Daniel Lambert (13 March 1770 – 21 June 1809) was an English gaol keeper[n 1] and animal breeder from Leicester, famous for his unusually large size.

At the time of Lambert's return to Leicester, his weight began to increase steadily, even though he was athletically active and, by his own account, abstained from drinking alcohol and did not eat unusual amounts of food.

Despite the coffin being built with wheels to allow easy transport, and a sloping approach being dug to the grave, it took 20 men almost half an hour to drag his casket into the trench, in a newly opened burial ground to the rear of St Martin's Church.

[3][n 2] His father, also named Daniel Lambert, had been the huntsman to Harry Grey, 4th Earl of Stamford,[5] and at the time of his son's birth was the keeper of Leicester's gaol.

[6] Lambert grew up with a strong interest in field sports,[6] and was particularly fond of otter hunting, fishing, shooting and horse racing.

[11][n 3] Although by his own account Lambert did not eat unusually large amounts of food, at about the time of his return to Leicester his weight began to increase steadily, and by 1793, he weighed 32 stone (450 lb; 200 kg).

[5] Concerned for his fitness, in his spare time he devoted himself to exercise, building his strength to the point where he was able to easily carry five long hundredweight (560 lb; 250 kg).

[10] Lambert reportedly struck the bear with a pole and with his left hand, punched its head, knocking it to the ground to allow the dog to escape.

[11][n 4] Despite his increasingly large girth, Lambert remained fit and active, once walking 7 miles (11 km) from Woolwich to the City of London "with much less apparent fatigue than several middle-sized men who were of the party".

[12] Lambert was left without a job, but was granted an annuity of £50 (about £5,100 as of 2023) a year by the Leicester magistrates, in recognition of his excellent service as gaol keeper.

[18][25] Lambert shared his interests and knowledge of sports, dogs and animal husbandry with London's middle and upper classes,[27] and it soon became highly fashionable to visit him, or become his friend.

[17] During this period of English history no real stigma was attached to obesity, and Lambert was generally considered a wonder to be marvelled at, rather than a freak to be gawped or sneered at.

[27] One visitor refused to remove his "even if the King were present" but Lambert replied that "Then by G——, Sir, you must instantly quit this room, as I do not consider it a mark of respect due to myself, but to the ladies and gentlemen who honor me with their company.

[37] He slept regularly for no more than eight hours per night, always with his window open, and was never heard to snore;[38] on waking he was always fully alert within five minutes,[38] and he never napped during the day.

[43] Although he claimed to eat little, and to abstain from alcohol, it is likely that a man with his lifestyle and position in society would have eaten large amounts of meat, and drunk beer at social events.

[46] He was introduced to the Empress Maria Theresa in 1754,[47] and after a short time residing with deposed Polish king Stanisław Leszczyński,[44] he exhibited himself around Europe, thus becoming a wealthy man.

[49][n 6] Boruwłaski had a superb memory, and recalled that Lambert, while still employed by Patrick's die casting works and before he grew fat, had paid to see him in Birmingham.

The two men compared their respective outfits, and calculated that one of Lambert's sleeves would provide enough cloth to make an entire coat for Boruwłaski.

"[51] The meeting of Lambert and Boruwłaski, the largest and smallest men in the country,[51] was the subject of enormous public interest; one newspaper reported that "It was Sir John Falstaff and Tom Thumb, which must have afforded a double treat to the curious".

[49] The half-courteous, half-sullen manner in which this "gross fat man" received the majority of his visitors met the humour of my husband, and he liked as well as pitied him; for it was distressing sometimes to hear the coarse observations made by unfeeling people, and the silly unthinking questions asked by many of them about his appetite, &c. Although generally respected by London society, the longer Lambert remained there, the more irritable he became.

[53] In answer to one request, to a woman who enquired as to the cost of his coat, he replied "I cannot pretend to charge my memory with the price, but I can put you into a method of obtaining the information you want.

[58] He began again to attend sporting events,[57] as a report on the Leicester Races of September 1806 noted that "Among the distinguished characters upon the turf we were glad to see our old friend, Mr. Daniel Lambert, in apparent high health and spirits".

[59] Although too heavy to follow hunts on horseback, he used a portion of the money earned in London to build up a pack of greyhounds, watching from his carriage as they coursed hares in the Leicestershire countryside.

[64] That evening, Lambert was in bed and admitted to feeling tired, but nonetheless he was able to discuss his requirements with the printer, and was anxious that the handbills be delivered on time.

[63][64] The coffin was so large that to wheel it out of the inn and to the newly opened burial ground at the rear of St Martin's Church, the window and wall of his apartment were demolished.

Lambert's friends paid for a large gravestone, inscribed:In Remembrance of that Prodigy in Nature.DANIEL LAMBERT.a Native of Leicester:who was possessed of an exalted and convivial Mindand in personal Greatness had no CompetitorHe measured three Feet one Inch round the Legnine Feet four Inches round the Bodyand weighedFifty two Stone eleven Pounds!He departed this Life on the 21st of June 1809Aged 39 yearsAs a Testimony of Respect this Stone is erected by his Friends in LeicesterIn late 1809, John Drakard released The life of that wonderful and extraordinary heavy man, the late Danl.

[80] In 1838, the English Annual published a series of poems, purportedly written by Lambert and found amongst his papers at the Waggon and Horses after his death.

No source published during Lambert's lifetime mentions his having any interest in poetry or in any reading matter other than periodicals on field sports, and it is unclear why his papers should have been with him in Stamford at his death, rather than at his home in Leicester.

[86] A set of Lambert's clothes, together with his armchair, walking stick, riding crop and prayer book, are on permanent display at the Newarke Houses Museum in Leicester.

In 2009, on the 200th anniversary of his death, Leicester celebrated Daniel Lambert Day, and over 800 people attended an event in his name at Newarke Houses Museum.