Known as The Wiltshire Giant, Avebury Giant, Essex Giant, Blackburn Giant and English Giant he toured the country as an Edwardian circus attraction.
Born in London in 1889 to normal-sized parents, he moved to the countryside of Avebury, Wiltshire, at the age of four to live with his sister and brother-in-law. There he grew and grew. Soon he was head and shoulders above most teenagers and news of his size spread throughout the district. His hands measured 15 ins from wrist to fingertips and his height kept increasing. For a few years he worked at Avebury Manor as a gardener. But his size - by then well over 7ft - was clearly his most notable attribute and eventually the promise of fame and fortune tempted him to join a travelling circus.
When World War 1 broke out, Fred’s circus was in Germany and he and his colleagues were imprisoned. He was kept in terrible conditons, and on his release in 1916 his health was broken. But he returned to the road and continued to grow throughout his twenties.
In 1918, on tour in Blackburn, he caught influenza and died at the age of 29. Although Fred almost certainly suffered from gigantism - a condition most commonly caused by over-production of the growth hormone somatotrophin - his exact height remains a matter for debate. Mr Alexandra-Jones, from Bath has uncovered undertaker’s records which he claims prove Fred was 8ft 4 and a half inches - a British record. He weighed 27 stone and it took ten men to carry his 9ft coffin. Previous disputed pictorial evidence puts Fred at just over 7ft 8in - half an inch shorter than the British record holder William Bradley of Humberside, who died in 1820.
But eyewitness accounts have always suggested he may have been far taller than that. A Guinness Book of Records spokesman said compilers would consider any new evidence for the record and bring in an independent researcher if necessary. Vanessa Law said : ‘The height record has always been a very popular one.’ She said a man called John Middleton is said to have been 9ft 3ins. But he lived in the 16th century and other estimates put his height around 7ft 9ins. William Bradley’s height is regarded as ‘more reliable.’ Whatever the evidence of Fred’s height, he never matched the tallest person ever. When he died in 1940, American Robert Pershing Wadlow was more than 8ft 11ins.
Mr Alexandra-Jones said he hoped his book would reveal Fred’s kind and friendly nature. He said: ‘There is plenty of evidence that there was nothing frightening about Fred. He loved having visitors and was fond of children. ‘I hope this book will rehabilitate his memory and reputation. ‘There are still questions unanswered. But I am quite certain he was 8ft 4 and a half inches tall.
‘The undertaker’s notes are specific and there is no reason for them to exaggerate and that makes him the tallest man in Britain.’
Right Click And Open In New Tab To Enlarge
News/Web Articles About Frederick Kempster