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Cumbria
Arms of Cumbria County Council.svg
Coat of arms
Motto(s): 
"Ad Montes Oculos Levavi" ("I have lifted up mine eyes unto the hills")
Cumbria within England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country England
Region North West
Established 1 April 1974
Established by Local Government Act 1972
Time zone UTC±00:00 (Greenwich Mean Time)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+01:00 (British Summer Time)
Members of Parliament List of MPs
Police Cumbria Constabulary
Ceremonial county
Lord Lieutenant Claire Hensman
High Sheriff Julie Barton (2020–21)
Area 6,769 km2 (2,614 sq mi)
 • Ranked 3rd of 48
Population (2005 est.) 498,800
 • Ranked 41st of 48
Density 73/km2 (190/sq mi)
Ethnicity 97.5% White British
0.1% White Irish
0.1% White Gypsy or Irish Traveller
1.1% Other White
0.1% White & Black Caribbean
0.1% White & Black African
0.2% White & Asian
0.1% Other Mixed
0.2% Indian
0.1% Pakistani
0.1% Bangladeshi
0.2% Chinese
0.2% Other Asian
0.1% Black African
0.1% Other
Non-metropolitan county
County council Cumbria County Council
Executive Conservative / Liberal Democrats
Admin HQ Carlisle
Area 6,768 km2 (2,613 sq mi)
 • Ranked of 26
Population 498,800
 • Ranked 27th of 26
Density 73/km2 (190/sq mi)
ISO 3166-2 GB-CMA
ONS code 16
GSS code E10000006
ITL UKD11, UKD12
Districts
Cumbria numbered districts (1974-2023).svg
Districts of Cumbria
Districts
  1. City of Carlisle
  2. Allerdale
  3. Eden
  4. Copeland
  5. South Lakeland
  6. Barrow-in-Furness

Cumbria ( kum-BREE) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's county town is Carlisle, in the north of the county. The only other major urban area is Barrow-in-Furness on the south-western tip of the county.

The administrative county of Cumbria consists of six districts (Allerdale, Barrow-in-Furness, Carlisle, Copeland, Eden and South Lakeland) and, in 2019, had a population of just over 500,000 people. Cumbria is one of the most sparsely populated counties in England, with 73.4 people per km2 (190/sq mi). In 2018, it was proposed that the administrative county of Cumbria would be abolished and replaced with two new unitary authorities; Westmorland and Furness (Barrow-in-Furness, Eden, South Lakeland) and Cumberland (Allerdale, Carlisle, Copeland).

Cumbria is the third largest county in England by area. It is bounded to the north-east by Northumberland, the east by County Durham, the south-east by North Yorkshire, the south by Lancashire, the west by the Irish Sea, the north-west by the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway, and the north by Scottish Borders.

Cumbria is predominantly rural and contains the Lake District National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site considered one of England's finest areas of natural beauty, serving as inspiration for visual artists, writers and musicians. A large area of the south-east of the county is within the Yorkshire Dales National Park, while the east of the county fringes the North Pennines AONB. Much of Cumbria is mountainous and it contains every peak in England over 3,000 feet (910 m) above sea level, with the top of Scafell Pike at 3,209 feet (978 m) being the highest point in England. An upland, coastal and rural area, Cumbria's history is characterised by invasions, migration and settlement, as well as battles and skirmishes between the English and the Scots. Notable historic sites in Cumbria include Carlisle Castle, Furness Abbey, Hardknott Roman Fort, Brough Castle and Hadrian's Wall (also a World Heritage Site).

History

Castlerigg2
The Castlerigg stone circle dates from the late Neolithic age and was constructed by some of the earliest inhabitants of Cumbria

The county of Cumbria was created in April 1974 through an amalgamation of the previous counties of Cumberland and Westmorland and small parts of Lancashire (the part known as Lancashire over the sands) and West Riding of Yorkshire, which was also abolished at that time.

