Private company
Logo: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3
English art materials brand
Derwent Cumberland Pencil Company, trading as Derwent, is an English brand of pencils and other art materials. The business began in 1832 in Cumberland under the name Banks, Son & Co. Pencil manufacture in the Keswick area developed in the nineteenth century using local Borrowdale graphite.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0
Last updated Oct 21, 2026.
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Derwent Cumberland Pencil Company, trading as Derwent, is an English brand of pencils and other art materials. The business began in 1832 in Cumberland under the name Banks, Son & Co.. Pencil manufacture in the Keswick area developed in the nineteenth century using local Borrowdale graphite. The company later became the Derwent Cumberland Pencil Company. In 1980, it was acquired by the US corporation ACCO Brands, then known as Rexel, and became one of its brands.2
In the early 19th century, Keswick was well known for pencil production. In 1832, Banks, Son & Co. opened a pencil factory in the area. The business later passed through several owners before becoming the Derwent Cumberland Pencil Company in 1916.
From Wikipedia’s article on Derwent Cumberland Pencil Company, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4
Listed on Wikidata.1
Derwent produces a range of art materials including coloured pencils, graphite pencils, water soluble pencils, pens, paints, pastels, and accessories. Its product lines have included Artist, Studio, Watercolour, Pastel, Coloursoft, Inktense, Lightfast, and Procolour.
From Wikipedia’s article on Derwent Cumberland Pencil Company, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4
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