Lest We Forget: 1746–2026

Today, 21 October 2026, marks the 280th anniversary of the execution of six Jacobite soldiers at Brampton’s historic Capon Tree. On this day in 1746, six men who had supported Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobite cause were hanged following the defeat of the Jacobite rising. The memorial near the site ensures their story is not forgotten.

This morning, many gathered at the Capon Tree Memorial to remember those six men and reflect on a turbulent chapter of British history. The Jacobite cause brought together English and Scottish supporters, Catholics and Protestants alike, united by their loyalty to the Stuart cause.

Pupils from William Howard School sang the traditional Scottish song Loch Lomond, long associated with the Jacobite rising. Legend suggests its words were written by a captured Jacobite. Although its author remains unknown, the high road and low road are traditionally interpreted as the parting of two companions, one returning home alive and the other returning to Scotland in spirit.

The sound of the bagpipes accompanied the laying of wreaths by The Fifteen, The 1745 Association, the Royal British Legion Brampton Branch, Brampton Parish Council, pupils and Cadets from William Howard School and an officer from RAF Spadeadam. A representative of the Catholic Church and the Brampton Methodist minister led the prayers together in a fitting expression of unity and remembrance.

Also present was Radclyffe the deerhound, the Jacobite Society’s mascot, proudly wearing his purple coat and traditional white Jacobite cockade.

It was heartening to see so many people attend in remembering an event that connects Brampton with an important chapter of British history. Although 280 years have passed, the story of these six men remains part of our town’s heritage.

Today was about remembering lives lost, understanding our history and coming together in peace.

Lest we forget the six men of the Capon Tree.

www.discoverbrampton.co.uk

Fireside Season Has Arrived

The days are getting shorter, there’s a chill in the air and fires are being lit again. Just in time, a gorgeous new range of log baskets has arrived at ABW Hardware.

There is something about a traditional woven basket sitting beside a fire that immediately makes a room feel ready for autumn and winter. ABW Hardware's new collection comes in a lovely variety of shapes, sizes and natural finishes, with plenty of choice whether you need something practical for carrying and storing logs or simply want something that looks good beside the fireplace.

And, as anyone who knows ABW Hardware will tell you, the baskets are only a tiny part of what you might find once you step through the door. It is the sort of shop where you can go in looking for one thing and discover all sorts of useful things you didn't know you needed.

So when you visit Brampton this autumn, call into ABW Hardware and have a browse. Take a look at the new log baskets, explore the rest of the shop and discover another of our independent Brampton businesses.

www.discoverbrampton.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/ABWHardware

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A little introduction to Brampton.

Whether it’s your first visit or you’ve discovered our town before, Market Place is a good place to begin.

When you’re in Market Place, take a moment to look at Brampton Parish Council’s noticeboard. Made from solid oak, it was chosen by the Parish Council to be both an attractive feature for our town and something built to last. The natural grain and character of the timber give it a traditional appearance that suits its setting in the centre of Brampton.

The noticeboard is kept up to date by the Parish Clerk and carries information about the parish, local events and other useful notices. Anyone wishing to have information considered for display can pass it to the Parish Clerk, who manages what is placed on the board.

For visitors, it’s a useful place to have a browse and find out a little more about Brampton and what might be happening while you’re here.

Then explore beyond Market Place. Wander through our streets, browse our independent shops and businesses, stop for coffee, lunch or something a little stronger, and spend some time discovering what our town has to offer.

www.discoverbrampton.co.uk

#discoverbrampton #bramptoncumbria #visitbrampton #visitcumbria #explorecumbria

You Don't Have to Play Golf to Enjoy This View

A Golf Club might not be the first place that comes to mind when you are looking for somewhere to have breakfast or lunch, but perhaps it should be.

The Braid Restaurant & Bar at Brampton Golf Club is open to everyone. You don't need to be a member and you certainly don't need to arrive carrying a set of golf clubs. Settle into the clubhouse and you can enjoy breakfast, lunch, a coffee or something from the bar, with a conservatory area overlooking the course. The menu includes hearty and lighter breakfasts alongside meals and snacks throughout the day, with locally sourced produce and home cooked flavours.

Sunday lunch is served from 12 noon too and is popular enough that the club recommends booking early. The restaurant is currently open for dining from 9.30am to 4pm, seven days a week.

So when you visit Brampton, don't discount the golf club simply because you don't play golf. Head along Tarn Road, enjoy some good food and discover another place to eat and spend some time in our town. Brampton Golf Club, Tarn Road, Brampton, CA8 1HN Website: www.bramptongolfclub.com

www.discoverbrampton.co.uk

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Meet Sophie Mac Vocalist

Live entertainment adds something special to a night out, and around Brampton there is a good chance you will come across Sophie Mac Vocalist doing exactly that.

Sophie is a professional singer, dancer and entertainer who performs regularly in and around Brampton, as well as at venues and events across Cumbria. Her repertoire is impressively varied too. Sophie can move from relaxed acoustic songs and ballads to pop classics and dance floor favourites, with music spanning the 1960s to the present day.

You can also book Sophie for your own occasion. She performs at weddings, private parties, hospitality venues and themed events, with different sets designed to suit everything from a relaxed drinks reception to a full evening celebration.