At the end of the period of British history known as Roman Britain (c. A.D. 410) the inhabitants of Cumberland were Cumbric-speaking native Romano-Britons who were probably descendants of the Brigantes and Carvetii (sometimes considered to be a sub-tribe of the Brigantes) that the Roman Empire had conquered in about A.D. 85. Based on inscriptional evidence from the area, the Roman civitas of the Carvetii seems to have covered portions of Cumbria. The names Cumbria, Cymru (the native Welsh name for Wales), Cambria, and Cumberland are derived from the name these people gave themselves, *kombroges in Common Brittonic, which originally meant "compatriots".

In the Early Middle Ages, Cumberland formed the core of the Brittonic kingdom of Rheged. For the rest of the first millennium, Cumbria was contested by several entities who warred over the area, including the Brythonic Kingdom of Strathclyde and the Anglian kingdom of Northumbria. Most of modern-day Cumbria was a principality in the Kingdom of Scotland at the time of the Norman conquest of England in 1066 and thus was excluded from the Domesday Book survey of 1086. In 1092 Cumberland was invaded by William II and incorporated into England. Nevertheless, the region was dominated by the many Anglo-Scottish Wars of the latter Middle Ages and early modern period and the associated Border Reivers who exploited the dynamic political situation of the region. There were at least three sieges of Carlisle fought between England and Scotland, and two further sieges during the Jacobite risings.

After the Jacobite Risings of the eighteenth century, Cumberland became a more stable place and, as in the rest of Northern England, the Industrial Revolution caused a large growth in urban populations. In particular, the west-coast towns of Workington, Millom and Barrow-in-Furness saw large iron and steel mills develop, with Barrow also developing a significant shipbuilding industry. Kendal, Keswick and Carlisle all became mill towns, with textiles, pencils and biscuits among the products manufactured in the region. The early nineteenth century saw the county gain fame as the Lake Poets and other artists of the Romantic movement, such as William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, lived among, and were inspired by, the lakes and mountains of the region. Later, the children's writer Beatrix Potter also wrote in the region and became a major landowner, granting much of her property to the National Trust on her death. In turn, the large amount of land owned by the National Trust assisted in the formation of the Lake District National Park in 1951, which remains the largest National Park in England and has come to dominate the identity and economy of the county.

The county of Cumbria was created in 1974 from the traditional counties of Cumberland and Westmorland, the Cumberland County Borough of Carlisle, along with the North Lonsdale or Furness part of Lancashire, usually referred to as "Lancashire North of the Sands", (including the county borough of Barrow-in-Furness) and, from the West Riding of Yorkshire, the Sedbergh Rural District. Its strategic authority is Cumbria County Council.

Local papers The Westmorland Gazette and Cumberland and Westmorland Herald continue to use the name of their historic county. Other publications, such as local government promotional material, describe the area as "Cumbria", as do the Lake District National Park Authority and most visitors.

Geography

Cumbria SRTM
Topographic map of Cumbria

Cumbria is the most northwesterly county of England. The northernmost and southernmost points in Cumbria are just west of Deadwater, Northumberland and South Walney respectively. Kirkby Stephen (close to Tan Hill, North Yorkshire) and St Bees Head are the most easterly and westerly points of the county. Most of Cumbria is mountainous, with the majority of the county being situated in the Lake District while the Pennines, consisting of the Yorkshire Dales and the North Pennines, lie at the eastern and south-east areas of the county. At 978 metres (3,209 ft) Scafell Pike is the highest point in Cumbria and in England. Windermere is the largest natural lake in England.

The Lancaster Canal runs from Preston into South Cumbria and is partly in use. The Ulverston Canal which once reached to Morecambe Bay is maintained although it was closed in 1945. The Solway Coast and Arnside and Silverdale AONB's lie in the lowland areas of the county, to the north and south respectively.

Boundaries and divisions

Cumbria is bordered by the English counties of Northumberland, County Durham, North Yorkshire, Lancashire, and the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders.

The boundaries are along the Irish Sea to Morecambe Bay in the west, and along the Pennines to the east. Cumbria's northern boundary stretches from the Solway Firth from the Solway Plain eastward along the border with Scotland to Northumberland.

