List of people from the City of Wakefield
This is a list of people from the City of Wakefield, a local government district in West Yorkshire, England. This list includes notable people from Wakefield, and the wider district, and so includes people from Normanton, Pontefract, Featherstone, Castleford and Knottingley and other areas. This list is arranged alphabetically by surname:
| Table of contents: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
A
B
- William Baines, pianist[1]
- Ron Barber, politician
- Stan Barstow FRSL, writer
- Nigel Boocock, speedway rider
- Matthew Booth, actor, Emmerdale
- Geoffrey Boycott OBE, former Yorkshire and England cricketer[2]
- Tom Briscoe, rugby league footballer who has played for Hull; currently representing Leeds Rhinos and England[3]
- Thomas Byran VC, recipient of the Victoria Cross in 1917[4]
- Andrew Burt, actor
C
- John Carr, architect
- Lewis Charles, programmer at Canalside Studios
- Claire Cooper, actress
- Josh Cooper, journalist
- Robbie Cruikshanks, professional basketball player
D
- Janet Davies, actress
- Thomas Dawson, ice hockey player for the Bradford Sabres
- Reece Dinsdale, actor, Home to Roost, Ahead of the Class, Coronation Street
E
- Harry Earnshaw (1915-1985), racing cyclist
- Monica Edwards, children's novelist
- Mick Exley, rugby league footballer of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, who represented Wakefield, Great Britain, England, and Yorkshire[5]
F
- Louisa Fennell, painter of local scenes in Wakefield
- Jean Fergusson, actress
- Charles Fernandes (1857–1944), rugby union footballer of the 1880s for England, and Leeds
- Helen Fielding, author
- Emily Freeman, athlete, 100 m and 200 m
- Martin Frobisher, explorer, found the Northwest Passage
- Neil Fox MBE, rugby league footballer of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s for England, Yorkshire, Great Britain and Wakefield[6]
G
- Noel Gay, composer
- George Gissing, novelist and misanthrope
- Chris Greenacre, footballer for Wellington Phoenix
H
- Bob Haigh, rugby league footballer and coach of the 1960s and 1970s, who represented Wakefield, Yorkshire, England and Great Britain[7]
- John George Haigh, 1940s serial killer known as the Acid Bath Murderer
- John Harrison, clockmaker who solved the longitudinal problem, leading to sea power and GMT
- Chanelle Hayes, Big Brother 8 contestant, now a glamour model
- John Healey, politician and the former Financial Secretary to the Treasury
- Barbara Hepworth DBE, sculptor
- Keith Holliday, rugby league footballer of the 1950s and 1960s who represented Wakefield, Yorkshire and Great Britain[8]
- Reenie Hollis, bassist in indie band The Long Blondes
- David Hope KCVO PC, former Archbishop of York
I
- Benjamin Ingham, 18th-century evangelist[9]
J
- Gary Jarman, member of indie band The Cribs
- Ross Jarman, member of indie band The Cribs
- Ryan Jarman, member of indie band The Cribs
K
- Cyril Knowles, former footballer for Tottenham Hotspur and England[10]
- Peter Knowles, former footballer for Wolverhampton Wanderers[11]
- Andy Kelly Rugby League Player and Coach
- Neil Kelly Rugby League Player and Coach
- Richard Kelly Rugby League Player and Coach
- Bobby Krlic Musician, Producer and Film score writer under the moniker The Haxan Cloak
L
- Sir Albert Lamb, newspaper editor[12]
- Jimmy Ledgard, rugby league world cup winning footballer of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s who represented Dewsbury, England and Great Britain[13]
- Kenneth Leighton, composer
- Alison Littlewood, author
- Eric Lockwood (1932-2014), English professional rugby league footballer of the 1950s and 1960s
- Johnny Longden, champion jockey, founder of Jockey's Guild
- Frederick Lowrie (1868–1902), rugby union footballer of the 1880s and 1890s for England, and Batley
M
- Leonard Marson, rugby league footballer of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, who represented Wakefield, England, and Yorkshire[14]
