Carlisle, city and district, Cumbria, NW England, near the junction of the Caldew, Eden, and Petteril rivers. The city of Carlisle is an important rail center. Manufactures include textiles, biscuits, and metal products, in addition to a substantial engineering industry. Carlisle also has an important livestock auction. The city's location was formerly strategic; the Roman camp Luguvallium stood there, near Hadrian's Wall. The site figured prominently in the border warfare between the English and the Scots during the Middle Ages. Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned there in 1568. During the English civil war, parliamentarians captured Carlisle. A technical college is there.
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