The Cumberland Flag is today ( 24th September) flying outside Penrith Town Hall for Cumberland Day.
The 24th September is the day that marks Cumberland Day that celebrates the historic county of Cumberland that included as a county town Penrith until 1974.
Cumberland day also is used as a day to celebrate the extraordinary people and Cumberland’s wild landscape that has provided inspiration for generations of artists, writers and musicians.
The date also marks the baptism of renowned local figure, John Peel, born at Park End, near Caldbeck, in 1776 or 1777, and immortalised in the popular song.
The Cumberland Flag that is flying outside Penrith Town Hall today was officially registered on December 13th 2012. The design, a re-working of the banner of arms of the former Cumberland County Council, symbolises the coastline and famous lakes with the blue and white wavy lines, whilst the green upper half with Grass-of-Parnassus flowers recalls the marshy up-lands and fertile plains of the county.
Cumberland was a county from the 12th century and an administrative county from 1889 until 1974 when local government changes created the county of Cumbria and Cumbria county council and Eden district council alomg with the the five other districts that themselves were scrapped in 2023 with Penrith finding itself not in the new Cumberland District but in the new Westmorland and Furness District.
A campaign to see Penrith returned to its historic roots in Cumberland is ongoing with both local and national support including from tv personality Russel Grant who is founder Association of British Counties.
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