It is made up of six districts: Allerdale, Barrow-in-Furness, Carlisle, Copeland, Eden and South Lakeland. For many administrative purposes Cumbria is divided into three areas — East, West and South. East consists of the districts of Carlisle and Eden, West consists of Allerdale and Copeland, and South consists of Lakeland and Barrow.

In January 2007, Cumbria County Council voted in favour of an official bid to scrap the current two-tier system of county and district councils in favour of a new unitary Cumbria Council, to be submitted for consideration to the Department for Communities and Local Government. This was then rejected.

The county returns six Members of Parliament to the House of Commons, representing the constituencies of Carlisle, Penrith & The Border, Workington, Copeland, Westmorland and Lonsdale and Barrow & Furness.

Transport

Road

The M6 is the only motorway that runs through Cumbria. Kendal and Penrith are amongst its primary destinations. Further north it becomes the A74(M) at the border with Scotland north of Carlisle. Major A roads within Cumbria include:

  • A6 (Luton, Bedfordshire to Carlisle via Kendal and Penrith)
  • A66 (Workington to Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire via Keswick and M6 Junction 40)
  • A69 (Carlisle to Newcastle upon Tyne via Brampton and Hexham)
  • A590 (M6 Junction 36 to Barrow-in-Furness via Ulverston)
  • A591 (Sizergh to Bothel via Kendal, Windermere, Ambleside, Grasmere and Keswick)
  • A592 (Penrith to Newby Bridge via M6 Junction 40, Windermere and Bowness)
  • A595 (Carlisle to Dalton-in-Furness via Whitehaven and Workington)
  • A596 (Carlisle to Workington)

Several bus companies run services in Cumbria serving the main towns and villages in the county, with some services running to neighbouring areas such as Lancaster. Stagecoach North West is the largest; it has depots in Barrow-in-Furness, Carlisle, Kendal and Workington. Stagecoach's flagship X6 route connects Barrow-in-Furness and Kendal in south Cumbria.

Ports

There are only two airports in the county: Carlisle Lake District and Barrow/Walney Island. Both airports formerly served scheduled passenger flights and both are proposing expansions and renovations to handle domestic and European flights in the near future. The nearest international airports to south Cumbria are Blackpool, Manchester, Liverpool John Lennon and Teesside. North Cumbria is closer to Newcastle, Glasgow Prestwick and Glasgow International.

Barrow-in-Furness is one of the country's largest shipbuilding centres, but the Port of Barrow is only minor, operated by Associated British Ports alongside the Port of Silloth in Allerdale. There are no ferry links from any port or harbour along the Cumbria coast.

Rail

The busiest railway stations in Cumbria are Carlisle, Barrow-in-Furness, Penrith and Oxenholme Lake District. The 399 miles (642 km) West Coast Main Line runs through the Cumbria countryside, adjacent to the M6 motorway. The Cumbrian Coast Line connects Barrow-in-Furness to Carlisle and is a vital link in the west of the county. Other railways in Cumbria are the Windermere Branch Line, most of the Furness Line and much of the Settle-Carlisle Railway.

Demography

Cumbria's largest settlement and only city is Carlisle, in the north of the county. The largest town, Barrow-in-Furness, in the south, is slightly smaller. The county's population is largely rural: it has the second-lowest population density among English counties, and has only five towns with a population of over 20,000. Cumbria is also one of the country's most ethnically homogeneous counties, with 95.1% of the population categorised as White British (around 470,900 of the 495,000 Cumbrians). However, the larger towns have ethnic makeups that are closer to the national average. The 2001 census indicated that Christianity was the religion with the most adherents in the county.

