List of English people
From Wikipedia - Reading time: 28 min
Listed below are English people of note and some notable individuals born in England.
Actors and actresses
[edit]Archaeologists and anthropologists
[edit]- George Adamson (1906–1906)
- Leslie Alcock (1925–2006)
- Mick Aston (1946–2013)
- Richard Atkinson (1920–1994)
- Edward Russell Ayrton (1882–1914)
- Churchill Babington (1821–1889)
- Philip Arthur Barker (1920–2001)
- Thomas Bateman (1821–1861)
- James Theodore Bent (1852–1897)
- Geoffrey Bibby (1917–2001)
- Howard Carter (1874–1939)
- Grahame Clark (1907–1995)
- David Clarke (1937–1976)
- Barry Cunliffe (born 1939)
- Glyn Daniel (1914–1986)
- John Disney (1779–1857), barrister and archaeologist
- E. E. Evans-Pritchard (1902–1973), social anthropologist
- Cyril Fox (1882–1967)
- Dorothy Garrod (1892–1968)
- William Greenwell (1820–1918)
- Phil Harding (born 1950)
- Kathleen Kenyon (1906–1978)
- John Leland (1502–1582), antiquary
- John Lubbock (1834–1913), banker, politician, naturalist and archaeologist
- John Robert Mortimer (1825–1911)
- Francis Pryor (born 1945)
- Colin Renfrew (born 1937), archaeologist
- Alice Roberts (born 1973), anatomist, osteoarchaeologist and anthropologist
- Andrew Sherratt (1946–2006)
- E.B. Tylor (1832–1917), anthropologist
- Mortimer Wheeler (1890–1976)
Architects
[edit]- Hubert Austin (1845–1915)
- Charles Barry (1795–1860) (Houses of Parliament)
- George Basevi (1794–1845)
- William Burges (1827–1881), architect and designer
- William Butterfield (1814–1900), leader in Gothic revival movement
- Rowland Carter (1875–1916)
- William Chambers (1723–1796) (Kew Gardens Pagoda and Somerset House)
- Thomas Edward Collcutt (1840–1924)
- James Cubitt (1836–1914)
- John Douglas (1830–1911)
- Sir Philip Dowson (1924–2014)
- Henry Flitcroft (1697–1769)
- Sir Norman Foster (born 1935)
- Philip Hardwick (1792–1870)
- Thomas Hardwick (1752–1829)
- James Harrison (1814–1866)
- Thomas Harrison (1744–1829)
- Nicholas Hawksmoor (1661–1736)
- Horace Jones (1819–1886) (Tower Bridge)
- Inigo Jones (1573–1652)
- Henry Keene (1726–1776)
- William Kent (c. 1685 – 1748), architect, landscape architect and furniture designer
- Edmund Kirby (1838–1920)
- Denys Lasdun (1914–2001)
- Thomas Lockwood (1830–1900)
- Edwin Lutyens (1869–1944)
- Hugh May (1621–1684)
- William Morris (1834–1896), architect and author
- John Nash (1752–1835) (Regent's Park, St. James's Park, Trafalgar Square)
- Henry Paley (1859–1946)
- Sir Joseph Paxton (1801–1865) (The Crystal Palace for The Great Exhibition, London)
- Thomas Mainwaring Penson (1818–1864)
- August Pugin (1812–1852) (Palace of Westminster)
- Anthony Salvin (1799–1881)
- George Gilbert Scott (1811–1878) (Albert Memorial, St Pancras Station)
- Giles Gilbert Scott (1880–1960) (Waterloo Bridge, also supervised rebuilding of House of Commons, London)
- Edmund Sharpe (1809–1877)
- John William Simpson (1858–1933)
- George Edmund Street (1824–1881)
- John Vanbrugh (1664–1726), Baroque architect (Blenheim Palace)
- Derek Walker (1929–2015)
- Alfred Waterhouse (1830–1905) (Natural History Museum, London)
- Aston Webb (1849–1930) (Buckingham Palace and Victoria and Albert Museum)
- Ernest Berry Webber (1896–1963)
- William Wilkins (1778–1839) (National Gallery, London)
- Sir Christopher Wren (1632–1723)
- James Wyatt (1746–1813)
Artists
[edit]- Sophie Gengembre Anderson (1823–1903), painter
- James Andrews (1801–1876), botanical artist
- Richard Ansdell (1815–1885), painter
- Banksy (born c. 1974), graffiti artist
- Walter Daniel Batley (1850–1936), painter
- Aubrey Beardsley (1872–1898), illustrator
- Albanis Beaumont (ca. 1755-1812), painter
- Suzzan Blac (born 1960), painter
- Sir Peter Blake (born 1932), pop artist
- William Blake (1757–1827), painter, poet
- Henry Charles Bryant (1835–1915), portrait and landscape artist
- Albin R. Burt (1783–1842), portrait painter
- Sir Anthony Caro (1924–2013), sculptor
- Anna Maria Charretie (1819–1875), miniature painter
- John Constable (1776–1837), landscape painter
- Frank Cadogan Cowper (1877–1958), artist
- John Henry Dell (1830–1888), landscape artist and illustrator
- Tracey Emin (born 1963), conceptual artist
- Thomas Gainsborough (1727–1788), painter
- Andy Goldsworthy (born 1956), sculptor (land art)
- Antony Gormley OBE RA (born 1950), sculptor
- James Henry Govier (1910–1974), painter, etcher and engraver
- Steven Harris (born 1975), cartoonist
- Thomas Hazlehurst (c. 1740 – c. 1821), miniature painter
- Dame Barbara Hepworth DBE (1903–1975), sculptor
- Jamie Hewlett (born 1968), comic book artist and designer
- Nicholas Hilliard (1547–1619), miniature painter
- Damien Hirst (born 1965), sculptor/ conceptual artist
- David Hockney (born 1937), painter
- Sir Howard Hodgkin (1932–2017), painter
- William Hogarth (1697–1764), painter, engraver
- Master Hugo (fl. c. 1130–c. 1150), illuminated manuscript artist active in Bury St Edmunds
- William Holman Hunt (1827–1910)
- Sir Edwin Landseer (1802–1873), animal painter
- Celia Levetus (1874–1936), illustrator
- Richard Long (born 1945), land artist
- Sir John Everett Millais (1829–1896), painter
- Henry Moore (1898–1986), sculptor
- William Morris (1834–1896)
- Lawrence Mynott (born 1954), illustrator, designer and portrait painter
- Chris Ofili (born 1968), painter
- George Passmore (born 1942), artist (Gilbert & George)
- Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792), portrait painter
- Bridget Riley (born 1931), painter
- Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828–1882), painter
- Sir Stanley Spencer (1891–1959), painter
- George Stubbs (1724–1806), painter
- Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851), landscape and marine artist
- Flora Twort (1893–1985), painter
- Mark Wallinger (born 1959), conceptual artist
- Rachel Whiteread (born 1963), sculptor
- Joseph Wright of Derby (1734–1797), Enlightenment painter
Broadcasters
[edit]- Michael Aspel (born 1933)
- Sir David Attenborough (born 1926), naturalist and broadcaster
- Richard Baker (1925–2018), broadcaster and newsreader
- Jeremy Clarkson (born 1960), TV presenter, broadcaster and writer
- Simon Cowell (born 1959), TV personality, record producer
- Johnny Kingdom (1939–2018), wildlife TV presenter
- Ray Mears (born 1964), author, TV presenter and survival expert
- Sir Patrick Moore (1923–2012), writer, TV presenter, astronomer
- Michael Parkinson (1935–2023), presenter of British television chat show Parkinson
- John Peel (1939–2004), disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist
- Jonathan Ross (born 1960)
- Jimmy Savile (1926–2011), disc jockey, TV presenter, writer and media personality
- Mike Smith (1955–2014), TV and radio presenter
- Ed Stewart (1941–2016), radio and TV presenter
Businessmen and businesswomen
[edit]- Sir Frederic Bolton (1851–1920), shipping
- Sir Richard Branson (born 1950)
- Sir John Brunner (1842–1919), chemicals
- Frank Bustard (1886–1974), shipping
- Joseph Crosfield (1792–1844), soap and chemicals
- Ron Dennis (born 1947), McLaren automotive
- William Gossage (1799–1877), soap
- Philip Green (born 1952), retail
- James Hanson, Baron Hanson (1922–2004), industrialist
- Charles D. Harman, investment banker
- Thomas Hazlehurst (1779–1842), soap and alkali
- Robert Spear Hudson (1812–1884), soap powder
- John Hutchinson (1825–1865), alkali
- Peter Jones (born 1966)
- Sir Freddie Laker (1922–2006), pioneer of cheap air travel
- William Losh (1770–1861), alkali
- Alfred Mond (1868–1930), chemicals
- Henry Mond (1898–1949), chemicals
- Julian Mond (1925–1973), industrialist
- Stephan Morais (born 1973)
