For most of human history, mankind struggled with food scarcity.
Obesity reigned only among the upper echelons of society.
Portrait of Daniel Lambert by Benjamin Marshall.
Daniel Lambert was born in Leicester in 1770.
By his late teens he was considered an expert in the breeding of hunting dogs.
He was also a keen swimmer and for much of his life he taught local children to swim.
Lambert was 18 at that time (or 21 according to some sources).
Soon afterwards, Lamberts father retired and Lambert succeeded him as gaol keeper.
It was around this time that Lambert began to put on weight.
Within three years of returning to Leicester he weighed 200kgs.
Despite his increasing weight, Lambert remained a fit man.
Portrait of Daniel Lambert, weighing almost forty stone.
One of the most famous stories of his athletic feats is his encounter with a bear.
In 1805, the gaol closed and Lambert found himself out of work.
By then, Lambert had grown enormously large and his girth prevented him from finding employment.
Morose about his weight, Lambert became a recluse and shut himself up in his house.
Lambert kept away from public eye as much as possible.
He also refused to allow himself to be weighed.
His friends once tricked him into getting into a carriage on the pretext of going to a cock fight.
Portrait of Daniel Lambert, weighing over fifty stone, aged 36.
Lamberts extensive knowledge of breeding and sports and his intelligent conversations astounded Londons upper class.
Johan Didrik af Wingard, Governor of Varmland County, described the enormous man after a visit with him.
He had a really quite handsome, small head, at least compared with his ungainly body.
Most visitors treated him with courtesy, speaking with him for hours on animal breeding.
Even King George III paid him a visit.
But others saw him simply as a spectacle, which Lambert detested.
Lambert would get irritated when asked about his appetite and the size of his clothes.
From 1806, Lambert started to travel around England exhibiting himself and gratifying the curiosity of his countrymen.
Lambert also presented himself to the medical profession, allowing the doctors in London to study and measure him.
They confirmed that he weighed 320 kg and was 5 feet 11 inches tall.
A thorough medical examination found nothing wrong in him.
He was described as active and mentally alert, well-read, and with an excellent memory.
He never napped during the day.
Daniel Lambert died in 1809 in Stamford, after complaining of breathing difficulties.
No autopsy was held, but doctors speculate that Lambert probably died of a sudden pulmonary embolism.
He was just 39.
Lambert continues to remain a cherished icon of Leicester more than two hundred years after his death.
There are several local public houses and businesses in the city named after him.
