Kirkby /ˈkɜrbi/ is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Merseyside, England. Historically in Lancashire, it developed from the 1950s to the 1970s as a housing overspill of Liverpool. It is roughly 5 miles (8 km) north of Huyton and 6 miles (10 km) north-east of Liverpool. The population in 2001 was 42,744. It is believed to have been founded in 870 although there is archaeological evidence for settlement from the Bronze Age.