- William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield (1877–1963)
- Edmund Knowles Muspratt (1833–1923), industrialist
- Richard Muspratt (1822–1885), industrialist
- Charles Roe (1715–1781), silk industry
- Titus Salt (1803–1876), industrialist
- Harriet Samuel (1836–1908), jewellery[1]
- Sir Ivan Stedeford (1897–1975), industrialist
- Sir Alan Sugar (born 1947), electronics
- Richard Tompkins (1918–1992), Green Shield trading stamps
- Jamie Waller (born 1979), entrepreneur
- Josiah Wedgwood (1730–1795), industrialist
Chefs
[edit]- Lisa Allen (born 1981)
- Frances Atkins
- April Bloomfield (born 1974)
- Heston Blumenthal (born 1966)
- Avis Crocombe (c. 1839 – 1927)
- Tamasin Day-Lewis (born 1953)
- Fuchsia Dunlop
- Keith Floyd (1943–2009)
- Rose Gray (1939–2010)
- Sophie Grigson (born 1959)
- Fiona Hamilton-Fairley (born 1963)
- Angela Hartnett (born 1968)
- Rosemary Hume (1907–1984)
- Robert Irvine (born 1965)
- Rachel Khoo (born 1980)
- Diana Kennedy (1923–2022)
- Nigella Lawson (born 1960)
- Rosa Lewis (1867–1952)
- Elizabeth Marshall
- James Martin (born 1972)
- Allegra McEvedy (born 1970)
- Mary-Ellen McTague
- Jamie Oliver (born 1975)
- Merrilees Parker (born 1971)
- Jennifer Paterson (1928–1999)
- Marguerite Patten (1915–2015)
- Gordon Ramsay (born 1966)
- Rosemary Shrager (born 1951)
- Delia Smith (born 1941)
- Rick Stein (born 1947)
- Emily Watkins
- Marco Pierre White (born 1961)
- Anne Willan (born 1938)
- Sophie Wright
- Antony Worrall Thompson (born 1951)
Clergy
[edit]- Pope Adrian IV (c. 1100 – 1159), only English Pope
- Thomas Arundel (1353–1414), Archbishop of Canterbury
- Richard Bancroft (1544–1610), Archbishop of Canterbury
- Richard Barnes (1532–1587), bishop
- Archbishop Lawrence Booth, of York (1420–1480)
- Thomas Cobham (died 1327), Archbishop-elect of Canterbury, Bishop of Worcester
- William Charles Cotton (1813–1879), missionary and beekeeper
- Thomas Cranmer (1489–1556), Archbishop of Canterbury
- William Edington (died 1366), Bishop of Winchester
- William Howley (1766–1848), Archbishop of Canterbury
- Trevor Huddleston (1913–1998), anti-Apartheid activist
- Simon Islip (died 1366), Archbishop of Canterbury
- Simon Langham (1310–1376), Archbishop of Canterbury
- John Leland (1691–1766), Presbyterian minister
- Henry Mackenzie (1808–1878), Anglican Bishop of Nottingham
- Walter Maidstone (died 1317), Bishop of Worcester
- Simon Mepeham (died 1333), Archbishop of Canterbury
- John Henry Newman (1801–1890), Catholic cardinal
- Adam Orleton (died 1345), Bishop of Winchester
- Plegmund (died 923), Archbishop of Canterbury
- Walter Reynolds (died 1327), Bishop of Worcester, Archbishop of Canterbury
- William Smyth (c. 1460 – 1514), bishop
- Charles Spurgeon (1834–1892), Particular Baptist minister
- John de Stratford (c. 1275 – 1348), Archbishop of Canterbury, Bishop of Winchester
- Simon Sudbury (died 1381), Archbishop of Canterbury
- Joshua Toulmin (1740–1815), radical dissenting minister
- John Wesley (1703–1791), Methodist minister and evangelist
- Wilfrid (633-709/710), Bishop of York
- William Whittlesey (died 1374), Bishop of Rochester, Bishop of Worcester, Archbishop of Canterbury
- William Williams (1800–1878), Bishop of Waiapu
- Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu (1905–1960), Theravada Buddhist monk and translator of Pali literature
- Ñāṇavīra Thera (1920–1965), Theravada Buddhist monk and known as the author of Notes on Dhamma
- Ajahn Amaro (born 1956), Abbot of Amaravati Buddhist Monastery
- Ajahn Khemadhammo (born 1944), founder and director of "Angulimala, the Buddhist Prison Chaplaincy"
- Ajahn Sucitto (born 1949), former abbot of Chithurst Buddhist Monastery
Comedians
[edit]- James Acaster (born 1985)
- Chris Addison (born 1972)
- Chesney Allen (1893–1982)
- Stephen K. Amos (born 1967)
- Rowan Atkinson (born 1955)
- Richard Ayoade (born 1977)
- Bill Bailey (born 1965)
- Ronnie Barker (1929–2005)
- Sacha Baron Cohen (born 1971)
- Julian Barratt (born 1968)
- Rob Beckett (born 1986)
- Matt Berry (born 1974)
- John Bird (1936–2022)
- Jo Brand (born 1957)
- Russell Brand (born 1975)
- Charlie Brooker (born 1971)
- Roy 'Chubby' Brown (born 1945)
- Adam Buxton (born 1969)
- Alan Carr (born 1976)
- Jimmy Carr (born 1972)
- Jasper Carrott (born 1945)
- Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977)
- Graham Chapman (1941–1989)
- John Cleese (born 1939)
- Steve Coogan (born 1965)
- Peter Cook (1937–1995)
- Tommy Cooper (1921–1984)
- James Corden (born 1978)
- Barry Cryer (1935–2022)
- Jon Culshaw (born 1968)
- Jim Davidson (born 1953)
- Les Dawson (1931–1993)
- Angus Deayton (born 1956)
- Hugh Dennis (born 1962)
- Ken Dodd (1929–2018)
- Ade Edmondson (born 1957)
- Jo Enright (born 1968)
- Lee Evans (born 1964)
- Noel Fielding (born 1973)
- Bud Flanagan (1896–1968)
- Micky Flanagan (born 1962)
- John Fortune (1939–2013)
- Dawn French (born 1957)
- Stephen Fry (born 1958)
- Ed Gamble (born 1986)
- Ricky Gervais (born 1961)
- Dave Gorman (born 1971)
- Tony Hancock (1924–1968)
- Jeremy Hardy (1961–2019)
- Miranda Hart (born 1972)
- Lenny Henry (born 1958)
- Richard Herring (born 1967)
- Benny Hill (1924–1992)
- Matthew Holness (born 1975)
- Alex Horne (born 1978)
- Russell Howard (born 1980)
- Lee Hurst (born 1963)
- Eric Idle (born 1943)
- Robin Ince (born 1969)
- Eddie Izzard (born 1962)
- Jethro (1948–2021)
- Russell Kane (born 1980)
- Peter Kay (born 1973)
- Hugh Laurie (born 1959)
- Stewart Lee (born 1968)
- Alice Lowe (born 1977)
- Matt Lucas (born 1974)
- Joe Lycett (born 1988)
- Lee Mack (born 1968)
- Stephen Mangan (born 1968)
- Bernard Manning (1930–2007)
- Rik Mayall (1958–2014)
- Alistair McGowan (born 1964)
- Rory McGrath (born 1956)
- Paddy McGuinness (born 1973)
- Michael McIntyre (born 1976)
- Stephen Merchant (born 1974)
- Paul Merton (born 1957)
- Sarah Millican (born 1975)
- David Mitchell (born 1974)
- Bob Monkhouse (1928–2003)
- Eric Morecambe (1926–1984)
- Chris Morris (born 1962)
- Bob Mortimer (born 1959)
- Frank Muir (1920–1998)
- Al Murray (born 1968)
- Denis Norden (1922–2018)
- Paul O'Grady (1955–2023)[2]
- John Oliver (born 1977)
- Michael Palin (born 1943)
- Karl Pilkington (born 1972)
- Andy Parsons (born 1967)
- Sue Perkins (born 1969)
- Lucy Porter (born 1973)
- Jan Ravens (born 1958)
- Romesh Ranganathan (born 1978)
- Vic Reeves (born 1959)
- Mike Reid (1940–2007)
- Jennifer Saunders (born 1958)
- Peter Sellers (1925–1980)
- Frank Skinner (born 1957)
- Arthur Smith (born 1954)
- Freddie Starr (1943–2019)
- Tracey Ullman (born 1959)
- Johnny Vegas (born 1970)
- Tim Vine (born 1967)
- David Walliams (born 1971)
- Holly Walsh (born 1980)
- Robert Webb (born 1972)
- Jack Whitehall (born 1988)
- Josh Widdicombe (born 1983)
- Norman Wisdom (1915–2010)
- Ernie Wise (1925–1999)
Criminals
[edit]- Myra Hindley (1942–2002), Moors murderer
- Ian Huntley (born 1974), Soham murderer
- The Kray twins (Ronald 1933–1995, Reginald 1933–2000), east London gangsters
- Jimmy Moody (1941–1993), armed robber, reputed contract killer and prison escapee
- Raymond Morris (1929–2014), murderer
- Harold Shipman (1946–2004), possibly the most prolific serial killer worldwide; convicted of 15 murders; probably killed over 250[3]
- Peter Sutcliffe (1946–2020), the "Yorkshire Ripper"
- Fred West (1941–1995) and Rosemary West (born 1953), serial killers
- Steve Wright (born 1958), serial killer
- Graham Young (1947–1990), the "Teacup Poisoner"
- Michael McCrea (born 1958), former financial adviser and convicted killer who was jailed 24 years for the culpable homicide of a couple in Singapore.
