Thornton is first mentioned in 1086 in the
Domesday Book, in which it was referred to as
Torentum (a name preserved by Torentum Court on Lawsons Road). At the time, it covered a large area including what are now
Cleveleys and
Fleetwood, and had a very low population density. It is thought that a settlement had existed at the site since the
Iron Age, and a
Roman road passes close to the village. The area remained lightly populated until 1799, when the marshland around the village was drained and agricultural production began on a large scale.
Marsh Mill, a large well-preserved windmill, built in 1794, is a prominent landmark. It was commissioned by Bold Hesketh, uncle of Peter Hesketh (later
Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood), who would go on to play a prominent role in the expansion of Fleetwood. Tragedy struck in May 1930, when a Miss Alice Baldwin and a Mrs Mary Jane Bailey visited the windmill with an interest in purchasing it. However, when both women stepped onto the fantail platform, the platform collapsed and the women fell to their deaths. The opening of salt works at nearby
Burn Naze by the
United Alkali Company in the early 1890s (later becoming
ICI, with
ICI Hillhouse being formed) led to significant expansion of the village, with new houses and community buildings constructed. Thornton became an
Urban District Council in 1900, surviving until 1974, when it became part of
Wyre Borough Council. ==Transport==