Lives in Cricket No 29 - AN Hornby

19 A fine athlete in his day, William was known affectionately as ‘Th’Owd Game Cock’. He had the reputation of being a somewhat prickly customer, a man who would never shy away from a fight, and, clearly, Albert inherited a great deal of his father’s combative nature. On 18 July 1912 a statue to William Henry Hornby was unveiled by his son Sir Harry, at Limbrick overlooking Sudell Cross in the town. It is a fine statue in bronze with the bewhiskered Hornby, wearing a bow tie and a long waistcoat and overcoat and leaning gently on his walking stick, looking down in rather fatherly manner on the town’s inhabitants just as he may have done in his heyday. In 1970 the statue was moved, minus its original ornate plinth, to a more central location close to the town hall, and is still there to this day. Although very much a hard-headed businessman, William was seen as a model employer of his day and was respected by the majority of his workforce. He also earned the rather grudging respect of his political opponents. He died at the age of 79 in September 1884. A.N. didn’t follow his father into politics although in 1904 there was speculation that he might stand as MP for Blackburn when Sir Born with a silver spoon Unveiling ceremony for a statue to W.H.Hornby in 1912.