- John Martin Scripps (1959–1996), spree killer who was executed for murdering a South African tourist in Singapore.
Economists
[edit]- R. G. D. Allen (1906–1983), economist, mathematician, and statistician
- Norman Angell (1872–1967), British internationalist and economist
- William Beveridge (1879–1963), economist and social reformer
- Edwin Cannan (1861–1935), economist and historian
- Colin Clark (1905–1989), British and Australian economist
- Ronald Coase (1910–2013), Nobel Prize–winning economist
- Martin Ellison, consultant to the Bank of England
- Friedrich Hayek (1899–1992), Nobel Prize–winning economist
- John Hicks (1904–1989), Nobel Prize–winning economist
- John Holland (1658–1722), founder of the Bank of Scotland in 1695
- William Stanley Jevons (1835–1882), economist and logician
- John Maynard Keynes (1883–1946), economist
- John Neville Keynes (1852–1949), economist, father of John Maynard Keynes
- Arthur Lewis (1915–1991), economist
- Thomas Malthus (1766–1834), demographer
- Alfred Marshall (1842–1924), economist
- Mary Paley Marshall (1850–1944), economist, wife of Alfred Marshall
- James Meade (1907–1995), Nobel Prize–winning economist
- John Stuart Mill (1806–1873), philosopher and economist
- Arthur Cecil Pigou (1877–1959), economist
- Lionel Robbins (1898–1984), economist
- Joan Violet Robinson (1903–1983), economist
- Richard Stone (1913–1991), Nobel Prize–winning economist
- Robert Torrens (1780–1864), army officer and economist
- Philip Wicksteed (1844–1927), economist
Engineers
[edit]- Sir Benjamin Baker (1840–1907), civil engineer, co-designer of the Forth Railway Bridge
- William Baker (1817–1878), railway engineer
- Joseph Bazalgette (1819–1891), civil engineer, best known for creating the London Sewer System, hence making the city a healthier place to live
- James Beatty (1820–1856), railway engineer
- Sir Henry Bessemer (1813–1898), metallurgy engineer
- Ronald Eric Bishop (1903–1989), chief designer of the de Havilland Mosquito
- James Brindley (1716–1772), canal engineer
- Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806–1859), transport engineer
- Sir Sydney Camm (1894–1966), aeronautical engineer
- Donald Campbell, railway engineer
- William Tierney Clark (1783–1852), civil engineer
- Sir Geoffrey de Havilland (1882–1965), aeronautical engineer
- Edmund Dummer (1651–1713), naval engineer
- Sir John Ambrose Fleming (1848–1945), electrical engineer
- Tommy Flowers (1908–1998), designer and builder of the first electronic computer
- Sir John Fowler, 1st Baronet, civil engineer most famous as co-designer, alongside Benjamin Baker, of the Forth Railway Bridge
- Jesse Hartley (1780–1860), civil engineer
- J. B. Hartley (1814–1869), civil engineer
- Benjamin Hick (1790–1842), civil and mechanical engineer
- John Hick (1815–1894), civil and mechanical engineer
- Eric Laithwaite (1908–1998), engineer
- Sir William Lyons (1901–1985), engineer, co-founder of the automobile manufacturer Jaguar[4]
- William Mackenzie (1794–1851), civil engineer and contractor
- R.J. Mitchell (1895–1937), aeronautical engineer
- Robert Rawlinson (1810–1898), engineer
- Sir Henry Royce (1863–1933), engineer[5]
- Nevil Shute (1899–1960), aeronautical engineer and author
- George Stephenson (1781–1848), railway engineer
- Charles Todd (1826–1910), meteorologist, in charge of constructing the Overland Telegraph across Australia
- Sir Barnes Wallis (1887–1978), engineer
- John Webster (1845–1914), engineer
- Sir Joseph Whitworth (1803–1887), engineer
Explorers
[edit]- Gertrude Bell (1868–1926), traveller in Iraq
- Thomas Cavendish (1560–1592), one of the Elizabethan Sea Dogs, privateer, navigator
- Capt. James Cook (1728–1779), sailor, explorer
- William Dampier (1651–1715)
- John Davis (1550–1605), Sea Dog, explorer and navigator
- Charles Montagu Doughty (1843–1926), explorer in the Middle East
- Sir Francis Drake (c. 1540 – 1596)
- Sir Ranulph Fiennes (born 1944), listed as the "greatest living explorer" by the Guinness Book of Records
- Martin Frobisher (1535–1594), navigator, one of the Elizabethan Sea Dogs
- Rob Gauntlett (1987–2009), youngest Briton to summit Everest
- Sir Robin Knox-Johnston (born 1939), first person to perform single handed non-stop circumnavigation of the globe
- Michael Palin (born 1943)
- Sir Walter Raleigh (c. 1552 – 1618)
- Robert Falcon Scott (1868–1912), Antarctic explorer
- Ed Stafford (born 1975), first person to walk the complete length of the Amazon River
- Freya Stark (1893–1993), Middle East explorer
- Wilfred Thesiger (1910–2003), explorer in East Africa and the Middle East
- Henry Timberlake (1570–1625), merchant and traveller
- Helen Sharman (born 1963), first British person in space and first woman to visit the Mir Space Station
- Major Tim Peake (born 1972), first British person in space under the European Space Agency and first British Person to visit the International Space Station
Filmmakers
[edit]- Richard Attenborough (1923–2014)
- John Boorman (born 1933)
- John and Roy Boulting (1913–1985 and 1913–2001)
- Alan Clarke (1935–1990)
- Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977)
- Mike Figgis (born 1948)
- Lewis Gilbert (1920–2018)
- David Hare (born 1947)
- Alfred Hitchcock (1899–1980)
- Peter Howitt (born 1957)
- Humphrey Jennings (1907–1950)
- Stan Laurel (1890–1965)
- David Lean (1908–1991)
- Mike Leigh (born 1943)
- Ken Loach (born 1936)
- Nick Love (born 1969)
- Anthony Minghella (1954–2008)
- Carol Morley (born 1966)
- Mike Newell (born 1942)
- Christopher Nolan (born 1970)
- Nick Park (born 1958)
- Michael Powell (1905–1990)
- Guy Ritchie (born 1968)
- Ken Russell (1927–2011)
- Ridley Scott (born 1937)
- Tony Scott (1944–2012)
Historians
[edit]- Frank Barlow (1911–2009)
- William Camden (1551–1623)
- Edward Gibbon (1737–1794)
- Richard Holmes (1946–2011), military historian and author
- Sir Peter Leycester (1614–1678), historian and antiquarian
- George Ormerod (1785–1873), historian and antiquary
- Nicholas Rodger (born 1949), naval historian
- John Speed (1542–1629), historian and cartographer
- A.J.P. Taylor (1906–1990), popular historian
Inventors
[edit]See also List of English inventions and discoveries.
