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 i ...

, 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 in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

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 ele ...

with a

bet Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...

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 wea ...

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

Dengie Dengie is a scattered village and civil parish in the Maldon district of Essex, England, with a population of 119 at the 2011 census. It is about 4 km NE of the nearest town (and railway station), Southminster, on the slightly higher ground ...

Hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101. In mathematics 100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...

(a parcel of land) fit into the waistcoat. 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 Ogborne (died 1800–1801) was an English artist. He depicted local events and curiosities in his home county Essex. Life Ogborne married and settled before 1740 in Chelmsford, Essex, where he is described in the register as a "painter" or " ...

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

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