Kirkby-in-Furness
village in Cumbria, England, UK
Kirkby-in-Furness, generally referred to simply as Kirkby locally, is a village that is the major part of the parish of Kirkby Ireleth in the Furness district of Cumbria, England. Historically part of Lancashire, it is close to the Lake District National Park. It is about 3 miles (5 km) south of Broughton in Furness, 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Ulverston and 9 miles (14 km) north of Barrow-in-Furness. It is one of the largest villages on the peninsula's north-western coast, looking out over the Duddon estuary. To its east is the SSSI of Kirkby Moor and to its west is the SSSI of Duddon Estuary. The 2021 census showed Kirkby to have a population of 580.
History
Kirkby is a collection of six different hamlets, namely: Soutergate, Wall End, Beck Side, Sand Side, Marshside and Chapels. The name Kirkby was used by the Furness Railway company during the construction of its Cumbrian Coast Line, and was the name they gave to the railway station which serves these hamlets. The name Kirkby is much older. The parish of Kirkby Ireleth, a name of Norse origin, is listed in the Domesday Book as one of the townships forming the Manor of Hougun which was held by Tostig Godwinson, Earl of Northumbria.
The public source identifies “Kirkby-in-Furness” as village in Cumbria, England, UK. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Kirkby-in-Furness, village and Cumbria.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Kirkby-in-Furness”, the useful work is to connect “village in Cumbria, England, UK” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 8, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2229694. Authority coordinates are 54.231, -3.187. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2021.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Three-step research path
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Kirkby-in-Furness” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.