Castles in the Lune Valley
Hornby Castle
Hornby Castle is located on rising ground overlooking the village and the crossing of the river Wenning ( see map ). The first mention of a castle is in the 14th century although Whittaker (1823) suggests that the site is much older, even perhaps Roman although the much-quoted 'Roman Pavements' found on the castle site are most likely the remains of a medieval tiled floor. White's researches (1996) suggest that the borough was a new settlement planted by the Neville family, perhaps having moved a pre-existing settlement from the vicinity of Castle Stede. If this is the case it is possible but unlikely that the existing stone castle stood on the site of an earlier defensive earthwork although Platt (1976) suggests that by the mid to late 12th century most new towns were established away from the protection of a castle and in this Hornby is unusual having not one, but two castle sites. The base of the great octagonal tower at Hornby is thought to date from the 13th century but the first documentary reference is in 1362-3 when it was in the possession of Henry, first Duke of Lancaster. The majority of the present central tower was erected at the beginning of the 16th century but extensive additions and remodellings in the 18th and 19th centuries have given the castle its current Gothic appearance.
