Anna Haining Bates | |
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 Bates c. 1860-1870 | |
| Born | Anna Haining Swan (1846-08-06)August 6, 1846 Mill Brook, New Annan,Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Died | August 5, 1888(1888-08-05) (aged 41) Seville, Ohio, United States |
| Occupation | Circus attraction |
| Known for | Record height 7 feet 11 inches (2.41 m) |
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Anna Haining Bates (néeSwan; August 6, 1846 – August 5, 1888) was aCanadian woman notable for her great stature of 7 feet 11 inches (2.41 m).[1][2] She was one of thetallest women who ever lived. Her parents were of average height and wereScottish immigrants.
Anna Swan was born at Mill Brook,New Annan,Nova Scotia.[1] At birth she weighed 13 pounds (5.90 kg). She was the third[4] of 13 children, all of the others being around average height. From birth she grew very rapidly. Anna's mother recalled that her daughter's growth rate was "phenomenal."[5]
On her fourth birthday, Swan was 4 feet 6 inches (137 centimetres) tall and weighed 94 pounds (42.64 kg).[6] On her 6th birthday she was measured at 5 feet 2 inches (157.48 centimetres) tall, an inch or two (2.5–5 cm) shorter than her mother. On her 10th birthday she measured 6 feet 1 inch (185 cm) tall and weighed at 203 pounds (92.08 kg). On her 11th birthday, she was measured at 6 feet 4 inches (193.04 centimetres) tall.[7] On her 15th birthday Swan was measured at 7 feet 0 inches (213.36 centimetres) tall. She reached her full height three years later. Her feet were 14.2 inches (36 cm) long.
Swan excelled atliterature andmusic and was considered to be very intelligent. She also excelled at her studies of acting, piano and voice. On one occasion she playedLady Macbeth.
When she was 17, Swan started working with American showmanP. T. Barnum.[8]: 86 She lived inBarnum's American Museum in New York City, and on July 13, 1865, she nearly burned to death when the museum was destroyed by fire. At the time she weighed 384 lb. (159 kg). Her highest recorded weight was 418 lb or just under 30stone.[9]
Swan later toured the western United States, followed by Europe where she appeared beforeQueen Victoria of the United Kingdom.[8]: 86 When visiting a circus inHalifax with whichMartin Van Buren Bates—another enormously tall person known as the "Kentucky Giant"—was travelling, Swan was spotted by the promoter and hired on the spot.
The giant couple became a touring sensation and eventually fell in love; they married on June 17, 1871, inSt Martin-in-the-Fields inLondon.[10] Queen Victoria gave Anna a satin gown and diamond ring, and gave Martin an engraved watch as gifts for their wedding.[8]: 87
Bates conceived two children with Martin.[8]: 87–88 The first was a girl born on May 19, 1872; she weighed 18 pounds (8.16 kg) and died at birth.[11] While touring in the summer of 1878, Anna was pregnant for the second time. The boy was born on January 18, 1879, and survived only 11 hours.[1] Named just "Babe" he was said by his father to have had the appearance of a perfect 6-month-old. He was the largest newborn ever recorded, at 22 pounds (10.0 kg) and 28 inches tall (c. 72 cm); each of his feet was six inches (150 mm) long. He was posthumously awarded aGuinness World Record as the heaviest new-born baby and the longest.[12]
The Bateses retired toSeville, Ohio, where they built a mansion with high ceilings and door frames.[8]: 87 The main part of the house had fourteen-foot (4.3 m) ceilings, while the doors were extra wide and were eight feet (2.4 m) tall. The back part of the house was built an average size for servants and guests.
They resumed touring with theW. W. Cole Circus in the summer of 1879, and again in the spring of 1880, which was her final ever tour. After that, Bates spent her remaining years quietly on the farm that she and her husband owned. She had joined the localBaptist Church in 1877 and attended services with her husband until shortly before her death.
Anna Bates died suddenly and unexpectedly ofheart failure in her sleep at her home on August 5, 1888, one day before her 42nd birthday.
The cause of her height was never discovered in her lifetime.[citation needed]
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