market-town of England, county of Cumberland, in a fertile valley watered by the Eamont and Lowther, which unite about a mile below the town, 17 miles S.S.E. of Carlisle, and 282 N.W. of London. It stands at the foot of a hill, on the verge of the county, and of the district called Ingleswood Forest. The principal street extends along the road from Kendal to Carlisle; and many of the houses are handsome, most of them being built of red freestone. On a knoll to the W. of the town stand the ruins of the castle, which give to Penrith a very picturesque appearance. It was built by the Nevilles during the wars of the Roses, and dismantled in the civil war by the parliamentary party. The parish church of Penrith is a large and handsome though plain edifice in the Grecian style. It was almost entirely rebuilt in 1722. In the churchyard is a singular ancient monument, called the Giant's Grave, consisting of two pyramidal stones 11½ feet high, and 15 feet distant from each other, which are said to have been set up in memory of a giant named Owen Cassius. A new Episcopal church, in the style of the thirteenth century, was built at Penrith in 1850, and forms one of the principal ornaments of the town. There are also places of worship belonging to Independents, Wesleyan Methodists, United Presbyterians, Quakers, and Roman Catholics. The town has several schools, a mechanics' institute, a reading-room, and a savings-bank. To the N. of Penrith is a race-course, on which races take place annually in October; and about a mile from the town, in the same direction, stands a square tower called the Beacon, commanding a beautiful and extensive view. The people of Penrith are chiefly employed in agriculture and weaving; some retail trade is also carried on. Since the opening of the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway, on which Penrith is a station, the place has risen very much in importance; and many handsome new houses and shops have been built. The town is a place of considerable antiquity, and it formerly played a conspicuous part in the border warfare. It was taken by the Scots several times in the fourteenth century, and in 1715 and 1745 was occupied by the insurgents. In the vicinity there are many relics of antiquity; and among the best, King Arthur's Round Table, an inclosed circular area, probably intended for martial exercises, which is called by Sir Walter Scott,

"Red Penrith's table round, For feats of chivalry renowned."

Pop. (1831) 6668.