Who's Who in and Around Leicester

This is Page One

The extensive list of names (around 155 entries to date) in the various sections of Who's Who are linked to information about famous or interesting people from - or otherwise associated with - Leicester or Leicestershire.   For each entry, in addition to a short write-up, there is at least one other link provided for additional information - just click on the name.

Search under each of the following sections, or look for a name in the Index first, and then check the corresponding section number (in parenthesis) next to the name. In order to cut down on the horrendous download time, Who's Who has been split up into four separate pages.

Who's Who Sections:

[Page One]

Section 1: [The World Famous]  Section 2: [Historically Significant]  Section 3: [Welford Rd Cemetery]

[Page Two]

Section 4: [Dissenters & Martyrs]  Section 5: [Acting Community]  Section 6: [Music Community]

[Page Three]

Section 7: [Writing Community]  Section 8: [Arts Community]  Section 9: [Sports Community]

[Page Four]

Section 10: [Miscellaneous]  Section 11: [Not Very Famous At All]  Section 12: [Featured Personality]

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MAIN INDEX

The section number (see above) for each entry is in parenthesis.

A

Adams, Jane (7)

Airey, Stella (11)

Allan, James (7)

Allcock, Tony (9)

Amis, Kingsley (7

Armstrong, Richard (6)

Attenborough, David (1)

Attenborough, Rich'd (1)

B

Bamber, Roger (10)

Banks, Gordon (9)

Bannen, Ian (5)

Barnes, Julian (7)

Barsby, Adam (8)

Bartram, Dave (6)

Bates, Henry Walter (2)

Bayley, Paul (11)

Beatty, Lord David (2)

Betts, Andrew (9)

Biggs, John (3)

Booth, Charles (4)

Bradford, William (4)

Brown, William (2)

Bruce, Christopher (6)

Buckley, David Joss (7)

Bullock, Jeremy (5)

Burbidge, Thomas (3)

C

Cardigan, Lord (2)

Carey, William (4)

Carter, Andrew (6)

Chapman, Graham (5)

Chapman, Roger (6)

Cheselden, William (2)

Coleman, Ray (7)

C

Cook, Thomas (1)

Cooke Optics (10)

Conley, Rosemary (10)

Cotterill, Tim (8)

Cursham, Juliet (8)

D

Deacon, John (6)

Deacon, Mary Ann (6)

Delamare, David (8)

De Montfort, Simon (2)

Driver, Betty (5)

Dyer-Bennet, Richard (6)

E

Ellis, John (3)

Everard Will & Thomas (10)

F

Frears, Stephen (5)

Fox, George (4)

G

Galer, Elliot (2)

Gardiner, William (3)

Gittins, Catherine (3)

Gittins,  Edith (3)

Goddard, Joseph (2)

Grech, Ric (6)

Grey, Lady Jane (2)

Grubb, Tim (9)

H

Harris, Richard (3)

Harwood, Lee (7)

Hemingway, Leicester (11)

Hesilrige, Sir Arthur (4)

Heyrick, Elizabeth (2)

Holden, Caroline (8)

Hooker, Thomas (4)

Hone, Timothy (6)

H

Hoskins, Tom (10)

Howells, David (8)

Hug, John (5)

Hull, Andrew (8)

Humperdinck, Engelbert (1)

I

Ike, David (7)

Illsley, John (6)

J

James, Paul (8)

Jeffreys, Sir Alec (10)

K

King, John (4)

King Lear (2)

Kitchen, Michael (5)

Kitchener, Lord (2)

Knox, Ronald (2)

L

Lambert, Daniel (2)

Latimer, Hugh (4)

Lawson, Geoff (10)

Lee, Rusty (10)

Light, Ronald (10)

Lineker, Gary (9)

Linwood, Mary (2)

L�hr, Geo Augustus  (6)

Lord, Jon (6)

M

Macaulay, Thomas (2) 

Markham, Beryl (10)

Marshall, Ben (2)

Marshall, James H. (6)

Maynard, Bill (5)

Merrick, John (1)

M

Moore, Christopher (7)

Morrison, Mark (6)

Morriss, Peter (7)

N

Neilson, David (5)

Newton, Alderman (2)

Nicholson, Henry (3)

O

Oppenheim, E. Phillips (7)

Orton, Joe (7)

Ovendale, Mark (9)

P

Paget, Thomas (2)

Partridge, Stephen (8)

Pepper, Lionel (10)

Pickard, Jon (6)

Pitman, Jenny (9)

Postlethwaite, Mark (8)

Pratt, Roger (5)

R

Redburn, Ashley (7)

Richard III (2)

S

Sacha, Duchess of Abercorn (10)

Sargent, Sir Malcolm (6)

Shilton, Peter (9)

Shingler, Howard (8)

Smithies Taylor, Thom' (10)

Smithies Taylor, Will' (10)

Snow, C.P. (7)

Stevens, David (6)

Stewart, Mark (6)

Stobart, John (8)

S

Stubbs, Una (5)

Swift, Jonathan (2)

