Carlisle was an  important frontier town, frequently besieged during the wars between the English and the Scots,  In 1135 Carlisle was taken possession of by David King of Scots, and in 1173, it was ineffectually besieged by William, King of Scotland; who returning the next year,  and continued the siege for several months. The garrison was relieved by the capture of the Scottish king at Alnwick. His successor, Alexander, took the city in 1216. Carlisle was surrendered to the English in 1217, and Walter de Grey Archbishop of York, sent to take possession of the castle.  In 1296, Carlisle was besieged for four days by a number of Scottish nobles; but  the siege was abandoned after three days. William Wallace, passing that way with his army, found the garrison prepared, and did not stay to besiege it. 

The rarest of the provincial mints - just beating Wallingford when looking at the number of coins in both major hoards.  The Brussels hoard book documents 146 Carlisle pennies from class 3ab1 to 3c. The vast majority of the coins are for classes 3ab1 and 3b, whereas there were only 9 coins of class 3bc and one of class 3c. Half of the Brussels hoard pennies were from John of Bolton, an unpopular man in Carlisle; the other three moneyers being Adam Caperun, Robert of Chilay and William of Thiparun. Coins of William are the rarest in the Brussels hoard.  The Colchester hoard contained 38 Carlisle coins.