Castle Rising: Queen Isabella’s Laughter

Castle Rising is one of the finest surviving examples of a Norman keep in England, its massive rectangular structure rising dramatically from earthwork defenses. Built around 1138 by William d’Aubigny, the castle served as a fortified residence for powerful nobles. But its most infamous resident came two centuries later: Queen Isabella, the “She-Wolf of France,” who was exiled here after her involvement in the murder of her husband, King Edward II, and her scandalous affair with Roger Mortimer.

Queen Isabella arrived at Castle Rising in 1330 after her son, Edward III, seized power and had her lover Mortimer executed. She lived at the castle for nearly 28 years until her death in 1358, her life transformed from power and passion to forced retirement and penance. According to legend, the guilt of her crimes and the loss of her lover drove Isabella to madness during her years of confinement. It is her tormented spirit that now haunts Castle Rising, unable to find peace even centuries after her death.

The most chilling manifestation of Isabella’s ghost is the sound of mad laughter echoing through the castle’s great chambers and staircases. Visitors and staff report hearing a woman’s voice alternating between hysterical laughter and anguished sobbing, the sounds seeming to come from nowhere and everywhere at once. The phenomenon is most frequently reported in the residential chambers where Isabella would have spent her days in exile. Some witnesses claim to have seen a figure in medieval dress moving through the keep, her face contorted with grief or twisted in deranged merriment.

Beyond the auditory phenomena, the castle exhibits other signs of Isabella’s lingering presence. Cold spots appear suddenly in rooms, particularly in what would have been her private quarters. Objects move without explanation, and visitors sometimes report feeling watched or experiencing an oppressive sense of guilt and despair. The earthwork fortifications surrounding the keep are said to be walked by her ghost as well, as if she paces the boundaries of her prison even in death. English Heritage manages the castle today, and while Isabella’s story is prominently featured in tours, many visitors leave convinced they’ve encountered something more than history—they’ve met the She-Wolf herself, still trapped in the castle that became her cage.