T

Tallis, Thomas (2)

Taylor, Edward (4)

Taylor, Henry Ryder (7)

Tharp, Lars (8)

Thorn, Willie (9)

Tidy, Bill (10)

Townsend, Sue (7)

Townsend, Matthew (2)

Turner, Anthony (4)

Turpin, Dick (2)

Twells, Veronica Ann (7)

V

Vaughan, David (3)

Villiers, George (2)

W

Wade-Matthews, Max (7)

Walker, Henry (2)

Warrington, Freda (7)

Wendorf, Patricia (7)

Weston, David (8)

Wheldon, David (7)

White, Jill (6)

Whitney, Charlie (6)

Whittle, Sir Frank (10)

Wilson, Colin (7)

Winks, Joseph Fowles (4)

Wint, Maurice Dean (5)

Wolstenholme, Gary (9)

Wright, Joyce (6)

Wycliffe, John (4)

Wyggeston, William (2)

Y

Yates, Simon (9)

The World Famous 

There are some very famous people born in or associated with the City of Leicester or with the County

of Leicestershire.  Some such as Engelbert Humperdinck, the Attenborough brothers or

Thomas Cook are extremely well know; however, despite their world-wide

fame, few people would associate these famous people with Leicester.

Click on the name for additional information

~ John Carey Merrick ~

The Elephant Man.  This tragic man was born at 50 Lee Street in Leicester (where else?) in 1862. John developed tumors on his face before his second birthday, and his condition quickly worsened as bulbous, cauliflower-like growths grew from his head and body. The disease was popularly thought to be neurofribromotosis, or Proteus syndrome. Either way, he was blessed with rather unattractive growths, and his body progressively became more and more deformed. He was destined for a life of sadness and abuse, heaped on him rather generously by his family, and the public. His only success at earning a wage was to travel in "freak shows," popular in Victorian times. Despite his appalling start to life, John was apparently a mild-mannered and relatively educated man. John Merrick died of asphyxiation at the Royal London Hospital in 1890. In addition to the link (above) there is also a link to an excellent article on the Elephant Man by Elizabeth Batt, formerly of Leicester. See "Leicestershire Past and Present" at the bottom of the John Merrick page. Here's a new and first class website dedicated to Joseph Merrick: Just follow this link --> [Link].

~ Engelbert Humperdinck ~

World-famous recording artist and entertainer. He was born in Madras, India in 1936 but grew up in the Highfields area of Leicester. Engelbert was named Arnold George Dorsey and was once in a group in Leicester called the "Dorsey Brothers." He didn't change his name (from Gerry Dorsey) until 1966 when his career took off with his first hit "Release Me."  His rise to fame and stardom started on the popular TV show, "Sunday Night at the London Palladium." Engelbert had only a few minutes to sing "Release Me." However, these few minutes of national exposure was all that was needed to bring Engelbert the fame and the superstar status that would soon follow.  The very next day (after the show aired), thousands of fan mail poured in to the television station. The link (above) is to www.engelbert.net and looks fairly official - hard to say for sure. For a different perspective on Engelbert - again, try "Leicestershire Past and Present."

~ Lord Richard Attenborough ~

Oscar winning film actor, conservationist, philanthropist and director of such films as "Gandhi," "Shadowlands," "Cry Freedom," and most recently, "Grey Owl."  He has starred in numerous stage plays and more than 60 films and made his screen debut opposite Noel Coward in the 1942 classic "In Which We Serve."  He was born in Cambridge in 1923 but spent part of his childhood, including schooling, in Leicester. David and Richard's father, Frederick Levi Attenborough, was Principal of Leicester University College and he used to encourage the boys to visit the New Walk Museum, a place with which he was long involved himself. Lord Richard has received many honours including being made a Freeman of the City of Leicester and holding numerous honorary degrees: Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and the Chevalier de la legion d'Honner. He has received the Martin Luther King Jnr Peace Prize and India's Padma Bhusan. Attenborough was awarded the CBE in 1967 and a Knighthood in1976. In the 1993 Birthday Honours he was created a life peer, becoming Lord Attenborough of Richmond-upon-Thames where he has made his home for the past forty eight years.

~ Sir David Attenborough ~

World-renown naturalist and producer of wildlife films. Both David and his brother Richard attended Wyggeston Boy's School in Leicester. Sir David is probably Britain's best-known natural history film-maker. His career has spanned four decades and during that time he has travelled to some of the world's remotest regions. He took his first international flight in 1954, before the world was shrunk by jet engines and modern navigational aids. Before his time with the BBC, he joined the Navy in order to travel; however, they put him on an aircraft carrier moored to a buoy in the middle of the Firth of Forth, which wasn't exactly the kind of travel he had in mind. After his service years, he joined the BBC as a trainee, but he found the studio format unimaginative and longed to take a camera outside to film. It was some time before he could overcome the studios reluctance for such ventures. Read more on his life by following the link (left) for an interview with Sir David, or see the comments from the brother's visit to Leicester on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Leicester Museums link --> [Link]. 

