19. An Unlikely Mate Found Her
While checking out a circus in Halifax, Bates couldn’t help but spot Martin Van Buren Bates—a fellow who was also over seven feet tall and pushing 500 pounds. Naturally, Bates was also spotted right back by Martin and a promoter, which led to a few interesting developments in both her career and her love life.
20. Here Comes Love
It really is a tale as old as time. Every prince needs his princess, and every giantess needs her giant. Bates married Martin in 1871 in London after the couple fell madly in love and began touring together in the circus.
It’s really through this very union that Bates…well became a "Bates". Before then, her surname had been "Swan". During her metamorphosis, she received quite a tremendous blessing, as well.
21. Her Love Story Intrigued The Queen
As mentioned, somehow along her travels, Bates became friends with Queen Victoria. In 1861, after the Queen lost her husband, Prince Albert, she fell into a deep state of depression and grieved severely for the rest of her life. But the queen's personal loss didn't diminish her appreciation for other people's love stories.
22. She Received A Remarkable Gift
In 1871, when word spread that Anna Bates had found love, Queen Victoria decided to do something special for her. She gifted the entertainer with a bridal gown that was made of 100 meters of satin and 50 meters of lace and embroidered orange blossoms. And the gifts didn’t stop there.
23. She Had An Awesome Ceremony
Rumor has it that Queen Victoria arranged for Bates’ wedding to take place at the Church of St. Martin-in-the Field’s. It’s not known for certain if that’s fully true, but the story remains an interesting piece of folklore surrounding the unlikely friendship between the two women.
Speculation aside, there were definitely still more presents in store for Bates, which were undeniably courtesy of the Queen.
24. She Got Bedazzled
Anna Bates returned to Buckingham Palace after receiving an invitation from Queen Victoria to visit and received a diamond cluster ring. The bridegroom also received a gold watch and chain. Together, the couple later went on to meet with the Queen at least twice more, plus they met some other royals along the way.
25. She Was A Giver
A year after marrying, Bates and her new husband purchased a home with lots of land in Seville, Ohio, which had unique height specifications to accommodate their incredible statures. The main part of the home had massive ceilings and doorways that were built to be especially wide for them.
However, the couple decided to ensure that the back part of their home was of average size in order to suit the needs of both servants and guests. But life wasn't always so smooth sailing.
26. Life On The Road Was Hard
Sometimes while traveling with different touring companies, the couple met the wrong promoters. On one occasion, they were even tossed out of a train car. There is little detail on why they were so unwelcome, but Bates seemed to recover from these rejections well. After all, she had no trouble finding love in other places.
27. She Took In Animals
Bates was a strong animal lover. She disapproved of horse racing, and on the farm, she made it a point to take in cattle and draft horses. With her husband, she also adopted animals that “retired” from the circus.
Family relatives of her continue to tell stories today about a particular time when she took in a monkey called Buttons, who was known for causing a ruckus with visitors.
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28. She Grew and She Lost
In 1872, still a newlywed couple, Bates and her husband conceived their first child together—but it ended in tragedy. On May 19, 1872, a baby girl was born weighing 18 pounds. Sadly though, the girl did not survive childbirth. For Bates, the loss was incredible, and unfortunately, similar ones would strike her later in life.
29. Tragedy Struck Once More
Six years after the birth of her stillborn, Bates became pregnant with a son in 1878. On January 18, 1879, her water broke, and she reportedly lost six gallons of fluid. But she was in for an extremely rough labor. As the hours passed and the baby crowned, the doctor came to a chilling realization.
30. Her Baby Was Too Big
Anna Bates' baby was so big, the doctor couldn't fit his forceps around its head. To usher the child into the world, they place a bandage around its neck and pulled. He was a whopping 23 pounds, and Martin later wrote, "He looked at birth like an ordinary child of six months". But tragically, this was another doomed birth.
31. She Lost Her Babies
Motherhood eluded Anna Bates in a brutal way. After just 11 hours though, her baby boy passed. Posthumously, he received a Guinness World Record for being the largest newborn ever noted. This second loss Bates devastated her yet again and the consequences took an incredible toll on her.
32. She Couldn’t Recover
Having lost two children, Bates fell into a deep depression. She no longer wanted to tour and withdrew socially to cope with her pain. In many ways, this was the beginning of the end.
Although she attempted re-touring with the circus again a bit later on, she ultimately withdrew once again.
33. She Pursued A Quiet Life
After re-touring with the circus, Bates and her husband decided to live a quieter existence during the late 1870s. In fact, by the spring of 1880, Bates mostly spent her time solely on the farm that she owned with Martin, and they became more heavily involved with the Baptist Church.
34. How It Ended
In 1888, after having struggled with tuberculosis and thyroid issues, Bates suffered from heart failure during her sleep. This happened just one day before her 42nd birthday, so she sadly never woke up to see the marking of another year.
35. She Was Honored
After her passing, Bates’ husband erected a monument on her grave to honor her. A year later, he re-married and moved out of their Ohio home, so that his average-sized second wife could be more comfortable. However, when Martin passed on himself, he was buried next to Bates and his baby boy.
36. She Lives On
To this day, Seville, Ohio continues to remember Bates and her husband. In town, there is an exhibit dedicated to the couple with artifacts about their life together. At the Tatamagouche Creamery Square Heritage Centre in Halifax, there is also a museum dedicated specifically to the giantess, and some descendants of her relatives are still involved in curating and guiding tours for visitors.
37. A Little Backstory
Throughout her life, Bates was often presented and promoted as being more than eight feet tall. In all actuality, she stopped growing before getting quite that large, but she certainly came close (reports of her actual height vary).
However, to further sensationalize the attraction at shows, the exaggeration of her height often became necessary and lingered in newspapers despite the inaccuracy.
38. Her Legacy
Records obtained from The British Library show posters from the days when Bates was touring. She was advertised as “The Largest Woman in the World” and received top billing over Chang and Eng—the original Siamese twins, who were massive stars in London at the time.
Bates’ placement above them as headliners continues to serve as a reminder that she attracted crowds as large as she was.