- Ruth Amos (born 1989), entrepreneur and inventor of StairSteady
- Richard Arkwright (1733–1792), revolutionised the cotton industry in England during the Industrial Revolution; once called the "father of the Industrial Revolution"
- Sir Timothy Berners-Lee (born 1955), inventor of the World Wide Web
- Henry Bessemer (1813–1898), inventor of the Bessemer Process which was the first way of mass-producing steel
- Hubert Cecil Booth (1871–1955), inventor of the vacuum cleaner
- Joseph Bramah (1748–1814), inventor of the hydraulic press (beer pump)
- Sir Henry Cavendish (1731–1810), discoverer of hydrogen
- Christopher Cockerell (1910–1999), inventor of the hovercraft
- William Congreve (1772–1828), rocketry pioneer
- Abraham Darby (c. 1678 – 1717), ironmaster
- James Dyson (born 1947), inventor
- James Hargreaves (1720–1778), weaver and inventor
- Sir John Harington (1561–1612), poet and inventor of the first water closet
- John Harrison (1693–1776), clockmaker
- Rowland Hill (1795–1879), inventor of the modern postal service
- Benjamin Huntsman (1704–1776), inventor of crucible steel
- Archibald Low (1888–1956), radio guidance
- Thomas Newcomen (1664–1729), inventor
- Sir Isaac Newton (1642–1727), founder of modern physics, inventor of the reflector telescope
- Sir Clive Sinclair (1940-2021), most commonly known for his work in the consumer electronics sector
- James Starley (1831–1881), bicycle pioneer
- George Stephenson (1781–1848), engineer
- Joseph Wilson Swan (1823–1914), inventor of the light bulb
- Charles Wheatstone (1802–1875), inventor
- Sir Frank Whittle (1907–1996), inventor of the jet engine
- Joseph Whitworth (1803–1887), inventor, known for standardising the screw thread
Journalists
[edit]- Mark Austin (born 1958)
- Reginald Bosanquet (1932–1984)
- Christopher Booker (1937–2019)
- Michael Buerk (born 1946)
- Sir Alastair Burnet (1928–2012)
- Edward Chattaway (1873–1956), editor of The Star
- Jill Dando (1961–1999)
- Sir Robin Day (1923–2000)
- Katie Derham (born 1970)
- Peter Donaldson (1945–2015)
- Julie Etchingham (born 1969)
- Anna Ford (born 1943)
- Paul Foot (1937–2004)
- Andrew Gardner (1932–1999)
- Krishnan Guru-Murthy (born 1970)
- Nina Hossain (born 1975)
- Richard Ingrams (born 1937)
- Natasha Kaplinsky (born 1972)
- Lottie Moggach
- Mary Nightingale (born 1963)
- Jeremy Paxman (born 1950)
- Sophie Raworth (born 1968)
- Angela Rippon (born 1944)
- Willie Rushton (1937–1996)
- Peter Sissons (1942–2019)
- Jon Snow (born 1947)
- Alastair Stewart (born 1952)
- Moira Stuart (born 1949)
Military personnel
[edit]- John Adams (1767–1829), last survivor of the Bounty Mutineers
- Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis (1891–1969), field marshal, Second World War commander
- Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst of Montreal (1717–1797), general
- George Anson, 1st Baron Anson (1697–1762), Admiral of the Fleet, noted naval reformer
- Sir Claude Auchinleck (1884–1981), Second World War commander
- Reginald Bacon (1863–1947), admiral, pioneer of submarines and torpedoes for the Royal Navy
- Robert Baden-Powell (1857–1941), soldier
- Sir Douglas Bader (1910–1982), fighter pilot
- Ralph Bagnold (1896–1990), founder of the Long Range Desert Group; explorer
- Sir Alexander John Ball (1759–1809), admiral, governor of Malta
- Samuel Barrington (1729–1800), rear admiral
- Lord Aubrey Beauclerk (1710–1741), Officer of the Royal Navy
- John Benbow (1653–1702), admiral
- George Charles Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan (1800–1888), Commander of cavalry at the Battle of Balaclava
- William Riddell Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood (1865–1951), general, First World War
- Robert Blake (1599–1657), reforming Royal Navy Admiral
- William Bligh (1754–1817), best known for the mutiny of the Bounty
- James Henry Robinson Bond (1871–1943), corporal in the Royal Army Medical Corps
- Sir John Borlase Warren, 1st Baronet (1753–1822), admiral
- Philip Broke (1776–1841), rear admiral, known for his capture of USS Chesapeake
- Thomas Bruce (1738–1797), lieutenant general and politician
- James Thomas Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan (1797–1888), Commander of the Light Brigade
- Richard Francis Burton (1821–1890), soldier, spy, linguist and explorer
- Freddie Spencer Chapman (1907–1971), known for his exploits in the jungle during the Second World War
- Leonard Cheshire VC (1917–1992), Royal Air Force pilot during Second World War and founder of the Cheshire Homes
- John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (1650–1722), soldier
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874–1965), British prime minister
- Charles Clerke (1741–1779), sailed with James Cook on all three of his expeditions, was the Captain of Discovery at the time of Cook's death he then took command until his own death at sea shortly after
- Sir George Cockburn, 10th Baronet (1772–1853), Admiral of the Fleet, admiral in charge at the capture and burning of Washington in 1814
- Edwin Cole (1895–1984), Squadron Leader
- Cuthbert Collingwood (1748–1810), vice admiral, Commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean Fleet
- Henry Seymour Conway (1721–1795), general
- John Cooke (1762–1805), captain of HMS Bellerophon at the Battle of Trafalgar, where he was subsequently killed
- Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis (1738–1805), general
- Christopher Augustus Cox (1889–1959), private
- Oliver Cromwell (1599–1658), Lord Protector of England
- Christopher Augustus Cox (1889–1959), private
- Miles Dempsey (1896–1969), commander of the British Second Army During the D-Day landing
- Sir Francis Drake (1540–1596), sailor
- Sir John Duckworth (1748–1817), admiral, known for the Battle of San Domingo
- Thomas Farrington (1664–1712), lieutenant general
- Alexander Fraser (1824–1898), general
- Bruce Fraser (1888–1981), Admiral of the Fleet, commander of the British Pacific Fleet during the Second World War
- Prince Frederick, Duke of York (1763–1827), son of King George III, Commander-in-Chief of the Forces during French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
- John French, 1st Earl of Ypres (1852–1925), general, World War I and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
- Prince George, Duke of Cambridge (1819–1904), Commander-in-Chief of the Forces
- Charles George Gordon ("Chinese Gordon") (1833–1885), killed at Khartoum
- Hubert Gough (1870–1963), general
- Sir Thomas Hardy, 1st Baronet (1769–1859), vice-admiral, captained HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar
- Sir Arthur Travers Harris (1892–1984), Marshal of the Royal Air Force, airman
- Eliab Harvey (1758–1830), admiral, captain of HMS Temeraire, which played a crucial role at the Battle of Trafalgar
- Edward Hawke (1705–1781), Admiral of the Fleet, best known as the admiral at the Battle of Quiberon Bay
- John Hawkwood (1320–1394), famous medieval mercenary
- Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood (1724–1816), mentor of Nelson
- Brian Horrocks (1895–1985), highly regarded general during World War II
- William Hoste (1780–1828), well-known frigate captain during the Napoleonic War
- William Hotham, 1st Baron Hotham (1736–1813), admiral
- John Howard (1912–1999), British Army major who led the coup de main party that captured the Caen canal and Orne river bridges.
- Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe (1726–1799), admiral
- William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe (1729–1814), general in the American Revolutionary War
- John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe (1859–1935), admiral during the First World War
- Louis Fleeming Jenkin (1895–1917), captain
- Roger Keyes, 1st Baron Keyes (1872–1945), admiral
- Horatio Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener of Khartoum (1850–1916), field marshal
- Lofty Large, SAS soldier, author
- FitzRoy Henry Lee (1699–1750), Vice Admiral, Commodore Governor of the Colony of Newfoundland
- John Ligonier, 1st Earl Ligonier (1680–1770), general
- Trafford Leigh-Mallory (1892–1944), air commander of the Allied invasion of Normandy
- John Manners, Marquess of Granby (1721–1770), general
- William McMurdo (1819–1894), general
- Andy McNab (born 1959), former Special Air Service soldier and commander of the infamous Bravo Two Zero mission during the first Iraq Gulf War
- Samuel Mitchell (VC) (1841–1894), killed in action during the New Zealand Wars
- George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle (1608–1670), English Civil War era general in Chief Command
- Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester (c. 1208 – 1265), statesman and soldier
- Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein ("The Desert Rat") (1887–1976), field marshal and hero of World War II
- Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (1900–1979), statesman, sailor
- Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson of the Nile (1758–1805), sailor, admiral
- Augustus Charles Newman (1904–1972) VC, The Essex Regiment, No.2 Commando, SAS, led the raid on St. Nazaire
- John Norreys (1547–1597), Tudor soldier
- Henry William Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey (1768–1854), general, hero of the Napoleonic Wars
- Sir William Parker (1781–1866), Admiral of the Fleet, was the admiral during the First Opium War
- Arthur Phillip (1738–1814), admiral, commanded the First Fleetinto what is now known as Port Jackson, First Governor of New South Wales
- Basil Charles Godfrey Place VC (1921–1994), along with Donald Cameron VC and crew crippled the pocket battleship Tirpitz during operation Source
- Dudley Pound (1877–1943), Admiral of the Fleet, First Sea Lord during the Second World War
- Henry Pulleine (1838–1879), lieutenant colonel
- Bertram Ramsay (1883–1945), admiral, commander of operation Neptune during Second World War
- Bernard Rawlings (1889–1962), admiral, second in command of the British Pacific Fleet during Second World War
- Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts of Kandahar (1832–1914), field marshal, last Commander-in-Chief of the Forces
- Sir William Robertson, 1st Baronet (1860–1933), "Wully" Robertson, distinguished soldier; the only man ever in the British Army to rise from the rank of private soldier to field marshal; the head of the Army for much of World War I; a highly influential figure as to strategy
- Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich (1782–1859)
- George Rooke (1650–1709), Admiral of the Fleet
- William Victor Trevor Rooper (1897–1917), captain
- Chris Ryan (born 1961), former Special Air Service soldier and member of the infamous Bravo Two Zero mission during the first Iraq Gulf War
- Siegfried Sassoon (1886–1967), war poet
- Charles Saunders (1715–1775), admiral, commanded the Fleet at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham
- Derek Anthony Seagrim (1903–1943), lieutenant colonel
- Sir James Simpson (1792–1868), general
- William Slim, 1st Viscount Slim (1897–1970), Commander in Burma during Second World War, Governor-General of Australia
- Sir Sidney Smith (1764–1840), Napoleon famously said of him "that man made me miss my destiny"
- Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien (1858–1930), general, World War I
- Fitzroy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855), British commander in the Crimean War
- James Somerville (1882–1949), Admiral of the Fleet, Commander at Mers-El-Kabir
- Bill Speakman VC (1927–2018), Black Watch, SAS Regiment
- Richard Strachan (1760–1828), known for his action after the Battle of Trafalgar
- James Brian Tait VC (1916–2007), nicknamed" Tirpitz", commander of 617 squadron
- Henry Tandey VC (1891–1977), most highly decorated private of the First World War
- Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard (1873–1956), "father of the RAF" and first Chief of the Air Staff
- Frederic Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford (1827–1905), general
- Sir Thomas Troubridge, 1st Baronet (1758–1807), rear admiral
- Reginald Tyrwhitt (1870–1951), Admiral of the Fleet, commander of the Harwich Force during World War I
- George Vancouver (1757–1798), distinguished Royal Navy captain and explorer
- Edward Vernon (1684–1757), admiral
- Philip Vian (1894–1968), Admiral of the Fleet, distinguished destroyer captain also Commander in Charge of Air Operations, British Pacific Fleet during Second World War
- Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell (1883–1950), World War II general, second to last Viceroy of India
- Sir William Welsh (1891–1962), air marshal
- Jane Whorwood (1612–1684), Royalist agent during the English Civil War
- Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (1721–1765), captain-general, victor of Culloden
- James Wolfe (1727–1759), general, hero of Quebec during the Seven Years' War
- John Woodhouse (1922–2008), reformed SAS selection and training techniques after World War Two
Monarchs
[edit]- Elizabeth II, (reigned 1952-2022) the longest reigning monarch in the UK history
- Alfred the Great (c. 849–899) (reigned 880s–899), King of the Anglo-Saxons
- Queen Anne (reigned 1702–1714), also Queen of Scotland, then Queen of Great Britain after 1707
- Charles I (reigned 1625–1649), also King of Scotland, and Ireland
- Charles II (reigned 1660–1685), also King of Scotland
- Charles III
- Cnut (reigned 1016–1035)
- Saint Edward the Confessor (reigned 1042–1066)
- Edward I (reigned 1272–1307), English monarch
- Edward II (reigned 1307–1327), English monarch
- Edward III (reigned 1327–1377), English monarch
- Edward IV (reigned 1461–1470 and 1471–1483), English monarch
- Edward V (reigned 1483–1483), English monarch
- Edward VI (reigned 1547–1553), first English Protestant monarch
- Elizabeth I (reigned 1558–1603), Protestant queen and first Supreme Governor of the Church of England
- Harold Godwinson (reigned 6 January 1066 – 14 October 1066), died in Battle of Hastings
- Harold Harefoot (reigned 1035–1040)
- Harthacnut (reigned 1040–1042)
- Henry I (reigned 1100–1135)
- Henry III (reigned 1216–1272), English monarch
- Henry IV (reigned 1399–1413), English monarch
- Henry V (reigned 1413–1422)
- Henry VI (reigned 1422–1461), English monarch
- Henry VII (reigned 1485–1509) (Henry Tudor, the first Tudor monarch)
- Henry VIII (reigned 1509–1547), separated English Catholicism from link with the Roman Catholic Church
- James II (reigned 1685–1689)
- Lady Jane Grey (de facto 10 July 1553 – 19 July 1553) ("the nine days queen"), beheaded 1554, aged 16
- King John (reigned 1199–1216)
- Mary I (reigned 1553–1558), Roman Catholic queen
- Mary II (reigned 1689–1694), reigned jointly with her husband William III
- Richard of Cornwall (reigned 1257–1272), King of the Romans
- Richard the Lionheart (reigned 1189–1199), Richard I, English monarch, leader and hero of the Third Crusade
- Richard II (reigned 1377–1399)
- Richard III (reigned 1483–1485), last Plantagenet King, and last British monarch to die in Battle
- William I (reigned 1066–1087), "William the Conqueror", William of Normandy
- William II (reigned 1087–1100)
- William III (reigned 1689–1702), "William of Orange", born 1650 at The Hague in Holland, married an English princess, reigned jointly with his wife Mary II, until her death
Musicians
[edit]- Adele (born 1988), singer
- Thomas Adès (born 1971), composer
- Damon Albarn (born 1968), singer-songwriter
- John Alldis (1929–2010), chorus master and conductor
- Lily Allen (born 1985)
- Marsha Ambrosius (born 1977), singer-songwriter
- Jon Anderson (born 1944), singer-songwriter, co-founder of Yes
- David Arnold (born 1962), composer, musician and film scorer (notably four James Bond films)
- Malcolm Arnold (1921–2006), composer
- Quenton Ashlyn, society entertainer
- Rick Astley (born 1966)
- Alexander Baillie (born 1956), cellist
- Bryan Balkwill (1922–2007), conductor
- John Barbirolli (1899–1970), conductor
- Gary Barlow (born 1971), singer-songwriter and member of Take That
- Syd Barrett (1946–2006), singer-songwriter, member of the early Pink Floyd
- Norman Beaker (born 1950), blues guitarist, singer-songwriter, producer
- Jazmin Bean (born 2003), singer-songwriter
- Victoria Beckham (born 1974), singer-songwriter, dancer, fashion designer, author, businesswoman, actress and model
- David Bedford (1937–2011), composer and musician
- Mark Bedford (born 1961), musician, songwriter and composer, bass guitarist for Madness
- Natasha Bedingfield (born 1981), singer
- Thomas Beecham (1879–1961), conductor
- Matthew Bellamy (born 1978), composer for Muse
- Lisa Beznosiuk (born 1956), flautist
- Acker Bilk (1929–2014), clarinettist and vocalist
- Alan Parsons (born 1948), composer and musician
- Roger Birnstingl, bassoonist
- Harrison Birtwistle (1934-2022), composer
- Black (1962–2016), best known for the song Wonderful Life.
