From the BBC Website, 15th January 2006

Spook lessons at historic castle

A castle reputed to be one of the most haunted in the country is hosting a school for ghost hunters. The course will take place at Muncaster Castle in the Lake District.

Academic Dr Jason Braithwaite will lead pupils through examples of how the brain and environment are involved in strange experiences. For years visitors to the 13th Century castle have reported ghostly figures of women and children in the tapestry room, which was once used as a nursery.

'Scientific viewpoint'

Muncaster Castle lies above the River Esk and has remained in the same family, the Penningtons, since 1208. The oldest part of the castle as it stands, is the Pele Tower of 1325. This was reportedly built to keep out the Scots.

Dr Braithwaite, is an independent research scientist from the Behavioural Brain Sciences Centre at Birmingham University. For 15 years he has been researching the reasons why there are so many ghost sightings at Muncaster Castle and remains sceptical that ghosts exist.

He said: "This course is for people who have an open mind, it is for those who question these experiences and really want to find out more about them from a more serious and scientific viewpoint. By the end of the course students will be in a much better position to make their own minds up about what lies behind events that apparently have no rational explanation."

Sounds like Salem...they have ghost hunting tours and classes here too....

I took one of them in Hawaii - kinda hokey, but they had some great stories to share...

From the North-West Evening Mail, 29th February 2008

Family marks 800th anniversary in castle

An incredible family connection with a West Cumbrian castle is being celebrated this year when the Pennington family mark 800 years as custodians of Muncaster Castle. But the family, who originally hail from the Ulverston area, say their connection with the site could go back even further.

Three generations of the Penningtons still live at Muncaster, near Ravenglass.

Peter Frost-Pennington said: “We found documents stating the family connection began on December 1, 1208, but it could go back to before the Norman Conquest. It’s a tremendous privilege to live somewhere like this because even though people are quick to take potshots at West Cumbria, it’s actually a brilliant place to live and work. Muncaster has a beautiful setting between the Lakeland fells and the Irish Sea.”

There are plans for family history events and a big birthday bash over the weekend of June 28 and 29 when visitors will be able to enjoy a range of entertainment including medieval re-enactments by the Red Wyvern Society. The castle’s modern day mascot, Max MeadowVole, will also be putting in an appearance.

Confirmation that Muncaster belonged to the Pennington family was granted to Alan de Penitone in 1208 by Richard de Lucy, Lord of Egremont in the 10th year of the reign of King John. One of the family’s most prized historical trinkets is a simple drinking bowl known as the Luck of Muncaster, which was given to Sir John Pennington by Henry VI in 1464 after he was given shelter at the castle.

A family story tells how the king promised them that “as long as this bowl remains whole and unriven, Penningtons from Muncaster never shall be driven.”

Mr. Frost-Pennington said: “Maybe it is the reason we’re still here. So not surprisingly we keep it firmly under lock and key to ensure that it doesn’t get damaged. And we check it once or twice a year to make sure it’s still in one piece.”

The castle’s most famous former resident was not one of the Pennington family. Tom Fool was the family’s jester, who lived around 400 years ago. He is believed to have been the inspiration for the Fool in Shakespeare’s King Lear and to have given the word tomfoolery to the English language. Unusually for a servant there is a portrait of Tom Fool, which can still be seen at the castle today. His madcap antics are celebrated at the castle on Tom Fool’s Day on April 1 and in an annual Festival of Fools at the end of May.

For details of opening times and prices, as well as information on attractions and events, visit www.muncaster.co.uk. The site also includes short films about Muncaster.