Merseyside is a place steeped with myth and legend, and one such place is the charming village of Hale, which claims to have once been home to a real life giant.
The history books are a little sketchy, but the Child of Hale was born sometime in the 1570's and lived until the 1620's, and his real name was John Middleton.
There is a cottage in Hale, where legend tells us he lived, bearing the plaque 'John Middleton lived here 1578 -1623', whether that was his whole life or not, we'll probably never know.
The ground of the village church, St Mary's, confirms the existence of John Middleton as his grave is here in the grounds, and is overlooked by the memorial pictured here, which has been carved out of a tree. On his gravestone reads the inscription:
"Here lyeth the bodie of John Middleton the Childe of Hale. Nine feet three."
His exact height has never been officialy proven,but the fact that he attained a prodigeous height is aknowledged by the Guiness Book Of Records.
The most respected scientific evidence of Middleton’s actual size comes from his famously large hands. By measuring the outline at Brasenose, and comparing the dimensions with those of Robert Pershing Wadlow, the Guinness Book of Records has concluded that John Middleton’s approximate height would in fact have been less than eight feet. Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable further confirms this view in its “Giants of other note” section: John Middleton was 9ft 3in; according to Dr Plot’s Natural History of Staffordshire (1686)… recent research suggests, however, that his actual stature may have been nearer 7ft 9in.
Other sources do mention a year of birth. Below a text from Wikimapia:
John Middleton was born in Hale in 1578. Middleton grew to a height of nine feet and three inches (2.8m), so tall, it is said, that he had to sleep with his feet sticking out of the window of his tiny cottage. Because of his ‘formidable appearance’ Middleton was employed as a bodyguard by a local landlord called Gilbert Ireland.
In 1617 on his way back from Scotland, King James I (James VI of Scotland) stopped to knight Ireland, and in doing so heard of his gigantic protector. Both master and servant were invited to visit the king’s court, and a fine outfit of purple, red and gold was specially made for John Middleton. In London, John beat the king’s champion wrestler, and in doing so broke the man’s thumb. Embarrassed by the defeat and displeased with the amount of money many of his subjects had lost in betting on the match, James sent the Childe home with the substantial amount of Ł20 for his troubles. Unfortunately, jealous of his wealth, and taking advantage of his apparently slow wits, Middleton’s companions mugged him on the journey back to Hale. John Middleton returned to the village penniless and remained there until he died in 1623.
Across the road from the Church is a tall tree stump that has been carved into a statue of the giant.
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