W. of Skipton. The North Midland railway has a station here. The village is situated in a valley, and contains a large cotton-mill, erected in 1839. The Wesleyans and Baptists have chapels, and there is a school with an endowment of £20 per annum."

"HARDEN, a township in the parish of Thornton-in-Craven, West Riding county York, 6 miles S.W. of Skipton."

"KELBROOK, a township and ecclesiastical district in the parish of Thornton-in-Craven, wapentake of Staincliffe, West Riding county York, 3 miles N.E. of Colne, and 5 S.W. of Skipton. It is skirted on the S.W. by the Leeds and Liverpool canal. The surface is undulating, commanding extensive views of Pendle Hill, &c. The inhabitants are engaged in the cotton mills and in agriculture. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Ripon, value £120. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, was erected in 1838. The Wesleyans have a place of worship, and there is a village school."
[Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868]
by Colin Hinson ©2003