2010 ONS estimates placed the number of foreign-born (non-United Kingdom) people living in Cumbria at around 14,000 and foreign nationals at 6,000. The 2001 UK Census showed the following most common countries of birth for residents of Cumbria that year:

  •  England, 454,137
  •  Scotland, 16,628
  •  Wales, 3,471
  •  Northern Ireland, 2,289
  •  Germany, 1,438
  •  Republic of Ireland, 1,359
  •  South Africa, 603
  •  Canada, 581
  •  Australia, 531
  •  United States, 493
  •  India, 476
  •  Hong Kong, 417
  •  Italy, 249
  •  New Zealand, 241
  •  France, 197
  •  Poland, 193
  •  Cyprus, 174
  •  Netherlands, 167
  •  Spain, 166
  •  Singapore, 160
Population totals for Cumbria
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1801 173,017 —    
1811 193,139 +1.11%
1821 225,555 +1.56%
1831 242,320 +0.72%
1841 255,603 +0.54%
1851 274,957 +0.73%
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1861 320,257 +1.54%
1871 365,556 +1.33%
1881 410,856 +1.18%
1891 434,867 +0.57%
1901 437,364 +0.06%
1911 440,485 +0.07%
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1921 441,483 +0.02%
1931 442,693 +0.03%
1941 456,833 +0.31%
1951 471,897 +0.32%
1961 473,706 +0.04%
1971 475,669 +0.04%
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1981 471,693 −0.08%
1991 489,191 +0.36%
2001 487,607 −0.03%
2011 499,900 +0.25%
2014 499,800 −0.01%
Pre-1974 statistics were gathered from local government areas that are now comprised by Cumbria
Source: Great Britain Historical GIS.

Settlements

The table below has divided the settlements into their local authority district. Each district has a centre of administration; for some of these correlate with a district's largest town, while others are named after the geographical area.

Administration borough/district Centre of administration Other towns, villages and settlements
Allerdale UK locator map.svg
Allerdale
Workington WorkingtonClock.jpg Aspatria
Cockermouth
Harrington
Keswick
Maryport
Silloth
Wigton
Barrow-in-Furness UK locator map.svg
Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness Duke Street, Barrow-in-Furness.jpg Askam and Ireleth
Dalton-in-Furness
Walney Island
Carlisle UK locator map.svg
Carlisle
Carlisle ScotchStreet-Carlisle.jpg Brampton
Dalston
Longtown
Copeland UK locator map.svg
Copeland
Whitehaven Whitehaven - geograph.org.uk - 19798.jpg Arlecdon and Frizington
Cleator Moor
Egremont
Millom
St Bees
Eden UK locator map.svg
Eden
Penrith Market Square, Penrith.jpg Alston
Appleby-in-Westmorland
Kirkby Stephen
Shap
Kirkoswald
South Lakeland UK locator map.svg
South Lakeland
Kendal Busy street - geograph.org.uk - 406931.jpg Ambleside
Bowness-on-Windermere
Coniston
Grasmere
Hawkshead
Kirkby Lonsdale
Milnthorpe
Sedbergh
Ulverston
Windermere

Town and city twinnings

Settlement District Twinned settlement
Carlisle Carlisle Germany Flensburg, Germany
Poland Słupsk, Poland
Cockermouth Allerdale France Marvejols, France
Dalton-in-Furness Barrow-in-Furness United States Dalton, Pennsylvania, United States
Kendal South Lakeland Republic of Ireland Killarney, Ireland
Germany Rinteln, Germany
Penrith Eden Australia Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
Sedbergh South Lakeland Slovenia Zreče, Slovenia
Ulverston South Lakeland France Albert, France
Whitehaven Copeland Bulgaria Kozloduy, Bulgaria
Windermere South Lakeland Germany Diessen am Ammersee, Germany
Workington Allerdale Germany Selm, Germany
France Val-de-Reuil, France

Symbols and county emblems

The arms of Cumbria County Council were granted by the College of Arms on 10 October 1974. The arms represent the areas from which the new county council's area was put together; the shield's green border has Parnassus flowers representing Cumberland interspersed with roses; red for Lancashire (the Furness district) on white for Yorkshire (Sedbergh is from the West Riding). The crest is a ram's head crest, found in the arms both of Westmorland County Council and Barrow County Borough, with Cumberland's Parnassus flowers again. The supporters are the legendary Dacre Bull (Cumberland) and a red dragon (Appleby in Westmorland). They stand on a base compartment representing Hadrian's Wall (in Cumberland), crossed with two red bars (from the Westmorland arms).