- Anne O'Hare McCormick, journalist, first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize
- Brian McDermott, rugby league player and coach
- Jane McDonald, singer and television personality
- David Mercer, playwright
- Henry Moore OM CH FBA RBS, sculptor
- Andrew Moynihan VC, recipient of the Victoria Cross in 1855[15]
N
- Bill Nelson, founder, lead guitarist and singer of 1970s progressive rock band Be-Bop Deluxe (founded in Wakefield) and of the New Wave and synthpop group Red Noise; solo music artist
- Ian Nelson, musician and member of synthpop band Fiat Lux; member of 1970s progressive rock band Be-Bop Deluxe; younger brother of Bill
- Paul Newlove, former rugby league player; current school teacher
O
P
- Ian Parkin, rhythm guitarist of the original line-up of 1970s progressive rock band Be-Bop Deluxe
- David Peace, author[16]
- Arthur Uther Pendragon (born 1954), activist and self-declared reincarnation of King Arthur
- Dave Penney, former manager of Doncaster Rovers FC, now manager of Darlington FC
- Carolyn Pickles, actress, great-niece of Wilfred Pickles
- Harold Poynton, rugby league footballer of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s who represented Wakefield, Yorkshire and Great Britain[17]
Q
R
- John Radcliffe MP, scientist and founder of the eponymous library in Oxford
- Don Robinson, rugby league world cup winning footballer of the 1950s and 1960s who represented Leeds, Wakefield and Great Britain[18]
S
- Ian Sampson, former English footballer, current manager of Northampton Town FC
- Annabel Scholey, actress
- Jayne Sharp, TV presenter
- Richard Stoker, composer
- David Storey, novelist and playwright
- Paul Sykes, heavyweight boxer
T
- Mike Tindall MBE, England and Gloucester Rugby Union player
- Jane Tomlinson CBE, athlete and cancer charity fundraiser (from Rothwell in Leeds, on Wakefield border)
- Derek Turner, Rugby League World Cup winning footballer of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, who represented Ossett, Hull, Wakefield, England and Great Britain[19]
U
- Robert Ullathorne, former Premiership footballer with Norwich City, Leicester City
V
W
- Charles Waterton, naturalist
- Helen Worth, longtime Coronation Street cast-member
See also
References
- ^ Celebrating Baines, London: wildyorkshire, 6 November 2007, retrieved 11 November 2013
- ^ Family detective: Geoffrey Boycott, Telegraph, 16 Jun 2007, retrieved 11 November 2013
- ^ Wingers Ryan Hall and Tom Briscoe give England speed and strength, London: The Guardian, 11 November 2011, retrieved 11 November 2013
- ^ Calls grow to honour hero, Pontefract and Castleford Express, 6 May 2012, retrieved 11 November 2013
- ^ Mick Exley, freebmd, retrieved 13 November 2013
- ^ "Birth details at freebmd.org.uk". freebmd.org.uk. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
- ^ Robert Haigh, rugbyleagueproject, retrieved 13 November 2013
- ^ Edgar, Harry (2007). Rugby League Journal Annual 2008 [Page-110]. Rugby League Journal Publishing. ISBN 0-9548355-3-0
- ^ Ossett church tells the story of its community, superleaguefans, 8 May 2012, retrieved 13 November 2013
- ^ cyril knowles - fact file, mehstg, retrieved 13 November 2013
- ^ Peter Knowles, football-england, retrieved 13 November 2013
- ^ Albert Lamb Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2004; accessed 17 June 2012
- ^ Ledgard James A. Saxton, 2.freebmd, retrieved 13 November 2013
- ^ L Marson, rugbyleagueproject, retrieved 13 November 2013
- ^ Trevor Royle (2009), The Cameronians: A Concise History, Mainstream Publishing, retrieved 13 November 2013
- ^ David Peace, author of Red Riding and The Damned United: profile, Daily Telegraph, retrieved 13 November 2013
- ^ Harold Poynton Trinity Great, superleaguefans, 1 Mar 2011, retrieved 13 November 2013
- ^ Robinson Donald Elliott, 2.freebmd, retrieved 13 November 2013
- ^ Derek Turner, rugbyleagueproject, retrieved 13 November 2013