Not too sure if this may help re change of surname?
"The name Horabin is from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of the Britain and comes from the name Rabin or Robin, which are pet forms of the personal name Robert. The name is preceded the Old English prefix har, which means gray. Hence, the surname Horabin literally means gray Rabin or gray Robin"
Annie
That's interesting.
It was a more common surname than I imagined. I got hundreds of hits on LANOPC.
It was mostly Horrabin in Holcombe, next-door to Haslingden but also Horribein, Orribin and
Or(r)ibein there. Holcombe registers on LANOPC begin 1730s and there were Horrobin entries from then on. Surprisingly there were none in Edenfield, another adjacent place.
10 spelling variations in Whalley parish. They were in Whalley by 1550s. An interesting baptism there is this:
1669 John Parkinson, illegitimate son of William Horrobin, supposed father and Elizabeth Parkinson.
It may be coincidence, Parkinson being such a common name.
Horrobins were numerous in Bolton parish, a few miles south of Haslingden, and in Deane, adjacent to Bolton.
Other places they turned up in 17thC were Prestwich (geographically a large parish), Radcliffe, Chorley, Blackburn, Padiham, Clitheroe and Brindle.