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Kirkby Thore is a small village and civil parish in Cumbria, England (), in the historic county of Westmorland. It is close to the Lake District national park and the Cumbrian Pennines. It includes the areas of Bridge End, in the southwest by the A66, and Cross End in the northeast of the village. In the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 731, increasing to 758 in the 2011 Census. The market town of Appleby-in-Westmorland is about away, and the larger town of Penrith is about away.
The village is on the site of a Roman cavalry camp called Bravoniacum or Brovonacae and Roman coins, tombstones, sandals, urns, earthen vessels, and the cusp of a spear have been found in the locality. Since the time of Septimius Severus's campaigns between 208 and 211 CE, a division of Numidian auxiliary light cavalry garrisoned the fort of Bravoniacum, constituting the first African community in Britain. The Maiden Way Roman road led north from Bravoniacum to the fort of Epiacum (Whitley Castle) near Alston, and thence to Magnae (Carvoran) on Hadrian's Wall, where it joined the Stanegate road running from west to east. A possible continuation from there ran east to Banna (Birdoswald) and then north to the Fanum Cocidi (Bewcastle). It was reported in 2016 that LIDAR technology has revealed another Roman road running southwest from Kirkby Thore to the Roman fort at Low Borrowbridge near Tebay.
The Anglican church of St Michael in Kirkby Thore is built of red sandstone and dates from Normans times. The village also had a Methodist chapel.
The village is also home to Kirkby Thore Hall, a Grade II* medieval Manor House of particular structural interest.
Gypsum has been quarried or mined in the area for over 200 years. The local British Gypsum Ltd plant has produced plaster since 1910 and plasterboard since the 1960s. Currently it is more economic to use desulpho-gypsum transported by rail from Drax Power Station than to mine it locally but this depends on Drax continuing. British Gypsum has a private siding on the Settle-Carlisle Railway which passes to the north of the village.
There are a number of farms in the village and surrounding area. Some are large dairy farms, others beef and/or sheep with some arable crops.
The village contains a General store with post office, and a filling station (and shop).
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