Thornaby is said to have come into existence about 800 A.D. when the  land was given by Halfdene, King of the Danes, to Thormod, one of his noblemen, but 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  Vesolithic Period (about 6,000 B.C.). An arrow head of the  Neolithic Period (about 3,000 B.C.) was found by Mr Campbell while digging in his garden on Thornaby Village Green. In 1926, a dug-out canoe said to date about 1600-1400 B.C. was also found. It was lying in the mud under 8 feet of water opposite Thornaby High Wood. 12 feet long, with a pointed bow and stern, it is said to have been used as a coffin for Bronze Age burial. Its lid and contents have long since disappeared.

There  are many other possible reasons for there having been a Bronze Age, or earlier, settlement at Thonaby. Firstly, of course, there is the river, a source of drinking water, food, a means of transport and a convenient ford. In the Middle Ages, Thornaby in common with the rest of the Tees, was well-known for its excellent salmon and other fish.

The  Green, situated as it was on high ground, would have offerd good protection to Prehistoric man. Next the soil, which Graves stated in his "Historyof Cleveland" (1808) to be rich  and fertile in Thornaby, and lastly, there are other definite traces of Bronze Age settlements in the area.

For  instance, at Middlesbrough, a Bronze Age sword has been found and just south of Thornaby, at Inbleby Barwick, a Tumulus  (Round Barrow) has been found.

The  next definite period in history, indicated by objects found in  Thornaby, is the Roman Period. John Walker Ord in his "History  of Cleveland" (1846) says:- By some writers it is supposed to  have been one site of a Roman Camp, of which, however, we are unable to discover the faintest traces".

Three  Roman coins have been found in Thornaby, one in some allotment  gardens and the other on the Green, all dating from more or less the same period. One shows ANTONINUS PIUS and is dated  between 136 A.D. and 161 A.D. Another shows CONSTANTIUS I. CHLORUS and is dated betwen 293 A.D. and 306 A.D. The other is  of the AUGUSTIAN PERIOD 131 B.C - 4 A.D. and was found in blue  clay under the old Jolly Farmers Inn.

At first the Danes only came to pillage and destroy the local villages, but in 834 A.D. they visited the eastern coast more and more frequently until, in 865 A.D. they conquered East Anglia.

In 866 - 867 they moved north and occupied the Cleveland area where they named Cliffland. The conquest continued until, in 876 A.D. Ralfdan (or Haladene) was proclaimed the ruler of Northumbria.

It was in this year that the area of Thornaby was said to have been given to Thormod a Danish nobleman, by Halfdan.

This was confirmed in the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" for the year 876  which told in this year Haladene shared out the land of the Northern Tribes and they proceeded to plough it and to support themselves.

The  history of the period from the Danish occupation to the Battle of Hastings (1066) is a matter of conjecture there being no record. It seems therefore safe to assume that the races lived and worked together in harmony. This is borne out by the inclusion of many words of Danish or Norse origin in local dialects.

After  the Battle of Hastings more parts of the land were conquered  and in about 1067-68 one of William the Conqueror's noblemen  by the name of

ROBERT DE BRUS I, marched north with a garrison of men and occupied the area of Cleveland. As a prize, William gave him control of 51 manors in the Cleveland area including those of Thornaby and Middlesbrough, and the area of Annandale in Scotland. He also had a castle built at Castleton.

Sweyn, King of Denmark, was not happy with the idea of the Normans  ruling over him in the north and so, on the 9th September 1069, fought and defeated the Normans at York by killing the garrison of 3,000 men.

William  I was so angry at this that he swore an oath to avenge Sweyn.

He routed his opponents by destroying ever house, so leaving all  the land in the north-east of Yorkshire barren and neglected. As a result the inhabitants, mostly Danes, were reduced to the greatest destitution many of them being glad to eat horse, cat, dog, and even human flesh. Many thousands of them perished from hunger. This is why in Thornaby's first entry in the Domesday Book it states "Robert Malet has these (lands) and they are waste".

These  lands appear to have stayed waste until the early 19th century as

"Thurnaby  waaste" is mentioned in a poem by Tennyson called the "Northern Farmer".

The  ancient St. Peter’s Church on Thornaby Village Green is clear evidence of an established community in the area more than 800 years ago. Indeed Anglo Saxon remains and other  archaeological finds indicate it was a thriving centre beyond Roman times.

There are a number of buildings still standing around the Green area dating back to the late 1600`s and early 1700`s.

On the 6th October 1892 South Stockton and Old Thornaby merged into one to form the municipal borough of Thornaby on Tees.

The  same  year, Thornaby Town Hall was completed. Designed by James Garry of West  Hartlepool and constructed of brick and stone by W. C. Atkinson, it took 2 years to build. With its red bricks, ashlar stone dressing and slate  roofs, it had an appearance of grandeur and was a great source of pride. Two prime features are the superb Council Chamber and a 70ft clock  tower.

The  clock, donated by Alderman William Anderson, was set in motion on  January 27th 1892. The first floor is accessed by an impressive circular staircase with a domed, cupola window above. A tiled floor in the  entrance and staircase were in keeping with this grandeur. Extensions of 1892 and 1940 are of much lower architectural quality.

Thornaby Borough Council's final meeting took  place in March 1968 before being  swallowed up by the new  Teesside County Borough Council, based in  Middlesbrough. This short-lived arrangement ended in 1974, when Thornaby became part of the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees. Stockton Council, which inherited the Town Hall, achieved unitary status in 1996 and is  responsible for most local services.

The previous year, Thornaby Town Council was formed, helping maintain and improve the town's identity.

By 1978, the Town Hall had ceased to have any civic function and fell prey to vandalism and the elements.  Although dilapidated, today it remains  as a Grade II listed building. Repairs have been carried out and  Thornaby Town Council is now based in an office on the ground floor,  holding their meetings and administrative centre there.

Future  Plans: Project planning, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, is  underway to ensure that a sustainable future use can be found for the  building securing it for future generations.

Thornaby is famous locally for its 5 Lamps€� which is now on its own page. Click on picture below to go directly to it.

Thornaby Airfield history is now on its own pages, click on the links below to go directly.

There is a memorial to the aircrews who served at Thornaby and in April 2007 a joint venture between Stockton Borough Council and Thornaby Town  Council saw a replica Spitfire placed on the roundabout at the top of  Thornaby Road.