Aldworth Giants: Knights Who People Tried To Erase From History

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - In search of the truth about giants, our journey takes us to the church of St. Mary, located in Aldworth, an English village.

In this small parish, several interesting figures are supposed to be life-size representations depicting knights over seven feet tall. These individuals were the Aldworth giants, who people tried to erase from history. The giants were members of the De La Beche family.

Church of St. Mary is located in Aldworth. Image credit: Credit: Oldfarm - CC BY-SA 3.0

According to tradition, these giants were also known by other names such as John Long, John Strong, John Never Afraid, and John Ever Afraid.

According to Aldworth Parish, "after Harold II and his house earls were defeated and killed on Senlac Hill, Hastings in 1066, Duke William of Normandy crossed the Thames at Wallingford and marched triumphantly on London. In the following years after the invasion, many of the Conqueror's sympathizers and supporters crossed the English Channel in search of land and favors in the new Norman Kingdom.

One of these was a knight from Flanders named de la Beche who, probably due to services given to the king, was granted a license to build a castle at Aldworth.

In addition, he was given land and the right to build property near Swallowfield, Compton, Bradfield, Yattendon, and a second castle at Mortimer.

Sir Philip de la Beche. Image credit: Aldworth Village

The Doomsday Book, compiled from 1086 onwards, records Aldworth as Elleorde and assesses the land value at one hundred shillings with a tillage potential of five plows and woodland sufficient for ten swine. The inhabitants seem to have numbered no more than twenty-five souls, all of them simple folk, villeins, serfs, and swineherd."

As previously mentioned, there are numerous monumental effigies inside the church of the De La Beche family.

The effigy said to represent John Ever afraid no longer exists but was set in an alcove in the church's outside wall, which has now been blocked. It is said that he sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for worldly riches.

The bargain was that the Devil would claim his soul whether he was buried inside or outside the church. Burying his body within the church walls meant somebody cheated the Devil of his prize.

The damaged condition of most of the carvings, notably the headless Lady Isabella, her husband John, and the limbless and headless young John, stems from the 1650s when an Act of Parliament passed by the Cromwell regime decreed "the demolition of monuments of idolatry and superstition."

The Aldworth giants are on all sides of the pews in St Mary's Church, and are effigies to members of the same family. Credit: Oldfarm - CC BY-SA 3.0

It was too much for the curate, Thomas Longland, who was appalled by the sacrilegious acts of destruction committed by the people and had no alternative but to resign from St. Mary's.

Today, the castle of de la Beche, long since vanished by the crossroads at the Four Points, is now the site of the present de la Beche Manor, and it was here that the identity of the Aldworth effigies was confirmed. The site of the castle was being excavated in 1871 when a seal was discovered bearing the name of Isabella de la Beche.

It is truly a shame that De Le Beche memorials were so badly damaged, but at least some parts were preserved for future generations so that knowledge and memory of the Aldworth giants will not be lost.

Article in Portuguese - here

Updated on August 15, 2022

Written by Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com

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