The county council motto "Ad Montes Oculos Levavi" is Latin, from Psalm 121; ("I shall lift up mine eyes unto the hills").

The county flag of Cumbria is a banner of arms of Cumbria County Council.

Places of interest

Key
National Trust Owned by the National Trust
English Heritage Owned by English Heritage
Forestry Commission Owned by the Forestry Commission
Country Park A Country Park
Accessible open space An Accessible open space
Museum (free) Museum (free)
Museum Museum (charges entry fee)
Heritage railway Heritage railway
Historic house Historic House
Furness Abbey 03
Furness Abbey
Flat calm at dawn, Windermere, from below Claife Heights - geograph.org.uk - 559443
Lake Windermere
Thirleme 069
Thirlmere

Economy

DDH, Barrow-in-Furness
BAE Systems Submarine Solutions in Barrow-in-Furness has a workforce of around 5,000 people.

Many large companies and organisations are based in Cumbria. The county council itself employs around 17,000 individuals, while the largest private employer in Cumbria, the Sellafield nuclear processing site, has a workforce of 10,000. Below is a list of some of the county's largest companies and employers (excluding services such as Cumbria Constabulary, Cumbria Fire and Rescue and the NHS in Cumbria), categorised by district.

East

Barrow-in-Furness

  • Barrow's shipyard is one of the UK's largest. BAE Systems is the current owner and employs around 5,000.
  • Associated British Ports Holdings own and operate the port of Barrow.
  • The only Kimberly-Clark mill in the North of England is located in Barrow.
  • James Fisher & Sons, a large provider of marine engineering services, is based in Barrow.
  • One of the largest single-site furniture stores in the UK, Stollers, is located in Barrow.

Eden

  • Center Parcs owns a large resort in Whinfell Forest near Penrith.
  • Logistics company Eddie Stobart Logistics, own a large transport depot at Penrith.
  • National sawdust, animal bedding, bark suppliers and road hauliers A W Jenkinson are headquartered at Clifton, Penrith.

South Lakeland

  • Pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline operates a large factory in Ulverston.
  • International kitchenware retailer Lakeland has its headquarters and flagship store in Windermere.
  • Farley Health Products, a subsidiary of the Heinz Company, runs a factory in Kendal.

West

Allerdale

  • Associated British Ports Holdings own and operate the port of Silloth.
  • Plastic film maker Innovia Films has its headquarters and only UK factory in Wigton, which employs almost 1,000 people and is Wigton's biggest employer.
  • Sealy Beds UK (which is part of the Silentnight Group) own a factory at Aspatria, which employs around 300 people.
  • Carr's Group plc, which is based in Carlisle, owned a large factory at Silloth which makes the 'Carr's Breadmaker' range and at one time Carr's farm feeds. This has been sold to Whitworths.
  • Window maker West Port Windows owns a large factory at Maryport, which makes UPVC windows and doors.
  • Jennings Brewery Plc (now owned by Marston's Plc), a real ale brewery, based in Cockermouth.
  • World rally company M-Sport has its headquarters at Dovenby Hall, Dovenby, near Cockermouth.
  • Swedish paper maker Iggesund Paperboard has its only UK factory at Siddick, near Workington.
  • U.S.-based Eastman Chemical Company had a factory at Siddick, near Workington. It made plastic bottle pellets and products for the smoking industry and employed 100 people. This has been subsequently demolished and production transferred overseas.
  • Steel company Tata Steel owns a cast products plant at Workington, which employs 300 people.
  • Eddie Stobart Logistics owns a large warehouse at Workington, which was once owned by truck and bus maker Leyland.
  • Packaging company Amcor owns the former Alcan packaging plant at Salterbeck, Workington.
  • James Walker Ltd, an international high-performance sealing manufacturer, has a large factory at Cockermouth.

