Hidden Britain AtlasOpen the map
All places › Haunted places
Haunted place

Muncaster Castle

Ravenglass, Cumbria

Home of Tom Fool, the jester who gave us the word 'tomfoolery'.

Tom Skelton was the jester at Muncaster in the 1600s, and the word tomfoolery is often traced to him. Legend says he had a carpenter murdered on the family's orders, and that he still wanders the castle.

Read the full story, see it on the map, get directions and find what else is nearby in the free Hidden Britain Atlas map.

When
From the 1600s
Where
54.3550, -3.3830
Group
Haunted places

Visiting

Open to visitors from spring to autumn, with gardens and a hawk centre.

Nearby mysteries