~ WHO'S WHO ~
Daniel Lambert (1770-1809)
Daniel
Lambert was born in Leicester on March 13th 1770. Daniel's
father, John Lambert, was the Keeper of the County Bridewell (House
of Correction) on Highcross Street in Leicester.
As
a boy, Daniel was athletic and healthy. He often taught children to
swim in Leicester's River Soar. At the age of fourteen, Daniel was
sent to work in Birmingham as an engraver and letter-cutter. He
worked there for seven years before returning to Leicester to
replace his father as Keeper of the Bridewell.
The
Bridewells were run by local magistrates and originally places for
vagrants, they now housed minor offenders. The Keeper was expected
to make prisoners work in order to subsidise his salary.
Daniel earned
21 pounds a year to run an establishment that basically consisted of
three rooms. The prisoners appeared to hold Daniel in high regard. A
report in 1809 states, "He never forbore to make the greatest
exertions to assist them at the time of their trials."
Apparently several prisoners left the prison pledging their
gratitude for Daniel's support, and most apparently also left in
tears. Certainly the magistrates seemed very happy with him. For
when the Bridewell was merged with the county prison in 1804, and
his services were no longer required, they granted him a pension.
Daniel
was an excellent sportsman and he also bred cockerels and dogs. An
avid hunter, by the age of 28 it was said that he was able to lift
five hundredweight with ease. Being the sportsman that he was, it is
puzzling as to how he managed to gain his weight. His immediate
family were moderately proportioned, so we can only assume that
there may have been an underlying medical factor.
Daniel's
weight increase seems to have begun at the time he was Keeper of the
Bridewell. With work that involved little activity, this is
certainly a contributing factor. However, he did not drink and never
ate more than one dish at mealtimes, stressing perhaps some type of
metabolism disorder.
In
1793, Daniel's' weight had increased to 448 lbs, and by 1804, Daniel
weighed in at 686 lbs! In March 1806, Daniel had no choice but to
commission a special carriage which would carry him to London where
he had plans to exhibit himself as a natural curiosity. He arrived
in London in April, weighing a huge 700lbs.
This
was a very traumatic time for Daniel, he craved his privacy and did
not enjoy his exhibitionism, so in September 1806, he returned to
Leicester to live privately. By December, he was on tour again in
Birmingham, Hinckley, Coventry and other towns. In the Spring of
1807 and 1808 he also paid further visits to London.
Daniel
charged an admission fee of five shillings,
quite a considerable amount of money back then. There are also
suggestions that souvenirs of him were sold too. Records of one
visit include the purchasing of a picture "of this hideous mass
of flesh." So why did Daniel expose himself to curiosity when
it appeared that he disliked it so much?
The most apparent reason is money. His financial needs were immense if you consider his size. Special clothing, extra servants and custom built carriages all required money. A woman once asked him the cost of his coat, to which he replied, "If you think it proper to make me a present of a new coat, you will then know exactly what it costs." Daniel disliked personal questions, people who tried to see him without paying and he especially hated being weighed. In June 1809, Daniel arrived in Stamford for the races.
He
took lodgings at an Inn and died suddenly at 9 am on Wednesday 21st
June. Daniel had grown so huge, that the only way that they could
remove his body was by demolishing a wall. Daniel was buried two
days later in a coffin built on wheels containing 112 ft of elm
wood. It took more than 20 men to lower it down a ramp into his
final resting place - St. Martin's Churchyard, Stamford. Daniel's
weight at death was 739lbs.
Daniel
was known as a cheery fellow and yet he must have been a tortured
soul. Forced to make a living by becoming a "peep-show"
curiosity must have been especially difficult for a man who craved
privacy. If there is some consolation in Daniel's' often anguished
life, it rested with his character. His disposition and willingness
to help, ensured him many a good friend.
Of
course Daniel's weight has now been surpassed, but he still holds
his place in the Guinness Book of Records. He became a folk hero
even before his death, cartoonists would often picture him and a wax
model of him found its way to America in 1813, where it was
exhibited in Mix's Museum in New Haven. The model was also to appear
in P.T. Barnum's famous American Museum.
Still
a crowd attraction even in death, exhibits of Daniel's clothes,
custom built chair and other artifacts, are on display at museums in
Stamford and Leicester. Let us hope that his spirit though, finally
rests in peace.
Acknowledgements to (and author of the above article): Elizabeth Batt
Her
own excellent website can be found at Leicestershire
Past and Present