Thornaby is said to have come into its existence about 800 A.D.when the land was given by Halfdene, King of the Danes, to Thormod, one of his noblemen.There are other signs of Thornaby being a much older or even prehistoric settlement.First of all, traces of prehistoric man have been found here, the earliest being a stone axe,8" long, dating back to the Mesolithic Period ( about 3000 B.C. ).In 1926 a dug out canoe said to date from about 1600 - 1400 B.C. was found in the mud under 8 feet of water opposite Thornaby High Wood. An arrow head of the Neolithic Period (about 3000 B.C.) was found in a garden on the Thornaby Village Green. thornabyontees.freeservers.com |