Thornton In Lonsdale

The Ancient Parish of THORNTON IN LONSDALE

[Transcribed information mainly from the early 1820s]

"THORNTON IN LONSDALE, a parish-town, in the wapentake of Ewcross; 1 mile W. of Ingleton, 6 from Kirby Lonsdale, (Westm.) 11 from Settle, 68 from York. Pop. 535. The Church is a vicarage, dedicated to St. Oswald, in the deanry of Kirby Lonsdale, value, £28. 13s. 1d. p.r. !£79. Patrons, the Dean and Chapter of Worcester.

Near this village is a tremendous cliff, called Thornton Scar, partly clothed with wood and partly exhibiting the bare rock. This scar is about 100 yards high, and runs up a considerable way, varying its elevation, into the mountains; along with one, not quite so perpendicular, on the other side: these unite so closely at the bottom, that the frightful chasm scarcely leaves room for the hurrying brook to escape; by a precipitate flight over a succession of small cascades. At a short distance hence, is Thornton Fors, a fine cascade, which rushes from an aperture in a high rock, and falls at one leap nearly thirty yards, partly from the top of a rocky ledge, over half of which it falls in one unbroken sheet of four yards wide, and then tumbles over a bulging rock into a deep black pool below. The tops and sides of the rocks are beautifully fringed with ivy and other shrubs; they are a few yards higher than the cascade; and the whole, viewed from the basin below, forms an exceedingly fine picture."



Information on the following places in this Parish is contained on a supplementary page.

Barnoldswick Burton In Lonsdale Halsteads Hurtlepot Masongill

Theaber Westhouse Whaitber Whernside Yordas Cave