Grave - John Middleton (1578 - 1623)

 

On the way to Liverpool I called at a quiet quintessentially English village to find the grave of a giant. John was alleged to be 9 feet 3 inches (2.82 m) tall but he was lived in the Shakespearian era so there are no photos or official documents to prove anything. In his tiny house he slept with his feet poking out of the window.

 

Hale is south of Liverpool city, a quiet picturesque setting you might see in a film adaption of an Agatha Christie novel. I went into the churchyard. As it was a hot Sunday morning the church door was open and I could hear the vicar administering a service. As the graveyard is small I soon found the giant’s resting place. I was expecting bigger - I'm sure I've got a porn film with that title.

 

Due to John's height and heft the sheriff of Lancashire hired him as a bodyguard. When King James I arrived in the village to hand the sheriff a knighthood he invited the giant too so he could witness his height. Perhaps he was the tallest man that's ever lived in Britain. The sheriff and John were invited to visit the King at home and took up the offer in 1620 (John was 42.) The giant wrestled the King's champion wrestler and somehow broke the man's thumb. He received £20 for winning - a fortune in those times. While returning north to Hale he was beaten up or swindled out of the money.

 

He died penniless in 1623 aged 45 and now lies while I’m stood. He was probably one of the tallest people in history. Not much to see at the grave however there’s a huge statue of John on the lane outside the church. A plaque on a cottage's gable wall says he was born there. Over the years historians have doubted the giant’s height and it’s thought his bones were exhumed during the Victorian era and were nine feet three inches as stated. He’s had his portrait painted twice - how many times have you had yours painted?

 

As I left three young innocent kids in summer frocks were gambolling about on the church steps. I was going to take a photo but thought a curtain-twitcher might ring the police so I didn't bother. There seemed to be some kind of scarecrow event on as some gardens had them stood in their gardens. I noticed some of their clothes were newer and better than mine. It was time to head up to Liverpool to search for more graves. I did a salute and left.