Appleby-in-Westmorland

Appleby-in-Westmorland is a market town on the River Eden and the traditional county town of Westmorland. The town, which had of population of 3,048 in 2021, sits in the heart of the Eden Valley at the edge of the north-western Pennines.

It is home to Appleby Castle, the oldest parts of which date from the 1170s. The Honour of Appleby, a feudal barony, was established in the early 13th century with its caput at the castle. Appleby Grammar School was established in 1286 and, in the 18th century, was attended by the Virginia-born father and two half-brother of George Washington, the 1st President of the United States. Indeed, Westmoreland County, Virginia (named for Westmorland in England) was where the Washington family settled in 1653. The settlement was simply known as Appleby until the 1970s, with "in-Westmorland" being added due to concerns that the reforms of the Local Government Act 1972 would obscure its status as part of the county Westmorland.