Charles Byrne (giant)
Charles O'Brien | |
|---|---|
Byrne in a John Kay etching (1784), alongside the Brothers Knipe, and Andrew Bell, Baillie Kid, James Burnett, Lord Monboddo and William Richardson | |
| Born | 1761 |
| Died | 1 June 1783 (aged 21–22) London, England, Great Britain |
| Resting place | London, England, United Kingdom |
Charles Byrne (probable real name: Charles O'Brien; 1761 – 1 June 1783), or "The Irish Giant", was a man regarded as a curiosity or freak in London in the 1780s for his large stature. Byrne's exact height is of some conjecture. Some accounts refer to him as being 8 ft 2 in (2.49 m) to 8 ft 4 in (2.54 m) tall, but skeletal evidence places him at just over 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m).
His skeleton was on display at the Hunterian Museum in London from 1799 until it was removed from public display in 2023.