Frederick Kempster
English showman known as the English Giant or Blackburn Giant.
Frederick Kempster (1889–1918) was an English showman, billed as the English Giant or Blackburn Giant due to his extraordinary stature. He stood 7 ft 9.3 in (2.37 m) tall, with an arm span of 8 ft 4.5 in (2.55 m) and a weight of 170 kilograms (370 lb).
Born on 13 April 1889 in Blackburn, Lancashire to Joseph and Jane Kempster, he was the second youngest of seven children. His mother remembered him as a cheerful, generous boy. After his father died on Christmas Day 1897, eight-year-old Frederick and his two-year-old brother George were placed in a Barnardo’s orphanage in September 1898. At age nine and a half, he was just over 4 ft tall—smaller than average for his age. The charity sent him to Canada, but he returned to England on 12 November 1904, aged 15. By then, a congenital knee problem had caused ligament issues and abnormal growth at the top of his tibia, which steadily increased his height. He lived with his sister Ruth in Wiltshire. By age 22, he stood just under 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m), and public and press attention led him to view his height as a career. By 1913, he had reached slightly over 7 ft 9.3 in (2.37 m).
In June 1911, Kempster joined Astley and Co.’s American Circus in Chigwell, Essex, as a professional giant. In March 1914, he toured Europe, with circus management often exaggerating his height—claiming anywhere from 8 ft 4 in to 8 ft 8 in—to draw crowds. When World War I broke out in 1914, he was in Germany and was placed under house arrest in Berlin for a month before being released and returning to Britain. He gave interviews to the London press and visited his brother George, who was recovering in hospital after being wounded in France in 1916. Kempster continued touring Britain in 1917, but contracted influenza in Blackburn.
He died at age 29 in Queen’s Park Hospital, Blackburn, in 1918. Hospital case notes recorded his height at death as 7 ft 9.3 in (2.37 m). He was buried in a 9 ft (2.7 m) coffin in a 10 ft (3.0 m) grave at Blackburn Cemetery. His headstone refers to him as “The British Giant.”
Quick Facts
- Birth Name
- Frederick John Kempster
- Birth Date
- 13 April 1889
- Birth Place
- Bayswater, London, United Kingdom
- Death Date
- 15 April 1918 · 1889 · 04 · 13
- Death Place
- Blackburn, Lancashire, United Kingdom
- Resting Place
- Blackburn Old Cemetery
- Resting Place Coordinates
- 53°46'01.7"N 2°28'11.8"W
- Other Names
- English Giant / Blackburn Giant
- Known For
- Extreme height
- Occupation
- Circus giant
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
In June 1911, Kempster joined the Astley and Co.'s American Circus at Chigwell, Essex, as a professional giant. In March 1914, he toured Europe; circus management often exaggerated his height, with sources alleging anywhere from 8 ft 4 in to 8 ft 8 in. At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, he was in Germany and placed under house arrest in Berlin for a month before returning to Britain. He visited his brother George, wounded in France in 1916, and continued touring Britain in 1917, contracting influenza in Blackburn. He died aged 29 in Queen's Park Hospital, Blackburn, in 1918, and was buried in a 9 ft coffin in a 10 ft grave in Blackburn Cemetery. Hospital case notes recorded his height at death as 7 ft 9.3 in; his gravestone calls him 'The British Giant'.
Reader's Guide
Frederick Kempster's significance lies in his representation of the early 20th-century freak show tradition, where individuals with unusual physical characteristics were exhibited for public entertainment. His inclusion in the Guinness Book of Records from 1967 to 1993 as one of the tallest men in England cemented his legacy in popular culture long after his death. Kempster's life also illustrates the intersection of medical anomaly and showmanship: his height resulted from a congenital knee condition that caused uncontrolled growth, a fact documented in hospital case notes. The circus management's exaggeration of his height—with claims ranging from 8 ft 4 in to 8 ft 8 in—reflects the era's promotional practices. His experience of being placed under house arrest in Germany at the start of World War I adds a historical dimension, showing how his career was disrupted by geopolitical events. Kempster's burial in a specially made 9 ft coffin and a 10 ft grave underscores the practical challenges of his size. His story, preserved in records and a gravestone calling him 'The British Giant', offers a window into the lives of those who turned physical difference into a livelihood.
Did You Know?
- Kempster was placed in a Barnardo's orphanage at age 9 after his father died on Christmas Day 1897.
- He was shipped to Canada by the charity and returned to England on 12 November 1904.
- His height was caused by a congenital knee problem leading to uncontrolled growth at the upper end of the tibia.
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