Thornton Hall

The first Thornton Hall

Thornton Hall originally stood on the site on what is today Thornton Hall Farm.  Very little is known about this Hall which, as with Burn Hall, could have been a succession of buildings rebuilt over the centuries.  It is documented as being held by Sir Adam Banastre in the 14th century through records of his many misdemeanours.  The Banastre’s were a notorious family in the area who seemed to consider themselves above the law and at one point even being investigated by a Royal Commission of Edward the 1st.

The first map showing Thornton Hall is the 1611 map of lancashire by John Speed which is more pictorial than geographical, so it is not certain that this is showing the original Hall but it is highly likely.  During the second half of the 17th century, Richard Longworth of Mains Hall married Fleetwood Shuttleworth who was the daughter of Edward Shuttleworth of Thornton Hall.  Given the date this is still likely to still be referring to a resident of the original Thornton Hall.

The second Thornton Hall

The first clearly identifiable map showing Thornton Hall in it's present location is the 1818 map of Lancashire by Christopher Greenwood.  It was therefore built before this and most likely sometime in the Georgian Period (1714-1837).  Why the location was moved is not known but perhaps the original Hall had fallen into disrepair but was still of use for farming purposes and a

Thornton Hall

Photograph courtesy of Olive Cookson

 Thornton Hall - 1892