And Sophie has recently had something to celebrate herself. She was recognised at The Proper Northern Wedding Awards for the wedding entertainment side of her work.

But there is more to Sophie than the voice. Anyone who follows her online will know that her personality is very much part of the package. Her social media is often funny, entertaining and a little glimpse behind the scenes of life as a working performer.

So when you are planning a visit to Brampton, keep an eye out for where Sophie is performing. You might just find some live entertainment to add to your evening while you are here.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sophiemacvocalist
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophiemacvocalist/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sophiemacvocalist
Website: https://www.sophiemacvocalist.com/

www.discoverbrampton.co.uk

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From the Drying Green to James Fleming.

Our recent look at Brampton's Drying Green has taken us much further into the story of the town's textile industry than we expected.

While researching the weavers who lived and worked around Moat Street and Moat Side, we came across this fascinating reference to James Fleming and a Brampton dyeing and weaving business.

In February 1810, Fleming advertised a substantial property for sale. It included a dwelling house, dye house, weaving shops with living accommodation above, offices, outbuildings and three acres of land crossed by a stream. The description also tells us that the dyeing business had already been carried on there for many years.
And the Fleming name takes us further back into Brampton's textile story.
By 1798, Fleming and Temperly were manufacturing ginghams and other checked and striped cotton fabrics in Brampton. Their operation included warehouses, a dye house and weavers' shops along Longtown Road.
It gives us another glimpse of just how established textile production once was in our town. Brampton wasn't simply home to individual weavers. There were businesses here manufacturing, weaving and dyeing cloth on a much larger scale.
Today there may be little to immediately reveal this chapter of Brampton's past, but the streets, the Drying Green and records such as this allow us to piece together another part of the town visitors see today.
About the image
The wording shown in the image is taken from a modern transcription of the 1810 Carlisle Journal advertisement. It is not an image of the original newspaper advertisement.
Sources
Cumbria Industrial History Society, Bulletin 57, December 2003. Entry 100, Dyeing at Brampton, transcribed from Carlisle Journal, 17 February 1810.
Cumbria Industrial History Society, Bulletin 57
Cumberland Council, Brampton Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan.
Brampton Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan
#discoverbrampton #bramptoncumbria #bramptonhistory #visitbrampton #cumbria #historiccumbria

When Brampton Was a Town of Weavers

In our last post about the Drying Green, we discovered that cloth made by weavers in Brampton was taken there to dry. But just how important was weaving to Brampton?

During the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, textiles provided work for large numbers of people in our town. Brampton was particularly associated with weaving checks and ginghams for manufacturers in Carlisle, with numerous weaving shops and dye houses operating here.

Some of these workplaces were surprisingly substantial. In 1815, one Brampton establishment had 13 rooms containing 22 looms. By 1841, around 200 people were employed in weaving in Brampton.

Imagine the difference that would have made to the town. The sound of looms coming from weaving shops, weavers producing lengths of cloth and, around Moat Street and Moat Side, finished cloth being taken out to the Drying Green.

Much of this textile industry has disappeared, but the Drying Green gives us a tangible link to it. Walk through this part of Brampton today and you are exploring an area that was once part of the everyday working life of our town.

And this isn't the end of Brampton's textile story. There were manufacturers here too, and later in the nineteenth century Brampton would have its own Scotch Tweed Mill. We will be exploring those stories next.

About the images: The images accompanying this post are AI generated illustrations. They are not historical photographs or surviving garments. They have been created to illustrate how checked fabrics could have appeared in clothing of the period. They should not be taken as reconstructions of specific Brampton fabrics or garments.

Sources:
Cumbria County History Trust: Economic Activity GAZ Brampton
Brampton Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan
Cumberland Council: Brampton Conservation Area Appraisal
Brampton Parish Council

#discoverbrampton #bramptoncumbria #bramptonhistory #visitbrampton #cumbria #historiccumbria

The Drying Green

The name tells us exactly what once happened here.

Brampton’s Drying Green was once a working space, used for drying cloth made by weavers in nearby Moat Street and Moat Side.

Weaving was an important part of Brampton’s working life. During the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, textiles provided employment for large numbers of people in the town. Records tell us of weaving shops and dye houses, and by 1841 around 200 people in Brampton were employed in weaving.

For the weavers of Moat Street and Moat Side, the Drying Green had a practical purpose. The cloth they made was brought here to dry in the open air.

Imagine how different the scene must have looked then, with locally woven cloth drying outdoors and people coming and going as part of an ordinary working day.

There is another fascinating glimpse of the Drying Green in years gone by. Ramblings Around Brampton describes it as “a scene of great activity”, particularly on Monday mornings. The account does not tell us exactly what was happening on those busy Mondays, but it gives us a sense of just how active this little part of Brampton once was.

The Drying Green is a reminder that Brampton’s textile history was not confined to mills and workshops. It was part of the landscape too, with spaces such as this playing their own role in the work taking place around the town.

When you visit Brampton, take some time to explore the Drying Green. Knowing what once happened here gives a very different perspective on this part of our town and the people who once worked here.

www.discoverbrampton.co.uk

Sources:
Brampton Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan
Cumbria County History Trust
Brampton Parish Council

#DiscoverBrampton #BramptonCumbria #BramptonHistory #VisitBrampton #ExploreCumbria #CumbriaHistory