Edward Bright (1721–1750) was a grocer in

Maldon, Essex Maldon (, locally ) is a town and civil parish on the Blackwater estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon District and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. It is known for Maldon Sea Salt which is produced ...

, England – known as the "fat man of Maldon" – who was reputed at the time of his death in 1750 to be the "fattest man in England". He lived in a house on Maldon's High Street, and is buried in Maldon's Church of All Saints. Bright weighed 47.5

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

(665 lb or 302 kg). On 1 December 1750, a wager took place at the Black Bull Inn, in Maldon High Street. Bright's coat was said to be large enough to have seven men stand inside it, although this is also sometimes stated as ''seven hundred men'' because of a tale in which a man in a local

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

tempted a

gambler Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three eleme ...

with a

bet Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...

that "seven hundred men" would fit into Edward Bright's

waistcoat A waistcoat ( UK and Commonwealth, or ; colloquially called a weskit), or vest ( US and Canada), is a sleeveless upper-body garment. It is usually worn over a dress shirt and necktie and below a coat as a part of most men's formal wear. I ...

. The bet was accepted. The gambler lost, because seven men from the

Dengie Dengie is a village and civil parish in the Maldon district of Essex, England, with a population of 119 at the 2011 census. It gives its name to the Dengie peninsula and hundred and to the Dengie Special Protection Area. The place-name 'Dengi ...

Hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to de ...

(a parcel of land) fit into the waistcoat. Edward Bright, Maldon

On 1 December 1751, a second wager was decided at the Kings Head Inn also in Maldon High Street, for a 'Ham and Chickens and some gallons of wine', when the following nine men fitted into his waistcoat: *Reverend Humphury Smythies *Mr Bridge, Coal Merchant *Joseph Pattison, Grocer *Jonas Malden Apothecary *Daniel Finch, Butcher *James Richardson, Farmer *John Crow, Parish Clerk *John Draper, Watchmaker *Thomas Williams, Custom Officer Bright's portrait was painted in 1750 by

David Ogborne David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

(1700–1768), after whose painting various etchings were published, including: *1750 – Irish engraver

James McArdell James MacArdell (1729?–1765) was an Irish mezzotinter. Life He was born in Cow Lane (later Greek Street), Dublin, around 1729. He learnt mezzotint-engraving from John Brooks. When Brooks moved to London in 1746, MacArdell and other pupils foll ...

(1728–1765) *1751 – Anthony Walker, published by John Hinton In 2000, a

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

relief of seven men in Bright's coat, by sculptor

Catharni Stern Catharni Stern (22 August 1925 – 16 June 2015) was an English sculptor and art teacher. Early life and education Catharni Stern was born on 22 August 1925. Her governess, Miss Cox conventionally restricted her when Catharni was young. At the ...

, was installed at the King's Head Centre off Maldon's High Street, near the site of Bright's home. Edward Bright was buried in All Saints' church in Maldon on 12 November 1750, aged 29. He required a special coffin. The church records show that "A way was cut through the wall and staircase to let it down into the shop; it was drawn upon a carriage to the church and slid upon rollers to the vault made of brickwork, and interred by the help of a triangle and pulley. He was a very honest tradesman, a facetious companion, comely in his person, affable in his temper, a tender father and valuable friend."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bright, Edward 1721 births 1750 deaths British grocers Obesity in the United Kingdom People from Maldon, Essex

See also

References