Let the 18th-century giant rest in peace
Museum bosses to consider ‘respectful’ burial for 7ft 7in celebrity 235 years after his remains were stolen
THE bones of an 18th-century giant could finally be laid to rest after museum bosses agreed to reconsider pleas for a “respectful burial”.
Charles Byrne is thought to have suffered from growth disorder Acromegaly and at 7ft 7in became a celebrity with audiences paying to visit him in Charing Cross.
On his death, aged 22 in 1783, his body was taken to Margate for burial at sea. Byrne — known as “the Irish giant” — is said to have told friends he wanted to be laid to rest at sea to prevent his body being used for medical research. But it was stolen en route and the sealed casket filled with rocks.
Four years l a te r a n a to mi s t John Hunter — who according to some accounts had bribed a bodysnatcher — put Byrne’s skeleton on display at his home in Leicester Square.
It was later given to the Royal College of Surgeons, along with the rest of his collection of curiosities, and became a centrepiece of the Hunterian Museum’s anatomical exhibits.
For decades, calls for the “stolen” bones to be buried have been resisted but the debate has reignited as the museum, at the RCS headquarters in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, undergoes a major refurbishment.
The college has maintained that there is “no direct documentary evidence of his burial wishes” and the value of the remains for medical research “outweighs the benefits of carrying out Byrne’s apparent request”.
The remains and DNA have been used for medical research that has enabled better care for people living with, or susceptible to, his condition today. But critics argued that this was not a justification for displaying the skeleton.
Law lecturer Thomas Muinzer, from Stirling University, said he was “hopeful” B y r n e ’s w i s h e s wo u l d finally be respected. Dr Muinzer, who read about the case while researching burial law, said: “Some people would say withdrawing the display will be enough but many of us want there to be a respectful burial. I think as a society we generally care about the dead and give them a degree of respect and generally respect their posthumous wishes and I think we should respect his. We all rely on the living to carry out our final wishes”.
An RCS spokeswoman said: “The museum will be closed until 2021 and C h a rl e s B y r n e ’s s ke l e t o n is not currently on display. The trustees will be discussing the matter.”