Carlisle

  • Close to 1,000 people work in one of only two Pirelli tyre plants in the UK.
  • Carr's is a successful foodstuff and agricultural brand that was established in 1831 in Carlisle.
  • Stobart Group owns the Carlisle Lake District Airport and its rail maintenance business is based in Carlisle.
  • Eddie Stobart, which is one of the UK's largest logistics companies, used to be headquartered in Carlisle.
  • Nestlé operates a factory on the outskirts of Carlisle.
  • Cavaghan & Gray (owned by the by 2 Sisters Food Group) is a food manufacturing business based in Carlisle and a significant employer in the city.
  • Crown Holdings owns two factories in Carlisle, locally known as 'Metal Box'. Both factories make products for the beverage industry.
  • Edinburgh Woollen Mill announced plans to move their HQ from Langholm, Scottish Borders to Carlisle.

Copeland

  • Sellafield is the largest private employer in the county; many West Cumbrians have links to the site.

Tourism

Whinlatter Forest Park Sign
The entrance to Whinlatter Forest Park

The largest and most widespread industry in Cumbria is tourism. The Lake District National Park alone receives some 15.8 million visitors every year. Despite this, fewer than 50,000 people reside permanently within the Lake District: mostly in Ambleside, Bowness-on-Windermere, Coniston, Keswick, Gosforth, Grasmere and Windermere. Over 36,000 Cumbrians are employed in the tourism industry which adds £1.1 billion a year to the county's economy. The Lake District and county as a whole attract visitors from across the UK, Europe, North America and the Far East (particularly Japan). The tables below show the twenty most-visited attractions in Cumbria in 2009. (Not all visitor attractions provided data to Cumbria Tourism who collated the list. Notable examples are Furness Abbey, the Lakes Aquarium and South Lakes Safari Zoo, the last of which would almost certainly rank within the top five).

Rank Attraction Location Visitors
1 Windermere Lake Cruises Bowness-on-Windermere 1,313,807
2 Rheged Penrith 439,568
3 Ullswater Steamers Glenridding 348,000
4 Whinlatter Forest Park and Visitor Centre Whinlatter 252,762
5 Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery Carlisle 251,808
6 Grizedale Forest Park and Visitor Centre Grizedale 175,033
7 Carlisle Cathedral Carlisle 166,141
8 Brockhole Lake District Visitor Centre Windermere 135,539
9 Hill Top Hawkshead 103,682
10 Sizergh Castle Sizergh Castle 90,063
Rank Attraction Location Visitors
11 Cumberland Pencil Museum Keswick 80,100
12 Muncaster Castle Ravenglass 78,474
13 Dock Museum Barrow-in-Furness 73,239
14 The Beacon Whitehaven 71,602
15 Holker Hall Cartmel 58,060
16 Carlisle Castle Carlisle 56,957
17 Beatrix Potter Gallery Hawkshead 47,244
18 Lake District Wildlife Park Bassenthwaite 45,559
19 The Homes of Football Ambleside 49,661
20 Cartmel Priory Cartmel 43,672

Economic output

This is a chart of the trend of regional gross value added (GVA) of East and West Cumbria at current basic prices published (pp. 240–253) by the Office for National Statistics

Gross value added by each sector (£millions)
Year East Cumbria West Cumbria
Regional GVA Agriculture Industry Services Regional GVA Agriculture Industry Services
1995 2,679 148 902 1,629 2,246 63 1,294 888
2000 2,843 120 809 1,914 2,415 53 1,212 1,150
2003 3,388 129 924 2,335 2,870 60 1,420 1,390

Sport

Running

Fell running is a popular sport in Cumbria, with an active calendar of competitions taking place throughout the year. Cumbria is also home to several of the most active Orienteering clubs in the UK as well as the Lakes 5 Days competition that takes place every 4 years.

Football

Association

Brunton Park Welcome
Brunton Park, the home of Carlisle United

Barrow and Carlisle United are the only professional football teams in Cumbria and both currently play in EFL League Two. Carlisle United attract support from across Cumbria and beyond, with many Cumbrian "ex-pats" travelling to see their games, both home and away.

Workington—who are always known locally as "the reds"—are a well-supported non-league team, having been relegated from the Football League in the 1970s. Workington made a rapid rise up the non league ladder and in 2007/08 competed with Barrow in the Conference North. Barrow were then promoted to the Conference Premier in 2007/08. In 2020, Barrow were promoted to the Football League as a result of winning the National League.

