A THORNBER FAMILY IN GISBURN, FORMERLY YORKSHIRE
NOW LANCASHIRE, ENGLAND

The following is based on information provided by John Henry Thornber in Australia. Family tradition and information in the family bible showed that he was descended from a John Thornber of Gisburn.  The family bible showed that John married twice and had a son called John with this first wife.  He then married Alice Bank in Gisburn in 1814 and there was a tradition that Alice had a connection with the Peel family.  A birth certificate for John and Alice's youngest child, Ellen, born 15 July 1839 at Paythorn (near Gisburn) was obtained. It showed the mother to be Alice Thornber nee Bank.  The IGI shows that an Alice Bank was baptised at Gisburn, dau. of Jams (James) and Betty, on 10 November 1795.  The record for the marriage of James Bank to Betty Peell (sic) was found in the transcript of the registers of Gisburn, St. Mary on 7 February 1795.  This shows that the family legend was correct in that Alice Bank's mother was from the Peel family.

The late Mr. A. H. Kay of Salisbury, who provided me with information on Thornber families in Gisburn, speculated that John Thornber born in 1774, the son of Henry Thornber of Horton Hall,  married first Ann Parker in 1803 then Alice Bank in 1814.  However there are some problems with this assignment.  In the census of 1841, when ages were rounded down to the nearest multiple of five, John Thornber of the family below was said to be 55, pointing to birth in the period 1781 to 1786.  There is a burial at Gisburn of a John Thornber in 1846.  I have obtained the death certificate which shows that he was a tea dealer of Barnoldswick, aged 73.  This seems to correspond with John, son of Henry, born around 1773.  This John, also appears in the 1841 census, when he is said to be a tea dealer aged 65 (age rounded down).

Another candidate for the John who married Alice Bank is John son of Paul and Elizabeth, baptised 26 September 1781 at Houghton by Settle.  While the birth date is plausible, he can probably be eliminated on the grounds that a John Thornber married Ann Charnley in 1810 and had a son called Paul baptised in Gargrave in 1816.  As there are only two Paul Thornbers in the entire records for the area prior to 1830 I think that this points to the idea that the John Thornber naming a son Paul did so after his own father. 

Another factor to be considered is that the name Anthony among the Thornbers is a feature of the Slaidburn branches of the family where it is found commonly together with Ralph and Giles. It is not seen in the Gisburn branches except in this case. Possible candidates for John among the Slaidburn families are a little early for his estimated age. There is John son of Ralph, baptised in May 1776 and John son of John baptised in 1772. I have not located marriages for either of these two Johns despite extensive searches in connection with my own branch of the family.

There was also John son of Thomas, baptised on 4 March 1786 at Waddington who fits the dates but there are no other clues to connect with this family. There was also a John son of Anthony, baptised at Waddington on 26 August 1787 and he needs to be investigated as a candidate. As a result of these findings, it has not yet been possible to identify the John Thornber who married Alice Bank. In terms of Christian name patterns we have few clues as with the exception of Anthony all the other names are very common. However, it may be significant that John named his eldest son John and this may have been the name of his own father or grandfather.

The Children of John Thornber and Alice Bank

The following details of the children of John Thornber are from the family bible. There was a son by John's first wife, called John, baptised 18 November 1805.  I have added the baptisms from Horton in Craven, the details of John and Alice's marriage and found the family in the 1841 census as shown below.
 

• 1.     John Thornber, weaver when married, later a farmer.
• +      1st wife (possibly Ann Parker who married a John Thornber at Gisburn in 1803).  Ann the wife of John Thornber of Dobras was buried at Gisburn in 1809
  • 2.    John, baptised 18 November 1805, Gisburn.
• +      2nd wife of John Thornber was Alice Bank, spinster, by banns, on 10 March 1814 at Gisburn, St. Mary's, when witnesses were John Peel and William Peel.  She was baptised 10 Nov 1795.
  • 2.     William, b. 22 May 1815, died 22 May 1875.
  • 2.     Elizabeth, b. 22 Jun 1817
  • 2.     Margaret, b. 21 Aug 1819
  • 2.     Thomas, b. 19 Apr 1822, died 24 Feb 1907
  • +      ?
    • 3.    William Thornber (22 April 1854 to 1 March 1924)
  • 2.     Sarah, b. 4 Sep 1824, died 29 Jun 1825
  • 2.     James, b. 29 Jul 1826, died 8 Jul 1827
  • 2.     Allis, b. 12 Jul 1828, died 4 Apr 1829
  • 2.     Anthony, b. 16 Jun 1830, died 26 Jun 1831
  • 2.     Sarah Ann, b. 9 Jul 1832, bapt. 6 Aug 1832, Horton in Craven, died 25 Dec 1832.
  • 2.     Henry, b. 30 May 1834, bapt. 13 June 1834, Horton in Craven, died 1865
  • +      ?
    • 3.    James Henry Thornber, who went to Mackay in North Queensland in 1880 and became a draper.  Died 29 December 1902.
    • +     ?
      • 4.    Oscar Skirrow Thornber (grandfather of John Henry Thornber)
  • 2.     Mary, b. 17 Aug 1836, baptised 26 Sep 1836, Horton in Craven
  • 2.     Ellen, born 15 Jul 1839 at Paythorn, daughter of John Thornber, a farmer of Paythorn and Alice Thornber, formerly Bank. (Birth Certificate)

Census of 1841, Paythorn

John, was said to be 55 (pointing to birth in the period 1781-1786) and his wife, Alice, 45 but ages were rounded down to the nearest multiple of 5 at that census for those over 15.  Children reported to be Elizabeth, 20; Margaret, 20; Thomas, 15; Henry, 7; Mary, 4 and Ellen, 1.
 
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