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‘The Giants of Stonehenge and Ancient Britain’ – Book launch at The Henge Shop, Avebury
13 November 2021 @ 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Authors Hugh Newman and Jim Vieira will be signing books and giving a free lecture at 3pm
The authors take a close look at these age-old stories of Giants and the remarkable skeletal discoveries to reveal for the first time an important lost chapter of British history. Here is a unique ‘top ten’ of the giants discovered in Great Britain.
10: Cadair Idris, Wales, 7ft
Two seven feet tall skeletons in a burial with hazel dowsing rods were unearthed at the base of Cadair Idris in Wales in 1685 by peat-diggers. The mountain is the mythical home of ‘Idris Gawr’ (the Giant Idris), who was one of the three ‘Holy Astronomers of Britain’ and was also a renowned king who ruled in the 6th century.
9: St Michael’s Mount, Cornwall, 8ft
An eight-foot skeleton was discovered in the early 1800s on St Michael’s Mount inside a narrow dungeon cut in the solid rock which is now the crypt below the chapel. Ancient myths talk of Cormoran the Giant who was killed by Jack-the-Giant-Killer.
8: Lundy Island, Devon, 8ft 7in
In 1856 two skeletons were discovered on the south part of the island, one was 8ft 5in, and the other was 8ft 7in. They were buried in stone-lined graves with several other average sized skeletons. In old legends, rock-wielding giants who were masters of sorcery were said to be buried there, who: “…were driven there from bases in Cornwall and that they angrily hurled rocks back to the mainland.”
7: Glastonbury Abbey, Somerset, 9ft
In the year 1191, the monks of Glastonbury Abbey announced a major discovery claiming the skeleton of King Arthur had been found. Witnesses claimed it was nine feet long, and next to it was a female skeleton with a plait of blond hair, said to be Guinevere. A lead cross with latin inscriptions said it was the tomb of King Arthur. Nearby, in a prehistoric ‘lake-village,’ 7ft long longbows made of Yew were discovered.
6: Maeshowe, Orkney, 10ft
Maeshowe is a major megalithic tomb on mainland Orkney, Scotland, dating to 2800 BC. In 1861 it was reported that a ten-foot-tall skeleton and two mummies were found inside. Another account from 1529 reveals that a 14-foot skeleton was also unearthed in the area (although this is likely to be the same find).
5: Glenelg Broch, Scotland, 11ft
At the 2000-year-old Dun Telve Broch in Glenelg, Scotland, two remarkable skeletons were discovered, one approximately 8 1/2 feet and the other almost 11 feet tall. This is one of many stone towers found in Scotland, and the local area was known as the ‘Field of the Big Men.’
4: Duchuil, Co.Mayo, Ireland, 12ft 6in
The famous Saint Patrick may have been the first ever archaeologist, and whilst digging up ancient graves, he discovered an over twelve-foot-long skeleton of an ancient warrior in a long barrow in Ireland. Also in the tomb was a huge axe and gigantic sword, but St Patrick dispersed the bones and ancient weaponry after trying to save the soul of the Pagan giant and apparently sent him to heaven!
3: St Bee’s, Cumbria, 13ft 6in
In the early 1800s, Hugh Hodson dug up a nearly fourteen-foot-tall giant in corn fields in St Bee’s, Cumbria. The skeleton still had full armour, a huge sword and an axe measuring over “two yards long.” The finds were distributed between the local villagers.
2: Stonehenge, Wiltshire, 14ft 10in
In the early 1500s, Sir Thomas Elyot, author, diplomat and scholar, reported on a 14ft 10in skeleton found a few miles south of Stonehenge. Also in the huge oak coffin was an ancient book with mysterious inscriptions on it. In 1719, a 9ft 4in skeleton was found in a mound nearby. The earliest recorded name of Stonehenge is ‘The Giant’s Dance,’ and in legend the stone circle was said to have been built by a tribe called the ‘Cangick Giants.’
1: Cor Giant, Northumberland, 21ft
In 1660, the remains of a stunning skeleton was unearthed at Corbridge, near a section of Hadrian’s Wall. It was said to measure 21 feet long, and in the early 1800s another skull was found nearby of “immense size.” The rib of the giant ended up in Keswick Museum in Cumbria where other colossal skulls and bones were kept.
