Muncaster Castle
Muncaster Castle is located in Cumbria, England, and was once the court of Tom Skeleton, or better known as Tom Fool. Tom was the court jester for the Pennington family in the 16th century. He was a prankster that was known for his funny antics that took place in the court, and also for performing a murderous deed for his master when it was asked of him. The presence of Tom Fool can still be felt within the walls of Muncaster Castle, and when anything goes wrong there it is automatically blamed on him. The castle itself was built in the year 1258 C.E.
It was built by a man named Gamel de Mulcastre, constructed by the River Esk. In its existence, the castle has served as a fortress to ward off marauding Scots, an outpost to protect trade routes from Carlisle, and it has been home to the Pennington family. The Pennington family is famous for having a significant influence in the area for nearly 800 years. The most occurring phenomenon in the castle takes place in the Tapestry Room. Only of recent time has the Tapestry Room been open as a guest room for close friends and family of the Pennington’s.
All of the people who have slept in the room can never fall asleep due to the eerie sound of an infant crying for hours on end, when no infants are in the castle at all. This is an interesting phenomenon because most paranormal events only take place for a few seconds, where the infant crying goes on for hours. On the actual grounds of the Castle, there have been sightings of a “White Lady” who is the spirit of a woman named Mary Bragg. Mary was a housekeeper in Ravenglass and in love with the footman at Muncaster in the year 1805.
Mary was murdered along the road by henchman who were hired by another woman who was in love with this man. Her apparition is seen on the main roads around the castle and sometimes in the garden. On some instances, people driving a car think they hit an actual person, but in actuality it was Mary’s spirit jumping out in front of the car. Her form also varies including: a misty figure, a solid form, or a darting figure. Take a trip to Muncaster Castle: the castle where not only is the inside haunted, but the rest of the property and roads surrounding it are as well!
(Source: Belanger, Jeff. Encyclopedia of Haunted Places. 2005.)
