Charles Freeman aka"The American Giant"

[Caractacus]

Anyone see his skeleton there when they visted London recently ?

[HomicideHenry]

[HomicideHenry]

https://books.google.com/books?id=tTST7 ... nt&f=false

According to this 2001 book the skeleton of Charles Freeman was purchased for £2 at his death and sold for "twice as much" to the London Royal College of Surgeons. His peak height was 6'11.4" though he died at 6'7.3", and he was for decades standing next to Charles Byrne the 7'7" Irish giant.

For the passed decade or so he's not been next to Byrne, so the question comes up, "Is he still there?" and I have little doubt that he is. They are absolutely remorseless those people, and no matter petitions made to return Byrne to Ireland they refuse to listen. So I very much doubt they'd ever return Freeman. Probably in a box somewhere.

[HomicideHenry]

I really wish the matter was solved as to the whereabouts of Charles Freeman's body. In this day and age, his living descendants ought to be given the body for proper burial back in Michigan.

[Caractacus]

PC idiots removed it may have even buried it or cremated it.
The question is is his grave maker still there over in the cemetery at Winchester ?
( where reportedly he was buried September 23rd 1845 after dying at the Hospital there in Winchester ).
reportedly his friend and fellow pugilist Ben Caunt was Chief Mourner.

[HomicideHenry]

https://westhillcemetary.wordpress.com/graves/

A very plain stone, for Charles Freeman.

The cemetery holds a famous American Pugilist.

Charles Freeman (d.1845) was an American bare-knuckle boxer known as “The American Giant”. The memorial in the cemetery comprises the original flat slab laid at the time of burial and an obelisk paid for by a fellow American pugilist, John Heenan. The inscription reads “Here rests the body of Charles Freeman, the American Giant, who departed this life after a long illness in this town, October 22, 1845, aged 28 years. This monument is erected to his memory by his fellow countryman, J.C. Heenan”.

Heenan would have only been 11 years old when Freeman died so it is very unlikely they would have ever met. The Hampshire Chronicle of 7 July 1860 reports the Mr John C. Heenan, the “Benicia Boy”, spent a couple of hours in this city on Saturday last. His business was understood to be the inspection of the monument lately sent from London by his order for erection over the grave of the pugilist Charles Freeman and to discharge some liabilities incurred in fixing the same”.

[Brighton Girl]

I m researching some Circus History in Brighton and have had a little delve into Charles Freeman's history. After he had performed in Brighton in May 1845 he travelled on to Worthing, then it was on the Isle of Wight that they brought him over to Winchester Hospital and where he died. He left whatever money he had to Winchester Hosptial. His friend and sparring partner Ben Caunt wanted to take him back to London for burial, but apparently Freeman had requested to be buried at Winchester, where Ben Caunt was his chief mourner. I couldn't believe what I read when stumbling accross your website, I've just been reading your accounts of his body being sold on to medical science. Wow, poor man. I bet Ben Caunt never knew either. So was his body sold at the time or was it a case of grave robbing?
Best wishes,
Carol

[Caractacus]

Charles Freeman's mounted skeleton was for many years on exhibit at the Museum of The Royal College of Surgeons
in London (England). The may have taken it off display in recent years however due to PC culture.
( it had been on display neat to the skeleton of "The Irish Giant"
https://www.theguardian.com/science/201 ... on-display

[BroughtonRulesRefuge]

Charles Freeman's mounted skeleton was for many years on exhibit at the Museum of The Royal College of Surgeons
in London (England). The may have taken it off display in recent years however due to PC culture.
( it had been on display neat to the skeleton of "The Irish Giant"
https://www.thegurardian.com/science/20 ... on-display

- -Where you been you ol'coot?

Hibernating in the mountains from Corona Virus with all your b'ar friends?

Charles Freeman and Ben Caunt too. What's not to like when young Henry gets going?

Bob Mees included a good segment on Freeman in his Bareknucks book, the best boxing book I've ever read. Like all giants then and now, he was exploited that included grave robbery.

As I recall he was boiled in a gruesome, stenchsome pot by English "women" until his skeleton could be pulled out intact and sold for a princely sum, yum, yum!

[Caractacus]

]
here's the right link to the story
https://www.theguardian.com/science/201 ... on-display

yeah after the people who were responsible to see that he (Charles Byrne)was to be buried at sea in a lead coffin were bribed
to look the other way (for a 100 quid),(imagine the same thing happened for Charles Freeman's body)
,the Irish giant 's body was cut up and placed in a vast Copper Kettle which macerated his flesh.
The Copper Kettle was in the home of John Hunter who died in 1793
when his home was purchased in 1866 and pulled down the Copper Kettle was removed
and put on temporary display there at the Hunterian Museum in 1893
I believe the Copper Kettle had also been on display at the Hunterian Museum.

[Caractacus]

dunno about you, but whenever someone brings up the Tipton Slasher,
I automatically think of "The American Giant".