Stone Giants of Aldworth Church - John Ever Afraid & Massive Bronze Age Skeletons - Megalithomania

As featured in the new book 'The Giants of Stonehenge and Ancient Britain': http://www.megalithomania.co.uk/giantsofbritain.html. In the church of St Marys, Aldworth on the Berkshire/Hampshire border, nine giant stone effigies lie recumbent within its walls. These are said to be life-sized representations of the De la Beche family members, some being over seven feet tall. Bronze Age skeletons in the direct area which were "very large" were discovered nearby in the 1800s, one with an arrow in his spine. The connection to the De la Beche dynasty is outlined in this video. The family were well known in the early part of the fourteenth century, as many of them were knights, retainers to the King, Warders of the Tower of London, as well as being Sheriffs of Oxfordshire and Berkshire. One stone effigy has disappeared altogether, that of the giant John Ever Afraid. An old tale claims that he sold his soul to the Devil for earthly riches, and that the Devil could claim Johns soul upon his death whether he was buried inside or outside the church. Hence, to stay clear of certain damnation, his body was buried in its walls, his stone effigy being placed in an alcove which today can been seen on the outside wall. His skeleton and his effigy are missing and there is a rumour that the statue ended up at Saint Lawrences Church in Hungerford, where a strangely similar recumbent stone statue of Sir Robert De Hungerford is still on display. A tradition of parading the giant John Ever Afraid around the village of Aldworth was still happening annually until a few years ago, apparently inspired by the stories of the De la Beche familys ancestors being remarkably tall. Was this really to do with the De La Beche giants, or the prehistoric giants found previously? It seems giants once existed in this particular area in human, stone, and even puppet form.

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