Joseph Hornby Birley (12 March 1827 – 5 October 1881) was an English first-class cricketer.
The son of Hugh Hornby Birley and Cicely Hornby, he was born at Manchester in March 1827. He was educated at Winchester College, after which he became a merchant at Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire. He made a single appearance in first-class cricket for Manchester against Sheffield at Hyde Park in 1852. Batting twice in the match, he was dismissed for a single run in Manchester's first-innings by Henry Wright, while in their second-innings he was run out for 14. Birley later became a justice of the peace and he died at Newton-le-Willows in October 1881.