Brave souls wanted for ghost research

An academic is looking for people to take part in his research on ghosts at Muncaster Castle, reputedly one of Britain's most haunted castles.

Dr Jason Braithwaite, a cognitive neuroscientist from the Behavioural Brain Sciences Centre at Birmingham University, has been researching the reasons why there are so many ghost sightings at the castle for more than a decade.

He is now looking for about 15 people to join his team to help him during an overnight scientific vigil at the castle on Halloween, 31st October.

There have been many reports of unusual experiences at Muncaster that apparently have no rational explanation. These have included the sounds of children crying and screaming, feelings of another presence in the room, of being watched and even touched, fleeting visual apparations and the sound of footsteps.


Dr Braithwaite stresses that this is for people who are interested in taking part in serious research on ghosts. "We're looking for people who are genuinely interested in trying to get to the bottom of all these stories. We want people who are inquisitive and who have an open mind.

"It's also quite important that people are not of a nervous disposition. Muncaster Castle is quite a spooky place in the dark, even if you don't believe in ghosts. So we don't want people who will be easily frightened if things do creak or go bump in the night!"

The investigation night will start with afternoon tea followed by a briefing by Dr Braithwaite on the background to his work at the Castle and an explanation of the techniques and equipment that is used in the research.

Small groups take it in turns to spend time in different rooms inside the Castle recording their experiences and taking readings using devices that measure things like magnetism and humidity. Dr Braithwiate believes that factors like changes in the magnetic field may explain many of the unusual experiences that occur at the Castle.

He gets everyone back into a briefing room at regular intervals to review what people have recorded and the night finishes off with a major debrief over breakfast.

Muncaster has been home to the Pennington family since at least 1208. The family have fully supported Dr Braithwaite's scientific research since its conception in the early 1990s.

Many of the reported ghost sightings at Muncaster have taken place in the Tapestry Room. One paranormal investigation team reported seeing a black, featureless figure walk into the Tapestry Room before vanishing.

Overnight visitors have complained of disturbed nights, heard footsteps outside the room, seen the door handle turning, and the door opening, although nobody is there. A child is frequently heard crying towards the window end of the room, and sometimes a lady is heard singing, apparently comforting a sick child. Visitors have also felt cold in the room for no apparent reason. Research has revealed that the Tapestry room had previously been a children's nursery.

The reputation of the Tapestry Room at Muncaster has meant that there is a waiting list of people who want to spend the night in the room doing a "Ghost Sit" to find out for themselves whether it really is haunted. However, the investigation nights enable people to get a much greater insight into what is happening at the Castle.

Other stories concern the 'Muncaster Boggle' or white lady who is said to haunt the gardens and roadways around Muncaster. She is supposedly the ghost of Mary Bragg, a young girl murdered in the early 1800s on the road near the Main Gate.

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