- Cilla Black (1943–2015), singer and television presenter
- Ritchie Blackmore (born 1945), guitarist, former member of Deep Purple and Rainbow
- James Blunt (born 1977)
- John Bonham (1948–1980), drummer for Led Zeppelin
- Tim Booth (born 1960), singer-songwriter and actor
- Adrian Boult (1889–1983), conductor
- James Bourne, member of the former rock group Busted, singer-songwriter
- David Bowie (1947–2016)
- William Boyce (1711–1779), composer
- Billy Bragg (born 1957)
- Havergal Brian (1876–1972), composer
- Sarah Brightman (born 1960), singer-songwriter, actress, and dancer
- Benjamin Britten (1913–1976), composer and pianist
- Justin Broadrick (born 1969), vocalist and guitarist, member of Godflesh and Jesu
- Ian Broudie (born 1958), singer-songwriter member of The Lightning Seeds
- Pete Burns (1959–2016), singer-songwriter and lead vocalist with Dead or Alive
- Kate Bush (born 1958), singer-songwriter, musician and record producer
- Bilinda Butcher (born 1961), singer-songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of My Bloody Valentine
- Geezer Butler (born 1949), bassist with Black Sabbath
- William Byrd (1543–1623), composer
- Martyn Campbell (born 1970), bassist of The Lightning Seeds
- Les Chadwick (1943–2019), bassist of Gerry and the Pacemakers
- Justin Chancellor (born 1971), bassist, member of Tool
- Eric Clapton (born 1945)
- Adam Clayton (born 1960), bassist, member of U2
- Cheryl Cole (born 1983), singer
- Phil Collins (born 1951)
- Imogen Cooper (born 1949), pianist
- Graham Coxon (born 1969), guitarist, singer-songwriter, former member of Blur and solo artist
- Ian Curtis (1956–1980), lead singer and composer for Joy Division
- Roger Daltrey (born 1944), lead singer of The Who
- Dave Davies (born 1947), lead guitarist with The Kinks
- Peter Maxwell Davies (1934–2016), composer
- Ray Davies (born 1944), singer-songwriter and lead vocalist with The Kinks
- Andrew Davis (born 1944), conductor
- Colin Davis (1927–2013), conductor
- Chris de Burgh (born 1948), singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
- Gervase de Peyer (1926–2017), clarinettist and conductor
- Norman Del Mar (1919–1994), conductor
- Frederick Delius (1862–1934), composer
- Dido (born Florian Cloud de Bounevialle Armstrong, 1971), singer-songwriter
- Pete Doherty, former co-lead singer of The Libertines; current lead singer of Babyshambles; solo artist
- Peter Donohoe (born 1953), pianist
- John Dowland (c. 1563 – c. 1626), composer of songs
- Nick Drake (1948–1974), singer-songwriter
- Jacqueline du Pré (1945–1987), cellist
- John Dunstaple (c. 1383 – 1453), composer
- Ian Dury (1942–2000), lyricist and vocalist for The Blockheads
- Edward Elgar (1857–1934), composer
- John Entwistle (1944–2002), bassist for The Who
- George Ezra (born 1993), singer-songwriter
- Marianne Faithfull (born 1946)
- Gerald Finzi (1901–1956), composer
- Chris Foreman (born 1956), musician, singer-songwriter and composer, guitarist for Madness
- George Formby (1906–1961), wartime entertainer, famous for his playing of the Banjolele and contribution to film
- Peter Gabriel (born 1950), singer-songwriter and former lead vocalist of Genesis
- Liam Gallagher (born 1972), singer and former lead vocalist of Oasis
- Noel Gallagher (born 1967), singer-songwriter and former member of Oasis
- Boy George (born 1961), singer and lead vocalist of Culture Club
- Andy Gibb (1958–1988), pop singer, brother of the Bee Gees
- Sir Barry Gibb (born 1946), musician, member of the Bee Gees
- Maurice Gibb (1949–2003), musician, member of the Bee Gees
- Robin Gibb (1949–2012), singer-songwriter, member of Bee Gees
- Orlando Gibbons (1583–1625), composer
- Ian Gillan (born 1945), singer for Deep Purple
- David Gilmour (born 1946), guitarist, singer and composer of Pink Floyd
- Ron Goodwin (1925–2003), composer and conductor
- Debbie Googe (born 1962), bassist of My Bloody Valentine
- Ellie Goulding (born 1986), singer-songwriter, musician
- Bella Hardy folk musician, singer-songwriter
- Dhani Harrison (born 1978), guitarist, son of George Harrison
- George Harrison (1943–2001), musician, composer, member of The Beatles
- PJ Harvey (born 1969)
- Anthony Hewitt (born 1971), pianist
- Steve Hogarth (born 1959), songwriter, musician and lead singer of the band Marillion
- Gustav Holst (1874–1934), composer
- Dominic Howard (born 1977), member of Muse
- Tony Iommi (born 1948), guitarist and co-founder of Black Sabbath
- John Ireland (1879–1962), composer
- Robert Irving (1913–1991), conductor
- Jessie J (born 1988), singer-songwriter
- Sir Mick Jagger (born 1943), rock singer and frontman of The Rolling Stones
- Sir Elton John (born 1947)
- Brian Johnson (born 1947), singer, lead vocalist with AC/DC, former member of Geordie
- Brian Jones (1942–1969), musician and founder of The Rolling Stones
- Davy Jones (1945–2012), singer/percussionist, member of The Monkees
- Howard Jones (born 1955), singer and songwriter
- John Paul Jones (born 1946), bassist, mandolinist and keyboardist for Led Zeppelin
- Nigel Kennedy (born 1956), violinist
- Thea King (1925–2007), clarinettist
- David Knopfler (born 1952), musician and former rhythm guitarist with Dire Straits
- Mark Knopfler (born 1949), musician, songwriter and co-founder of Dire Straits
- Adrian Lambert (born 1976), bassist
- Jen Ledger (born 1989), drummer and backing vocalist for Skillet
- Albert Lee (born 1943), guitarist
- John Lennon (1940–1980), singer-songwriter, co-founder of The Beatles
- Leona Lewis (born 1985), singer-songwriter
- Cher Lloyd (born 1993), singer
- Andrew Lloyd Webber (born 1948), composer of musicals
- Julian Lloyd Webber (born 1951), cellist
- Pixie Lott (born 1991), singer
- Chris Lowe (born 1959), keyboardist and composer, member of Pet Shop Boys
- Les Maguire (born 1941), pianist for Gerry and the Pacemakers
- Zayn Malik (born 1993), member of British-Irish boy band One Direction
- Gerry Marsden (1942–2021), leader of Gerry and the Pacemakers
- Chris Martin (born 1977), singer-songwriter, co-founder of Coldplay
- Sir Brian May (born 1947), musician, astrophysicist and lead guitarist with Queen
- Sir Paul McCartney (born 1942), singer-songwriter, guitarist, co-founder of The Beatles
- Graham McPherson (born 1961), aka Suggs, lead vocalist of Madness
- George Michael (1963–2016)
- Tony Mills (1962–2019), singer and guitarist, member of Shy
- Keith Moon (1946–1978), drummer for The Who
- Thomas Morley (c. 1557 – 1602), consort composer
- Ella Mai (born 1994), singer-songwriter
- Gareth Morris (1920–2007), flautist
- Morrissey (born 1959), composer, member of The Smiths
- Olivia Newton-John (1948–2022), pop star
- John Ogdon (1937–1989), pianist
- Mike Oldfield (born 1953), composer and instrumentalist
- Ozzy Osbourne (born 1948), singer and former lead vocalist for Black Sabbath
- Jimmy Page (born 1944), guitarist and co-founder of Led Zeppelin
- Hubert Parry (1848–1918), composer
- Liam Payne (born 1993), member of British-Irish boy band One Direction
- Bob and Alf Pearson (1907–1985 and 1910–2012 respectively), singers and pianist (Bob)
- Peter Pears (1910–1986), tenor
- Robert Plant (born 1948), singer, former lead vocalist for Led Zeppelin
- Anthony Pleeth (born 1948), cellist
- Stephen Preston, flautist
- Henry Purcell (1659–1695), composer
- Simon Rattle (born 1955), conductor
- Keith Richards (born 1943), guitarist and member of the Rolling Stones
- Paul Rodgers (born 1949), singer
- Martin Roscoe (born 1952), pianist
- Malcolm Sargent (1895–1967), conductor
- 21 Savage (born 1992), rapper, record producer
- Rina Sawayama (born 1990), Japan-born singer-songwriter
- Chris Sharrock (born 1964), drummer for Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
- Ed Sheeran (born 1991), singer-songwriter
- Elsie Southgate (1880–1946), violinist
- Zak Starkey (born 1965), drummer, son of Ringo Starr
- Ringo Starr (born 1940), composer, drummer, member of The Beatles
- Crispin Steele-Perkins (born 1944), trumpeter
- Rod Stewart (born 1945)
- Sting (born 1951)
- Joss Stone (born 1987)
- Joe Strummer (1952–2002), singer, member of The Clash
- Harry Styles (born 1994), member of British-Irish boy band One Direction
- Bernard Sumner, lead singer of New Order
- Connie Talbot (born 2000), child singer and reality star
- Thomas Tallis (c. 1505 – 1585), composer
- Benson Taylor (born 1983), composer
- Tinie Tempah (born 1988), rapper
- Neil Tennant (born 1954), vocalist, member of Pet Shop Boys
- Lionel Tertis (1876–1975), violist
- Frederick Thurston (1901–1953), clarinettist
- Lee Thompson (born 1957), multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and composer, founder and saxophonist of Madness
- Michael Tippett (1905–1998), composer
- Louis Tomlinson (born 1991), member of British-Irish boy band One Direction
- Pete Townshend (born 1945), guitarist and songwriter with The Who
- Alex Turner, leader singer of the band Arctic Monkeys
- Sid Vicious (1957–1979), bassist for Sex Pistols
- Rick Wakeman (born 1949), piano, keyboardist, musician
- Ricky Walters (born 1965), aka rapper Slick Rick
- William Walton (1902–1983), composer
- Bill Ward (born 1948), drummer for Black Sabbath
- Roger Waters (born 1943), founder of Pink Floyd
