A proper Fool becomes the north of England's first official jester

Muncaster Castle's first Fool for more than 350 years will become a member of the National Guild of Jesters at an official ceremony on Wednesday.

Jem Famous was crowned the new Fool of Muncaster after a competition at the Castle in June, sponsored by Cumbrian brewery Jennings.

The National Guild of Jesters promised at the time that the new Fool would become the Guild's first northern member.

A number of jesters and entertainers will gather at Muncaster Castle on Wednesdy for the special ceremony. The Guild has warned Jem that he should expect the unexpected!

Jonathan the Jester says:"Where other ceremonies are full of grandeur and majesty, ours are just chaos and confusion. Just as you'd expect from a group of jesters!


"It's a great honour to become a member of the National Guild of Jesters and a momentous moment in the life of any Fool. So we aim to make this an event that the new jester will remember for at least the rest of the day."

"Our current members are very jealous of Jem because he's the only person who is a jester to a castle. So we're delighted he will now become our first nothern member. Hopefully he will be the first of many."

After the ceremonies are over, Jem is hosting a "Feast of Fools" in the Castle. Jem and his "Foolish Friends" will be waited on by members of the Pennington family.

The National Guild of Jesters has about 30 full-time members and many more associates and part-time members.

Jem's winning performance in June included juggling knives on top of a seven foot uni-cycle. Jem, who won £500 and a crate of Jennings beer every month for a year said at the time "My kids will be really pleased that I'm now an official fool because they've been telling me that I'm a fool for years."

The original Tom Fool was jester to the Penningtons in the 16th century. He was the inspiration for the Fool in Shakespeare's King Lear, giving the word 'tomfoolery' to the English language.

A competition to find the next Fool of Muncaster will be held at the Castle next year. It will form part of a new Festival of Fools that will run from 29 May to 2 June and include performances by jesters and entertainers from all over the country.

The Festival of Fools has been made possible with support from Jennings Brewery and Rural Regeneration Cumbria.

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