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
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. Much of the housing and infrastructure in Kirkby arose due to the growth and development of the
Burlington Slate Quarries, which are owned by the
Cavendish family of
Holker Hall and
Chatsworth House in
Derbyshire. Houses at Marshside and Incline Foot were originally built for quarry workers, and the railway linked up to the quarries via a rope-worked
Narrow-gauge railway, known as The Long Incline. Present-day Kirkby-in-Furness is now primarily a commuter village but still provides a work force for the slate and agrarian work. The nearby
Kirkby Moor rises to above
sea level which features a 12 turbine wind farm. The village has an increasingly aged population due to the rise in house prices and lack of homes suitable for first time buyers. This has led to young families leaving Kirkby, buying cheaper houses in surrounding towns and villages. As a result, the intake for the local primary school has fallen dramatically in the last few years, and continues to fall. ==Amenities==