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Hornby History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Sources

Hornby History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Hornby

What does the name Hornby mean?

The roots of the Anglo-Saxon name Hornby come from when the family resided in one of the places called Hornby in Lancashire, Westmorland (now part of Cumbria), or the North Riding of Yorkshire. "This place is distinguished for its castle, which stands on the site of a Roman villa, on the summit of a bold rock of conical form, in many parts shrouded by trees, and washed by the Wenning at its base. The castle was originally founded soon after the Norman Conquest." 1

Early Origins of the Hornby family

The surname Hornby was first found in Lancashire at Hornby, a township and chapelry, and formerly a market-town, in the parish of Melling, hundred of Lonsdale. There are two Hornby Castles of note: the first in Lancashire which was originally built for the Neville family in the 13th century, and the second in Yorkshire, home to the St. Quintin family.

However, we must look to the latter shire to find the first record of the surname, namely William de Horneby, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1205. John Hornby was listed in Gloucestershire in 1376. 2 The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list the following: Johannes de Horneby and Agnes de Horneby. 3

Early History of the Hornby family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hornby research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1518, 1618, 1619, 1638, 1662 and 1668 are included under the topic Early Hornby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hornby Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Hornby has been recorded under many different variations, including Hornby, Hornbie and others.

Early Notables of the Hornby family

Notables of the family at this time include

William Hornby (fl. 1618), was English poet and was, "according to his own account, educated at Peterborough free school, of which he gives an amusing account in his 'Hornbook.' He is the author of 'T...

Hornby migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Hornby or a variant listed above:

Hornby Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mercy Hornby, who settled in Virginia in 1735

Hornby Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mary Hornby and Joseph Hornby, who arrived in Philadelphia with four children in 1820
John Hornby, who arrived in New York, NY in 1828 4
Thomas Hornby, who settled in Newcastle Del. in 1835
Edward Orsen Hornby, who arrived in New York in 1839 4
Charles K Hornby, who landed in Indiana in 1851 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hornby migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Hornby Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Peter Hornby who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for life, transported aboard the "England"on 31st March 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Robert Hornby, English convict from York, who was transported aboard the "Anson" on September 23, 1843, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 6
Mr. William Hornby, English convict who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Cressy" on 28th April 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. John Hornby, English convict who was convicted in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 9th May 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8

Hornby migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Hornby Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. CharlesHornby, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Duke of Portland" arriving in New Plymouth, North Island, New Zealand in 1855 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Hornby (post 1700) +

Frank Hornby (1863-1936), English inventor, businessman and politician, responsible for the invention of Meccano; Hornby Model Railways; and Dinky Toys
Robert Hornby, American Engineer
Admiral Sir Phipps Hornby (1785-1867), English Naval Commander, born on 27 April 1785, fifth son of Geoffrey Hornby, rector of Winwick in Lancashire 10
John James Hornby C.V.O. (1826-1909), English rower
Sir William "Harry" Henry Hornby (1841-1928), 1st Baronet, an English industrialist and Conservative Party politician
John Hornby (1880-1927), English explorer best known for his expeditions in the Arctic region and the Northwest Territory of Canada
Clive Hornby (1944-2008), English actor
Nick Hornby (b. 1957), English novelist, essayist, lyricist and screenwriter
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Geoffrey Thomas Phippe Hornby (1825-1895), English Naval Commander, son of Sir Phipps Hornby
Albert Sidney Hornby (1898-1978), English teacher, grammarian and lexicographer who is best known for his "Learner's Dictionary of Current English"
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Hornby family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. Edward Hornby (1913-1942), British Sergeant Marine, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse and survived the sinking, but died of wounds sustained in 1942 11

Sources +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anson voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1843 with 499 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anson/1843
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st May 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cressy
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 4 August 2020
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html