"d'ye ken john peel?" was first sung in 1824 in gate house in caldbeck in john graves’ home to the tune of the border rant "bonnie annie." a different musical version was composed in 1869 by william metcalfe, a conductor and composer – and lay clerk of carlisle cathedral. his arrangement – lauded as more musical than the traditional melody – became popular in london and was widely published. in 1906, the song was published in "the national song book," but with a tune closer to "bonnie annie" – and that version is the most widely known today. english counties have no official anthem. however, "d'ye ken john peel?" is commonly regarded as a kind of unofficial anthem of cumberland and the region.