Daniel charged an admission fee of five shillings (approximately a dime), quite a considerable amount of money back then. There are also suggestions that souvenirs of him were sold too. Records of one visit include the purchasing of a picture "of this hideous mass of flesh." So why did Daniel expose himself to curiosity when it appeared that he disliked it so much?
The most apparent reason is money. His financial needs were immense if you consider his size. Special clothing, extra servants and custom built carriages all required money. A woman once asked him the cost of his coat, to which he replied, "If you think it proper to make me a present of a new coat, you will then know exactly what it costs." Daniel disliked personal questions, people who tried to see him without paying and he especially hated being weighed.
In June 1809, Daniel arrived in Stamford for the races. He took lodgings at an Inn and died suddenly at 9 am on Wednesday 21st June. Daniel had grown so huge, that the only way that they could remove his body was by demolishing a wall. Daniel was buried two days later in a coffin built on wheels containing 112 ft of elm wood. It took more than 20 men to lower it down a ramp into his final resting place - St. Martin's Churchyard, Stamford. Daniel's weight at death was 739lbs.
Daniel was known as a cheery fellow and yet he must have been a tortured soul. Forced to make a living by becoming a "peep-show" curiosity must have been especially difficult for a man who craved privacy. If there is some consolation in Daniel's' often anguished life, it rested with his character. His disposition and willingness to help, ensured him many a good friend.
Of course Daniel's weight has now been surpassed, but he still holds his place in the Guinness Book of Records. He became a folk hero even before his death, cartoonists would often picture him and a wax model of him found its way to America in 1813, where it was exhibited in Mix's Museum in New Haven. The model was also to appear in P.T. Barnum's famous American Museum.
Still a crowd attraction even in death, exhibits of Daniel's clothes, custom built chair and other artifacts, are on display at museums in Stamford and Leicester.
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