Hesket (also Hesket-in-the-Forest) is a large civil parish in the Westmorland and Furness unitary district of Cumbria, England, on the main A6 between Carlisle and Penrith.

[6] Just north of the site, aerial evidence has located two Roman camps, with limited excavation work in 1977 revealing pottery dating from AD 120.

[7][8] The structures are located near to the main Roman Road connecting the Vale of York to Carlisle, which now forms part of the modern-day A6.

[9] In 1822, a Viking cairn was discovered in the parish, along the route of the A6, near the modern location of Court Thorn GP Surgery, during operations to widen the road.

[10] The parish is part of the Royal hunting ground known as Inglewood Forest, established by William the Conqueror and extended by Henry II.

[25][26] There is a community bus service, Fellrunner, which provides return journeys to Carlisle and Penrith from various stops in the parish.

[27] The parish has five primary schools, in the villages of Armathwaite, Calthwaite, High Hesket, Ivegill and Plumpton.

[28] The parish contains sixty-six listed buildings, including three Grade II* listed: Armathwaite Castle,[29] now a private residence, the Church of St Mary's in High Hesket,[30] dating from the 18th century but incorporating parts of the medieval church building, and the 16th-century Southwaite Hall Copper House and barns.

[31] It also contains the Grade II listed Katharine Well at Mellguards, just outside the village of Southwaite, built as a memorial to the sister of the local architect and philanthropist Sara Losh.