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Daniel Lambert (born March 13, 1770, died 12 June, 1809) was a man from Stamford (Lincolnshire) in England, who became nationally famous for his obesity. When he died he weighed 739 pounds (336 kg). When he reached the weight of 700 lb (318 kg) in 1806, he started touring, charging five shillings (£0.25) a head to look at him. He died suddenly in Stamford in 1809, where the wall of the public house in which he was staying had to be dismantled to remove his body. He is now buried in St. Martin's churchyard in Stamford. At the time it was thought that he was the fattest man in the country, and possibly beyond. The Stamford Museum has a display that contrasts his clothes with those of the man thought to be the smallest in the land!
A local anecdote is that he would visit the many pubs in Stamford and challenge visitors to a race, with the one proviso he had a small head start. There are many narrow passageways in Stamford that act as short cuts between the major streets. Once he was ahead, he would use these passageways and because of his size prevent his opponent from being able to pass. The result was that despite his size he would always win.
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