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in wrestling and in doing so broke the man's thumb. He received £20, a large amount of money in those times. Jealous of his wealth, Middleton's companions mugged him or swindled him out of his money while he was returning to Hale. Middleton died impoverished in 1623. He was buried in the cemetery of
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Liverpool, a National Trust property. Although, based on a supposed Victorian exhumation, he was said to be 9 ft 3 in (2.82 m), Guinness World Records calculated a more likely height of 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m) from the Brasenose College handprints.
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portrait as its sign. In 1996 a large tree trunk opposite the church was carved with representations of John
Middleton, Hale Lighthouse and other local symbols. In 2011, because of disease and in the interests of public safety the tree trunk was removed by
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in Hale. The epitaph reads, "Here lyeth the bodie of John
Middleton the Childe of Hale. Nine feet three. Borne 1578 Dyede 1623." He is likely one of the tallest people in history. If these height markings are accurate, he would surpass
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stopped by in 1617 to knight
Ireland he heard about Middleton and invited both of them to the court, which they accepted in 1620. Middleton beat the King's
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There have been numerous local uses and commemorations of
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Because of his size the landlord and sheriff of
Lancashire, Gilbert Ireland, hired him as a bodyguard. When King
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7 ft 9 in (2.36 m) to 9 ft 3 in (2.82 m) (unverified)
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A wooden sculpture formerly opposite the church but now removed
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65:Hale, Liverpool, England
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366:#187, September 2004)
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354:"The Childe of Hale"
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127:James I
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110:History
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