Longtown, Cumbria

Longtown is a small town in northern Cumbria, England, with a population of around 3,000. It is in the parish of Arthuret and on the River Esk, not far from the Anglo-Scottish border. Nearby was the Battle of Arfderydd.

Longtown is the location of the largest sheep market in England, and is close to the site where the Battle of Solway Moss was fought in 1542. Longtown has one primary school with around 190 pupils, most secondary school pupils travel to William Howard School, Brampton. Though up until 2008 Longtown had its own secondary school, Lochinvar School.

The first animal to be found to be infected with foot-and-mouth disease in the 2001 crisis had been purchased at Longtown market. While at the market it spread the infection to other animals. The size of the Longtown sheep market meant that the disease had spread right across the country in a very short time. Longtown became the centre for control of the disease in south western Scotland and north western England.

Longtown is also the site of one of the biggest Defence Munitions Sites DMC Longtown in Western Europe. It used to be part of one site that stretched to Eastriggs over the border in Scotland that was the biggest maker of explosives during World War I. The township of Gretna was established to house the workers of this establishment. Currently Longtown and Eastriggs are two separate sites jointly managed.

A little over two miles to the north, on the west bank of the River Esk, Kirkandrews Tower is an isolated and well-preserved 16th century pele tower.^[1]

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