- Charlie Watts (1941–2021), drummer for The Rolling Stones
- Thomas Weelkes (c. 1575 – 1623), composer
- Florence Welch (born 1986), lead singer of Florence and The Machine
- John Wilbye (1574–1638), composer
- Cliff Williams (born 1949), bassist for AC/DC
- Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958), composer
- Robbie Williams (born 1974)
- Steven Wilson (born 1967), musician, producer, composer and founder of Porcupine Tree
- Ronnie Wood (born 1947), guitarist with the Rolling Stones, former member of Small Faces
- Amy Winehouse (1983–2011)
- Christopher Wolstenholme (born 1978), member of Muse
- Henry Wood (1869–1944), conductor
- Dan Woodgate (born 1960), musician, songwriter, composer and record producer, drummer for Madness
- Thom Yorke (born 1968), singer-songwriter, musician, member of Radiohead
- Marvin Young (born 1967), aka rapper Young MC
- Mel B (born 1975), singer, member of Spice Girls
- Melanie C (born 1974), singer, member of Spice Girls
- Emma Bunton (born 1976), singer, member of Spice Girls
- Victoria Beckham (born 1974), singer, member of Spice Girls
- Geri Halliwell (born 1972), singer, member of Spice Girls
- Charli XCX (born 1992), singer-songwriter
Philosophers
[edit]- John Locke, (1632-1704) author
- Thomas Paine, (1737-1809) theorist
- Donald Adamson (born 1939)
- G. E. M. Anscombe (1919–2001), philosopher
- Anselm of Canterbury (1033–1109), philosopher, famous for creation of the Ontological Argument
- A. J. Ayer (1910–1989), philosopher
- Francis Bacon (1561–1626), philosopher and essayist
- Roger Bacon (1214–1294), medieval philosopher, alchemist, and theologian
- Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832), philosopher, founder of Utilitarianism
- R. M. Hare (1907–2002), philosopher
- H. L. A. Hart (1907–1992), legal philosopher
- Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679), philosopher
- William Godwin (1756–1836), political philosopher
- John Stuart Mill (1806–1873), economist, political philosopher
- G. E. Moore (1873–1958), philosopher
- William of Ockham (c. 1285 – 1349), philosopher, theologian, created Ockham's Razor
- Derek Parfit (1942–2017), philosopher
- Bertrand Russell (1872–1970), philosopher
- Gilbert Ryle (1900–1976), philosopher
- Henry Sidgwick (1838–1900), philosopher
- Herbert Spencer (1820–1903)
- Peter Strawson (1919–2006), philosopher
- William Whewell (1794–1866), philosopher
- Alfred North Whitehead (1861–1947), mathematician
- Bernard Williams (1929–2003), philosopher
Photographers
[edit]- David Bailey (born 1938)
- Emma Barton (1872–1938)
- Cecil Beaton (1904–1980)
- George Beldam (1868–1937), first-class cricketer and a pioneer of action photography in sport
- John Blakemore (born 1936)
- Samuel Bourne (1834–1912)
- Larry Burrows (1926–1971), photojournalist
- George Davison (1854–1930)
- Terence Donovan (1936–1996)
- Brian Duffy (1933–2010)
- Frederick H. Evans (1853–1943)
- Roger Fenton (1819–1869)
- John French (1907–1966)
- Francis Frith (1822–1898)
- Peter Wickens Fry (1798–1860), early amateur photographer
- Bert Hardy (1913–1995)
- Alfred Horsley Hinton (1863–1908)
- Don McCullin (born 1935), photojournalist
- Eadweard Muybridge (1830–1904)
- Horace Nicholls (1867–1941)
- Tony Ray-Jones (1941–1972)
- Henry Peach Robinson (1830–1901)
- George Rodger (1908–1995), photojournalist
- Francis Meadow Sutcliffe (1853–1941)
- William Henry Fox Talbot (1800–1877), photographer, inventor of the calotype process
Politicians
[edit]- William Wilberforce, (1759-1833) abolitionist
- Margaret Thatcher, (1925-2013) British prime minister
- Cecil Rhodes, (1853-1902) imperialist
- John FitzAlan, 1st Baron Arundel (1348–1379)
- Edmund FitzAlan, 9th Earl of Arundel (1285–1326)
- Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel (1306–1376)
- H. H. Asquith (1852–1928), British prime minister
- Clement Attlee (1883–1967), British prime minister
- Stanley Baldwin (1867–1947), British prime minister
- John Barrington, 1st Viscount Barrington (1678–1734)
- Charles George Beauclerk (1774–1845)
- Lord Sidney Beauclerk (1703–1744)
- Tony Benn (1925–2014), Labour politician
- Ernest Bevin (1881–1951), Labour politician
- Margaret Bondfield (1873–1953), Labour politician and first female Cabinet Minister
- Harold Briggs (1870–1945)
- John Bright (1811–1889), liberal politician
- Sir Paul Bryan (1913–2004)
- Dorothy Boyle, Countess of Burlington (1699–1758)
- George Canning (1770–1827), politician
- William Cartwright (1634–1676), politician
- Barbara Castle (1910–2002), politician
- Lord Henry Cavendish (1673–1700), nobleman and politician
- Sir Austen Chamberlain (1863–1937)
- Joseph Chamberlain (1836–1914)
- Neville Chamberlain (1869–1940), British prime minister
- James Chase (1650–1721)
- Lord Randolph Churchill (1849–1895)
- Winston Churchill (1874–1965), British prime minister
- Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence (1338–1368)
- Kenneth Clarke (born 1940), Conservative politician
- William Cobbett (1763–1835), MP and reformer
- Sir Stafford Cripps (1889–1952), Labour politician
- George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston (1859–1925), Viceroy of India
- Archibald Dalzel (1740–1811), Governor of the Gold Coast
- Edward Henry Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby (1826–1893)
- Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby (1799–1869)
- William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire (1640–1707), soldier, nobleman, and Whig politician
- Spencer Compton Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire (1833–1908)
- William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire (c. 1720 – 1764)
- Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881), British prime minister
- Alec Douglas-Home (1903–1995), British prime minister
- Anthony Eden (1897–1977), British prime minister
- Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron (1584–1648), nobleman and politician, also a commander in the Parliamentary army in the English Civil War
- Michael Foot (1913–2010), Labour leader
- William Bower Forwood (1840–1928), politician
- Sir Henry Bartle Frere (1815–1884), Colonial administrator
- Hugh Gaitskell (1906–1963), Labour politician
- William Ewart Gladstone (1809–1898), British prime minister
- Augustus Henry Fitzroy, 3rd Duke of Grafton (1735–1811)
- George Grenville (1712–1770), British prime minister
- William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Lord Grenville (1759–1834)
- Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey (1764–1845)
- William Hague (born 1961), Conservative politician
- William Savile, 2nd Marquess of Halifax (1665–1700)
- James Hamilton, Viscount Hamilton (1786–1814), nobleman and politician
- Denis Healey (1917–2015), Labour politician
- Edward Heath (1916–2005), British prime minister
- Henry Vassall-Fox, 3rd Baron Holland (1773–1840)
- Boris Johnson (born 1964), British prime minister
- William Kenrick (1831–1919)
- Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent (1384–1408)
- John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley (1826–1902)
- Brownlow William Knox (1806–1873)
- George Lansbury (1859–1940)
- Nigel Lawson (1932–2023), Conservative politician
- Sir Francis Lee, 4th Baronet (1639–1667)
- John Leland (?–1808), English Member of Parliament for Stamford, 1796–1808
- Granville George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville (1815–1891)
- John de Lacy, 2nd Earl of Lincoln (c. 1192 – 1240)
- Henry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln (c. 1251 – 1311)
- Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool (1770–1828)
- John Lubbock (1834–1913), banker, politician, naturalist and archaeologist
- Harold Macmillan (1894–1986), British prime minister
- John Major (born 1943), British prime minister
- Reginald Maudling (1917–1979), Conservative politician
- William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (1779–1848)
- Herbert Morrison (1888–1965), Labour politician
- Theresa May (born 1956), British Prime Minister[6]
- Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle (1693–1768)
- Frederick North, Lord North (1732–1792)
- Philip Oliver (1884–1954)
- Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston (1784–1865), British prime minister
- Sir Robert Peel (1788–1850), British prime minister
- Henry Pelham (1694–1754)
- Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke (c. 1100 – 1148)
- William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1146/1147–1219)
- Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (1130–1176)
- Spencer Perceval (1762–1812), British prime minister
- William Pitt (the Elder), 1st Earl of Chatham (1708–1778)
- William Pitt the Younger (1759–1806), British prime minister
- William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland (1738–1809)
- Enoch Powell (1912–1998)
- Frederick John Robinson, 1st Earl of Ripon (1782–1859), politician
- William Robson, Baron Robson (1852–1918)
- Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham (1730–1782)
- Sir Thomas Royden, 1st Baronet (1831–1917), ship-owner and Conservative Party politician
- Thomas Royden, 1st Baron Royden (1871–1950), businessman and Conservative Party politician
- John Russell, 1st Earl Russell (1792–1878)
