Historic castle appoints jester

Judges were impressed with Famous' performance

An historic Lake District castle has appointed its first jester for more than 350 years.

A group of would-be jesters were each given 10 minutes to demonstrate their skills to try to claim the position at Muncaster Castle.

Jem Famous, from Ambleside, impressed the judges with his performance, which included juggling knives on top of a seven-ft unicycle, to scoop the title.

The castle was home to the original Tom Fool in the 16th Century.

Muncaster has been home to the Pennington family since at least 1208.

Patrick Gordon Duff Pennington, who was one of the judges, said: "Everyone has had a lot of fun today.

"I really think all the competitors deserved to win so it was very hard to choose a winner.

"I think Jem Famous will be an ideal jester for Muncaster."

Jem Famous will appear at the castle a few times over the next year. He won £500 and a crate of beer every month for a year.

Jonathan the Jester, a spokesman for the National Guild of Jesters, which hosted the event, said: "Jem Famous shone amongst a very high standard of competition and has a varied and wide range of talents."