Tom Hickathrift
East Anglian folk hero who fought a giant with an axle-tree.
Tom Hickathrift—also known as Jack Hickathrift—is a figure from East Anglian folklore, cut from the same cloth as Jack the Giant Killer. He is famous for fighting a giant, and while some tales describe him as a giant himself, he is more often portrayed as a man with superhuman strength.
The stories about him come in several forms. One version sets him as a simple labourer during the Norman Conquest. In the marsh at Tilney, Norfolk, he killed a giant using only an axle-tree jammed into a cartwheel. When that makeshift weapon broke, he grabbed a “lusty rawboned miller” and wielded him instead. This feat won him the governorship of Thanet. At St Peter’s Church in Walpole St Peter, a depression in the ground is said to mark where Tom—here a giant—threw a cannonball to scare off the devil.
In the fairy tale collected by Joseph Jacobs, Tom lived in the marshes of the Isle of Ely. Though lazy and gluttonous at first, he was enormously tall and soon showed he had the strength of twenty men. He carried twenty hundredweight of straw and a tree as if they weighed nothing, kicked a football so far it was never found, and turned the tables on four would-be robbers. Eventually he took a job carting beer in Wisbech, but the long journey tired him. One day he cut across the land of the Wisbech Giant. The giant took offence and came at him with a club, but Tom grabbed an axle-tree and cartwheel and fought back. After a fierce battle, the giant was dead. Tom took the giant’s land and from then on was held in high regard by the local people.
Jacobs credits his source to a chapbook edited by G. L. Gomme, held in the Pepys Library and dating from around 1660. Gomme’s introduction notes that an axle-tree and cartwheel had once appeared on a stone tomb in Tilney All Saints churchyard, and local stories linked these to a man named Hickifric who had resisted the tyranny of the lord of the manor.
Some scholars suggest Tom echoes the Norse god Thor (Þunor in Anglo-Saxon). Both fought giants, ate enormous amounts, and used a hammer-like weapon. There is even a hint that the “miller” and Thor’s hammer Mjolnir share a common origin.
Tom appears in Laurence Sterne’s *Tristram Shandy* and George Borrow’s *Lavengro*, though Borrow places his exploits in Lincolnshire. The Old Sun Inn in Saffron Walden, Essex, features his battle with the Wisbech Giant in its elaborate plasterwork.
- Field
- Folklore
- Nationality
- English
- Known for
- Battling a giant with an axle-tree and cartwheel; possessing giant-like strength
Lore & Background
In one version of his story, Tom Hickathrift is fabled to have been a simple labourer at the time of the Norman Conquest and to have killed a giant in the marsh at Tilney, Norfolk, armed only with an axle-tree stuck into a cartwheel. When his makeshift weapon broke, he grabbed a 'lusty rawboned miller' and used him as a weapon instead. This exploit earned him the governorship of Thanet. At St Peter's Church in Walpole St Peter there is a depression in the ground where it is said a cannonball landed after he threw it to scare away the devil (in this version Tom is a giant).
In the fairy tale as told by Joseph Jacobs, Tom lived in one of the marshes of the Isle of Ely and although initially lazy and gluttonous, he was prodigiously tall and had the strength of twenty men. He carried twenty hundredweight of straw and a tree as if they weighed nothing, kicked a football so far that nobody could find it, and turned the tables on four men who tried to rob him. He eventually got a job carting beer in Wisbech, but the long journey tired him, so one day he cut across the land of the Wisbech Giant. The giant took this badly and fetched his club, but Tom took the axletree and cartwheel and fought the giant, killing him after a furious battle. Tom took his land and was from then on held in esteem by the people of the area.
Reader's Guide
Tom Hickathrift is a significant figure in East Anglian folklore, embodying the archetype of the strong common man who overcomes tyranny. His story has been suggested to echo the Norse god Thor (Anglo-Saxon: Þunor), as both were known for fighting giants, ate prodigiously, and used a hammer-like weapon (with a suggestion that the 'miller' and Thor's hammer Mjolnir come from the same source). His cultural legacy includes mentions in Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy and George Borrow's Lavengro, though Borrow places his exploits in Lincolnshire. The elaborate moulded plasterwork (pargeting) decorating the Old Sun Inn in Saffron Walden, Essex, features his battle against the Wisbech Giant. References to Hickathrift persist in the Wisbech area: Hickathrift Farm, Hickathrift House, and Hickathrift Corner exist, though the large indentation known as Hickathrift's Washbasin has been built over. A large stone cross remains in Tilney All Saints churchyard, thought to be the last of three collectively known as Hickathrift's Candlesticks. The story is occasionally reenacted, as occurred in Wisbech in 2016 as part of a HLF funded project.
Did You Know?
- In one version of the story, Tom Hickathrift used a 'lusty rawboned miller' as a weapon after his axle-tree broke.
- A depression at St Peter's Church in Walpole St Peter is said to be where a cannonball landed after Tom threw it to scare away the devil.
- Joseph Jacobs's source for the tale was a chapbook edited by G. L. Gomme in the Pepys Library from around 1660.
- It has been suggested that Tom Hickathrift echoes the Norse god Thor (Anglo-Saxon: Þunor).
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Tom Hickathrift?
Tom Hickathrift, sometimes called Jack Hickathrift, is an East Anglian folk hero from English folklore. He is best known as a man of extraordinary strength who slew a giant in the Norfolk marshes.
How did Tom Hickathrift kill the giant?
In the Tilney marsh, he drove an axle-tree through a cartwheel and used that improvised weapon to strike down the giant. When the tool shattered, he seized a nearby miller and swung him as a club to finish the job.
Is Tom Hickathrift a giant himself?
Most tellings cast him as an ordinary laborer with superhuman rather than giant-scale strength, though a minority of versions do describe him as a true giant. He is generally compared to Jack the Giant Killer rather than to the giants he fights.
What era and setting does Tom Hickathrift's story use?
The most common version places him as a simple farmhand during the Norman Conquest. The climactic battle with the giant takes place in the marshland at Tilney, Norfolk.
Why does Tom Hickathrift matter to fans of giant folklore?
He embodies the East Anglian tradition of a common man overcoming a monstrous opponent through sheer force and quick thinking. His tale sits alongside Jack the Giant Killer as a parallel English narrative of underdog heroism against giant foes.
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