Rugby league

Craven Park, Barrow
Craven Park, home of Barrow Raiders

Rugby league is a very popular sport in South and West Cumbria. Barrow, Whitehaven and Workington play in the Rugby League Championships.

Amateur teams; Wath Brow Hornets, Askam, Egremont Rangers, Kells, Barrow Island, Hensingham and Millom play in the National Conference.

Rugby union

Rugby union is popular in the east of the county with teams such as Furness RUFC & Hawcoat Park RUFC (South Cumbria), Workington RUFC (Workington Zebras), Whitehaven RUFC, Carlisle RUFC, Creighton RUFC, Aspatria RUFC, Wigton RUFC, Kendal RUFC, Kirkby Lonsdale RUFC, Keswick RUFC, Cockermouth RUFC, Upper Eden RUFC and Penrith RUFC.

Uppies and Downies

Workington is home to the ball game known as Uppies and Downies, a traditional version of football, with its origins in Medieval football or an even earlier form. Players from outside Workington do take part, especially fellow West Cumbrians from Whitehaven and Maryport.

American

Cumbria is home to the Furness Phantoms, and the Carlisle Kestrels.

Cricket

Cumbria County Cricket Club is one of the cricket clubs that constitute the National Counties in the English domestic cricket structure. The club, based in Carlisle, competes in the National Counties Cricket Championship and the NCCA Knockout Trophy. The club also play some home matches in Workington, as well as other locations.

Cumbrian club cricket teams play in the North Lancashire and Cumbria League.

Wrestling

Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling is an ancient and well-practised tradition in the county with a strong resemblance to Scottish Backhold.

In the 21st century Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling along with other aspects of Lakeland culture are practised at the Grasmere Sports and Show, an annual meeting held every year since 1852 on the August Bank Holiday.

The origin of this form of wrestling is a matter of debate, with some describing it as having evolved from Norse wrestling brought over by Viking invaders, while other historians associate it with the Cornish and Gouren styles indicating that it may have developed out of a longer-standing Celtic tradition.

Motor

Karting

Cumbria Kart Racing Club is based at the Lakeland Circuit, Rowrah, between Cockermouth and Egremont Lakeland Circuit. The track is currently a venue for rounds of both major UK national karting championships About Cumbria Kart Racing Club. Formula One world champions Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button both raced karts at Rowrah many times in the formative stages of their motor sport careers, while other F1 drivers, past and present, to have competed there include Johnny Herbert, Anthony Davidson, Allan McNish, Ralph Firman, Paul di Resta and David Coulthard, who hailed from just over the nearby Anglo-Scottish border and regarded Rowrah as his home circuit, becoming Cumbria Kart Racing Club Champion in 1985 in succession to McNish (di Resta also taking the CKRC title subsequently).

Baseball

Cumbria is home to the Cartmel Valley Lions, an amateur baseball team based in Cartmel.

Speedway

Workington Comets were a Workington-based professional speedway team, which competed in the British Speedway Championship.

Education

Skiddaw Building, University of Cumbria - geograph.org.uk - 715574
The University of Cumbria's Fusehill Campus in Carlisle

Although Cumbria has a comprehensive system almost fully, there is one state grammar school in Penrith. There are 42 state secondary schools and 10 independent schools. The more rural secondary schools tend to have sixth forms (although in Barrow-in-Furness district, no schools have sixth forms due to the only sixth college in Cumbria being located in the town) and this is the same for three schools in Allerdale and South Lakeland, and one in the other districts. Chetwynde is also the only school in Barrow to educate children from nursery all the way to year 11.

Colleges of further education in Cumbria include:

  • Carlisle College
  • Furness College which includes Barrow Sixth Form College
  • Kendal College
  • Lakes College West Cumbria

The University of Cumbria is one of the UK's newest universities, having been established in 2007. It is at present the only university in Cumbria and has campuses across the county, together with Lancaster and London.

Notable people

See also

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