"Roots," Boots, and Big Galoots: Antony Payne

Everyone loved the Cornish giant Antony Payne, who was seven feet two by the time he turned twenty one. Though he could scare a vampire out of his coffin, he had a gentle nature, and was loved by adults and children alike. His parents had a small house on the estate of Sir Bevil Grenville, but he moved in with Sir Bevil -- presumably as his bodyguard, but possibly just as a conversation piece.

Supposedly one cold winter night a servant sent a boy and his donkey into the forest to gather firewood. Hours passed but the pair didn't return, so Antony ventured out after them. He found them huddled together, frozen nearly solid, so he hoisted the boy, the donkey and the firewood onto his back and carried them all home.

The king eventually heard of Antony, and decided that he wanted to get a look. He sent for the giant and eventually commissioned an artist to paint his portrait. This was what folks did before there were Instamatics.

Antony died in his bed at the age of eighty-one. His family took comfort in the fact that he outlived most giants by fifty years. They were a trifle peeved, though, when the family home had to be cut to kindling to get his body outside.

His grave is in the north aisle of Stratton Church in North Cornwall. The Grenville Manor House is now a hotel known as the Tree Inn. His portrait is still on display in the Royal Institute of Cornwall in the town of Truro.