FOR centuries children have visited the Hale cottage of a famous giant who reputedly slept with his feet protruding from the windows.

The epitaph on his tomb in St Mary’s graveyard reads ‘Here lyeth the bodie of John Middleton, the Childe – nine feet three’.

The tale of Halton’s most famous son has intrigued people for 400 years.

A Widnes author has spent four years trying to find out what the life of this colossal man was really like.

It is the first time anyone has delved behind the myth and folklore to examine the personal history of the legend.

The Childe of Hale: A celebration and survey of the tradition, a beautifully illustrated 300-page hardback book is a detailed scholarly study.

Arthur Whimperley, aged 69, of Stratton Park said: “Who was this guy? What do we know about him?

“My job was not to debunk history. There is still a lot we don’t know.

“It became a passion.”

He meticulously scoured records and even visited a professor friend in Cairo to research theories.

The baptismal register revealed John Middleton was born in 1573, not 1578, as engraved on his tomb.

There is no record of his parents or evidence that he ever married or had children.

Arthur, a retired chartered psychologist, said: “The only measurement of his body was taken in 1768. He’d already been dead for 100 years.

“His long thigh bone was 2ft 9ins long.”

At the heart of the myth it is claimed he defeated the wrestler of King James 1 in London.

Arthur questions this as he suspects John Middleton would have suffered medical joint problems because of his size.

Arthur said: “I feel some compassion for him. He was a big lad and was different.

“He has been iconised as big, strong and a champion.

“He would have been at risk and vulnerable and could have been taken to markets and fairs and made fun of.

“I don’t want to explode the myths but the opposite could be true.

“We can only speculate on how people interpreted his difference.

“We should be proud of him and respect him.”