Exploring GB

William Bradley, known as the Yorkshire Giant, was a British man known as one of the tallest to ever live.

At 7 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 27 stone, William went on become the tallest ever recorded British man.

Born in Market Weighton, Yorkshire William was the fourth son in a family of thirteen and weighed 14 pounds (6.35 kg) at birth.

By the age of 18, he weighed 27 stone and had reached his full height of just under 8ft.

His feet were also massive at 16 inches long and 6 inches wide meaning his shoes all had to be specially made.

At least his father was a master tailor so could make bespoke clothes for his huge son to accommodate his 4ft 8 inch chest.

His father, a master tailor measured 5 ft 9 inches, while his siblings and mother Anne were of average size, although one sister who died in an accident at age 16 was tall.

He was said to have been teased at school because of his height, though many students were scared of him.

Teachers at the school were said to have punished misbehaving students by getting Bradley to lift them onto high cross beams, until the teacher decided to have them taken down again.

After leaving school, he worked on a farm near the town of Pocklington, earning less than 10 shillings (50p) a week.

Bradley travelled with a group of showmen under the alias of the Yorkshire Giant; at the time, the freak shows were popular and would draw large crowds.

As the tallest British man, Bradley was a prized asset in the business joining the huge Yorkshire Pig which was bred in Sancton two miles from Market Weighton.

After touring many fairs up and down the country, he parted from his minder by 1815 to manage himself.

He would charge a shilling for each person to visit him in a room which he hired in various towns.

He was even presented before King George III at Windsor who gave him a large golden watch on a chain, which he wore for the rest of his life.

Whilst making a living from his size touring England, he always returned to Market Weighton where he lived throughout his life.

Whilst home he was reported to have enjoyed wagers with the locals taking bets on tasks such as how quickly he could load a wagon.

There is a large boulder and a plaque which celebrates another of the wagers where he was bet that he couldn’t carry a boulder from the village of Goodmanham to Market Weighton.

He did the task with ease and as well as the boulder he was meant to have carried there is also a life size illustration of this event.

Before his death he is said to have required a walking stick which was 5ft 10 inches – taller than many men!

Bradley died aged 33 in his hometown of Market Weighton, where he was buried inside the church because of fears of grave robbing.

His house still stands on Market Hill. The A1079 road, which passes Market Weighton is named Giant Bradley Way.

Today, the town also has a life size wooden carved statue of William Bradley on the High Street created by local sculptor Malcolm McLachlan.

Writing about the statue on TripAdvisor, one recent visitor said: “Everywhere has something to boast about so why not celebrate being the home town of England's tallest ever man with a life size statue of him?

”It's a stone's throw (pun intended) from a boulder he allegedly lugged from one place to another but that's as much folklore as it is fact.

”At least the statue is a bona fide memorial and stands as near to his former home as modern traffic flows allow. One to tick in the I Spy book of trivia!”

Another person said: “The Giant Bradley statue is a focal point in the town of Market Weighton year round. It is a beautiful carving of William Bradley the tallest man in England.

”He is lit up at night and is often decorated at special times of the year like Christmas.”

There is also a Giant Bradley Heritage Trail around the town highlighting heritage buildings and a tablet that actually records the size of the Yorkshire Giants footprint.