THE
LIFE
OF
That Wonderful and Extraordinarily
HEAVY MAN,
DANIEL LAMBERT,
FROM
HIS BIRTH TO THE MOMENT OF
HIS DISSOLUTION;
WITH
An Account of Men noted for their Corpulency, and
other interesting matter.
NEW-YORK:
PUBLISHED BY SAMUEL WOOD & SONS,
NO. 261, PEARL-STREET;
And Samuel S. Wood & Co. No. 212, Market-street,
Baltimore.
1818.
[Pg 5]
THE
LIFE
OF
Daniel Lambert.
Daniel Lambert was born on the 13 of March, 1770, in the Parish ofSt. Margaret, at Leicester. From the extraordinary bulk to which heattained, the reader may be naturally disposed to inquire, whether orno his parents were persons of remarkable dimensions. This was not thecase; nor were any of his family inclined to corpulence, exceptingan uncle and aunt on the father’s side, who were both very heavy.The former died during the infancy of Lambert, in[Pg 6] the capacity ofgamekeeper to the Earl of Stamford, to whose predecessor his father hadbeen huntsman in early life. The family of Lambert, senior, consistedbesides Daniel, of another son, who died young, and two daughters, whoare still living, and both women of the common size.
The habits of the subject of this memoir were not, in any respect,different from those of other young persons till the age of fourteen.Even at that early period he was strongly attached to the sports of thefield. This, however, was only the natural effect of a very obviouscause, aided probably by an innate propensity to those diversions.—Wehave already mentioned the profession of his father and uncle, and haveyet to observe, that his maternal grandfather was a great cock-fighter.Born and bred among horses, dogs, and cocks, and all the otherappendages of sporting, in the pursuits of which he was encouragedeven in his childhood, it cannot be a matter of wonder that he shouldbe passionately fond of all those exercises and amusements, which arecomprehended[Pg 7] under the denomination of field sports.
Brought up under the eye of his parents till the age of fourteen, youngLambert was then placed with Benjamin Patrick, in the manufactory ofTaylor & Co. at Birmingham, to learn the business of a die-sinker andengraver. This establishment, then one of the