Egremont /ˈɛɡrəmənt/ is a market town, civil parish and two electoral wards in Cumbria, England, and historically part of Cumberland.

It is situated just outside the Lake District National Park, five miles (eight kilometres) south of Whitehaven and on the River Ehen.

The town, which lies at the foot of Uldale Valley and Dent Fell, has a long industrial heritage including dyeing, weaving and iron ore mining.

[1] The town's layout today is much the same as at the time of Richard de Lucy around 1200 with its wide Main Street opening out into the market place.

The remains of the Norman castle, built in the 12th century, are situated at the southern end of Main Street near the market place.

When William Rufus extended Norman rule into Cumbria in around 1092,[5] control of the area was given to Ivo Taillebois, who was married to Lucy of Bolingbroke, heiress of extensive lands in Lincolnshire.

Around 1120, Henry I gave the Barony of Copeland to Ranulph's son William who made his home at Egremont and began to build the castle, which took approximately 150 years to complete.

With Ranulph having no male heir, the Barony passed to his sister Alice, who married the Scottish prince, William Fitz Duncan; they had a child who, after his death, became known as "the Boy of Egremont"; again, with no living male heir, William Fitz Duncan's estates passed to his three daughters Annabel, Cecily and Alice.

Egremont was granted its royal charter by Henry III in 1267, with the right to hold a weekly market and an annual fair.

In 1565, a stone bridge was built over the River Ehen to access the town, which was now smaller because of frequent Scottish raids.

In 1950, Rowntrees built a chocolate crumb factory near Christie Bridge and the nuclear industry became established at Sellafield.

The Rowntrees site has become a new housing estate, York Place, which is located at the northern end of Main Street.

Derrick Bird, a 52-year-old local taxi driver, shot and killed twelve people, two of them in Egremont, before committing suicide.

There is a studio on-site for the Florence Paintmakers, a co-operative of artists who use the local iron ore pigment to make oil and watercolour paints, pastels and other art materials.

[17] Egremont's Crab Fair is held on the third Saturday in September annually, and features unusual events—such as the World Gurning Championships and greasy pole climbing.

[21][22] It was scheduled for the following year, but the Egremont Crab Fair Committee made the decision to cancel the 2022 event due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II.