- Michael Hicks-Beach, 1st Earl St Aldwyn (1837–1916)
- Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (1830–1903), British prime minister
- Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth (1757–1844)
- John Simon, 1st Viscount Simon (1873–1954)
- Philip Snowden, 1st Viscount Snowden of Ickornshaw (1864–1937)
- Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans (1670–1726)
- John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey (1231–1304)
- Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney (1733–1800), Home Secretary in the Pitt government; suggested using what is now Australia as a penal colony for Britain
- Sir Robert Walpole (1676–1745), British prime minister
- Sir Godfrey Webster, 4th Baronet (1747–1800)
- Sir Godfrey Webster, 5th Baronet (1789–1836)
- William Willoughby, 5th Baron Willoughby de Eresby (c. 1370 – 1409)
- Robert Willoughby, 6th Baron Willoughby de Eresby (c. 1385 – 1452)
- Shirley Williams (1930–2021), SDP founder
- Henry Willink (1894–1973), politician
- Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington (c. 1674 – 1743)
- Harold Wilson (1916–1995), British prime minister
- Edward Maria Wingfield (1550–1631), also soldier and English colonist in America
Revolutionaries
[edit]- Robert Aske (c. 1500 – 1537), revolutionary leader of the Pilgrimage of Grace
- Thomas Baker (d. 1381), leader of the Peasants' Revolt
- John Ball (c. 1338 –1381), English priest and revolutionary leader of the Peasants' Revolt
- Robert Catesby (1572–1605), lead planner of the Gunpowder Plot
- Guy Fawkes (1570–1606), central participant in the Gunpowder Plot
- Thomas Wyatt the Younger (1521–1554), leader of Wyatt's rebellion
Scientists
[edit]- Arthur Aikin (1773–1854), chemist and mineralogist
- Nathan Alcock (1707–1779), doctor
- Jim Al-Khalili (born 1962), theoretical physicist and broadcaster
- Charles Babbage (1791–1871), mathematician
- Joseph Banks (1743–1820), naturalist
- Isaac Barrow (1630–1677), mathematician
- Thomas Bayes (c. 1702 – 1761), mathematician
- Tim Berners-Lee (born 1955), computer scientist; inventor of the World Wide Web[7]
- Patrick Maynard Stuart Blackett (1897–1974), physicist
- George Boole (1815–1864), mathematician
- Robert Boyle (1627–1691), natural philosopher
- Richard Bright (1630–1677), doctor, founder of Bright's Disease (a form of kidney disease)
- Henry Brunner (1838–1916), chemist
- Henry Cavendish (1731–1810), scientist
- Sir George Cayley (1773–1857), polymath and aviator
- Frank Close (born 1945), physicist
- Brian Cox (born 1968), physicist
- Francis Crick (1916–2004), molecular biologist
- John Dalton (1766–1844), chemist and physicist
- Charles Darwin (1809–1882), initiator of the theory of evolution
- Richard Dawkins (born 1941), evolutionary theorist
- Henry Deacon (1822–1876), chemist
- Paul Dirac (1902–1984), physicist
- Horace Donisthorpe (1870–1951), entomologist, myrmecologist and coleopterist
- Arthur Eddington (1882–1944), physicist
- Michael Faraday (1791–1867), scientist
- Ronald Fisher (1890–1962), geneticist and statistician
- Jeff Forshaw (born 1968), particle physicist
- Rosalind Franklin (1920–1958), chemist and x-ray crystallographer
- J. B. S. Haldane (1892–1964), geneticist
- James Hargreaves (1834–1915), chemist
- Stephen Hawking (1942–2018), cosmologist
- Oliver Heaviside (1850–1925), physicist
- John Herschel (1792–1871), mathematician and astronomer
- Peter Higgs (1929–2024), physicist
- C. A. R. Hoare (born 1934), computer scientist
- Robert Hooke (1635–1703), scientist
- Edward Jenner (1749–1823), doctor
- R. V. Jones (1911–1997), physicist
- James Prescott Joule (1818–1889), physicist
- Joseph Lister (1827–1912), surgeon
- Bernard Lovell (1913–2012), astronomer
- James Lovelock (1919–2022), scientist
- Martin Lowry (1874–1936), chemist
- John William Lubbock (1803–1865), banker, mathematician and astronomer
- Sir Charles Lyell (1797–1875), geologist
- John Maynard Smith (1920–2004), geneticist
- John McClellan (1810–1881), chemist
- Robert Mond (1867–1938), chemist
- Desmond Morris (born 1928), zoologist
- Roger Needham (1935–2003), computer scientist
- Sir Isaac Newton (1642–1727), founder of modern physics, last of the alchemists
- William Penney (1909–1991), mathematician, physicist, director of British nuclear weapon research
- Roger Penrose (born 1931), mathematical physicist
- Joseph Prestwich (1812–1896), geologist
- Joseph Priestley (1733–1804), chemist
- Martin Rees (born 1942), cosmologist and astrophysicist
- Frederick Sanger (1918–2013), double Nobel prize-winning molecular biologist
- Adam Sedgwick (1785–1873), geologist
- John Snow (1813–1858), epidemiologist
- Joseph Wilson Swan (1828–1914), physicist and chemist
- George Paget Thomson (1892–1975), physicist
- J. J. Thomson (1856–1940), physicist
- Henry Tizard (1885–1959), chemist and inventor
- Alan Turing (1912–1954), mathematician
- Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913), naturalist
- Alfred North Whitehead (1861–1947), mathematician
- Maurice Vincent Wilkes (1913–2010), computer scientist
- James H. Wilkinson (1919–1986), mathematician
- William Hyde Wollaston (1766–1828), chemist
- Thomas Young (1773–1829), scientist
Sportsmen and sportswomen
[edit]Writers
[edit]- William Shakespeare (1564–1616), playwright, actor and poet
- J.K Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series
Other notables
[edit]- Hannah Aldworth (died 1778), philanthropist
- Margery Arnold (fl. mid 14th century), landowner
- Rachel Ashwell (born 1959), author, designer and entrepreneur
- Edward Betts (1815–1872), civil engineering contractor
- John Brasbrigg or Bracebrigge (fl. 1428), English book collector
- Thomas Brassey (1805–1870), civil engineering contractor
- Capability Brown (1715–1783), landscape gardener
- Donald Campbell (1921–1967), world land and water speed record holder
- Sir Malcolm Campbell (1885–1949), automobile and speedboat racer
- William Caxton (c. 1422 – c. 1491), printer
- Sir John Chesshyre (1662–1738), lawyer
- Grace Darling (1815–1842), heroine
- William Emes (c. 1729 – 1803), landscape gardener
- Elizabeth Fry (1780–1845), prison reformer
- Thomas Grissell (1801–1874), public works contractor
- Natasha Hausdorff (born 1989), barrister, international news commentator, and Israel advocate
- Hilda Hewlett (1864–1943), pioneer aviator and aviation entrepreneur
- Ebenezer Howard (1850–1928), urban planner
- Daniel Howell (born 1991), YouTube personality and radio host
- Edward Kemp (1817–1891), garden designer
- Gideon Lester (born 1972), dramaturg, adaptator, theatre artistic director
- Philip Lester (born 1987), YouTube personality and radio host
- Peter Molyneux (born 1959), video game designer
- Sir Samuel Morton Peto (1809–1889), civil engineering contractor
- Joshua A. Norton (1811–1880), Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico
- Wat Tyler (died 1381), leader of the Peasants' Revolt (1381)
- William Wakefield (1801–1848), founder of Wellington, New Zealand
- Richard Walker (1918–1985), writer and pioneer of modern-day angling in Britain
- Sarah Elizabeth Wardroper (1814–1892), Matron of St Thomas's Hospital from 1854 to 1887
- Harriet Shaw Weaver (1876–1961), political activist and suffragist
- Joseph Williamson (1769–1840), philanthropist, merchant and tunneler
- Philip Yates (1913–1998), coal miner awarded the Edward Medal
English expatriates
[edit]The following were born English, but changed nationality later in their life.
- John Alden (c. 1599 – 1687), one of the leaders of the Pilgrims to North America[8]
- George Alsop, (c. 1630s-c. 1670s), author[8]
- Anthony Aston (died 1731), actor and dramatist[8]
- Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977)
- Alistair Cooke (1908–2004)
- Cary Grant (1904–1986), film actor
- Avraham Harman (1915–1992), Israeli diplomat and president of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Bob Hope (1903–2003)
- Stephen Hough (born 1961), concert pianist, became Australian citizen
- Thomas Paine (1737–1809)
See also
[edit]- List of people by nationality
- List of Cornish people
- List of Northern Irish people
- List of Scots
- List of Welsh people
References
[edit]- ^ Rubinstein, William D.; Jolles, Michael; Rubinstein, Hilary L. (22 February 2011). The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 852. ISBN 978-1-4039-3910-4.
- ^ Jeffries, Stuart (29 March 2023). "Paul O'Grady obituary". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ "Shipman 'killed early in career'". BBC News. 27 January 2005. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
- ^ "Sir William Lyons crowning glory". jaguarlandrover.com. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
- ^ "Sir Henry Royce – A Biography". royceandbentley.co.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
- ^ "Theresa May steps down amid chaos in British politics". aljazeera.com. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
- ^ "Tim Berners-Lee | Biography, Education, Internet, Contributions, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ a b c Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607–1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963.
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