~ Thomas Cook ~

Thomas Cook started his travel business empire with his first excursion: a round trip train journey from Leicester to Loughborough.  This was organised for the purpose of allowing 570 people - some who were members of the Leicester Temperance Society - to attend an anti-alcohol rally in Loughborough. The fare was one shilling and the passage was in open railway wagons. Cook went on to develop the notion of chartering trains , at specially low prices, from railway companies to take large parties of travellers on conducted tours, for which he made all the arrangements. From these humble beginnings, he became founder of the modern tourist Industry. He built himself a substantial house in Leicester (it later became the Red Cross Headquarters in London Road) and died in that house in 1892; he was buried in the cemetery opposite the playing-fields of the Wyggeston Boys School. In its heyday, the Thomas Cook Temperance Hall in the city was the cultural centre of  Leicester; Charles Dickens and Mark Twain read there, and the singers Jenny Lind and Adelina Patti also performed there. By clicking on the name above, the link will take you to one of the best site of Leicestershire on the Web: namely, "Leicestershire Past & Present," and an article on Thomas Cook by Elizabeth Batt.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Historically Significant ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Some of the people in this section, although of historical significance, are neither world-famous or even all that well-known in Britain - although some ought to be.  

The following list contains the names of some pretty remarkable people:

Click on the name for additional information

~ Henry Walker ~

Most great businesses begin with the inspiration of just one person, and Walker's Snack Foods Ltd. is no exception. Thanks to the efforts of Henry Walker, a successful pork butcher, Walkers is now one of the most prominent manufacturers of snack foods in the UK. Walker moved from Mansfield to Leicester in the 1880's and took possession of an established business in High Street. Determined to offer quality meats, his diligence was rewarded with prosperousness and new premises were acquired in 1912 at Cheapside. The Second War World brought severe meat restrictions and the shelves in the shop were empty come 10 a.m. It was soon decided that something needed to be done to provide work for staff at premises which were functioning at a mere 50% capacity. Enter the potato crisp. Not only were they popular fare but they weren't rationed either, so it was all systems go! The foregoing was "borrowed" from Leicestershire's premier website: "Leicestershire Past & Present." Click on the name above and the link will take you to the rest of the article by Elizabeth Batt.

~ Matthew Townsend ~

~ Mary Linwood ~

Born in Birmingham in 1755, moved with her family to Leicester in 1780. When her father, Matthew, a wine merchant, died in 1783 her mother, Hannah, opened a day school on Belgrave Gate. Taken over by Mary on her mother's death in 1804, the school operated for almost 50 years. She commenced needlework when she was thirteen and went on to produce many exquisite pieces up to her 78th year. In 1795 her work was exhibited in St Petersburg where the Tsar offered her 3,000 guineas for "Salvator Mundi," while Tsaritsa Catherine offered her �40,000 for the whole collection! Offers which Linwood declined, explaining that she did not want any of her works to leave England. Presented to most of the crowned heads of Europe, she was one of the very few English people to visit France during the Napoleonic Wars. Reputed to have been the last person in Leicester to use a sedan chair Mary Linwood died, aged 89, on 11 March 1845. She was buried with her parents in the south aisle of St Margaret's Church. This entry courtesy of the Max Wade-Matthews Website - click on the name above to visit this site and learn more about Mary Linwood and other notable characters from Leicester's colourful 19th Century period in the section "Leicester in 1834."

~ Dick Turpin ~

In the 1730s the Cock Inn at Sibson, near Hinckley, Leicestershire was the haunt of the this notorious highwayman. After working the Watling Street near Ullesthorpe, he would take refuge in the chimney in the inn's bar. Normally he resided with his parents in a small cottage in Fen Lane, which is situated between Upton and the village of Shenton. His famous horse, "Black Bess," was kept in a clearing in Lindley Wood. In 1738 he was arrested and taken to York Castle to await trial for horse stealing. Identified as Dick Turpin the murderer and highwayman, he was tried and convicted and publicly hanged in 1739. For an in depth treatment of this notorious character (thug actually) and another excellent article by Elizabeth Batt, got to "Leicestershire Past and Present," by clicking on the name above.

~ William Cheselden ~

(1688-1752) Surgeon to King George II and teacher of anatomy and surgery. He who wrote Anatomy of the Human Body (1713) and Osteographia, or the Anatomy of the Bones (1733). Both books were used as texts by anatomy students for nearly a century. Born in Somersby, Leicestershire, he was apprenticed to a Mr. Wilkes, surgeon of Leicester. He also studied under the anatomist William Cowper in 1703 and under James Ferne, a surgeon and lithotomist at St. Thomas' Hospital. By 1711 he was already established as a lecturer in anatomy. Cheselden was named assistant surgeon at St. Thomas' in 1718 and was elected one of the institution's principal surgeons the following year. Queen Caroline appointed him to be her surgeon in 1727. Cheselden was known for his swift and skillful operations; it was reported that he could perform a lithotomy (removal of gall stones) in 54 seconds. For a first class article by Leicestershire Past & Present's Elizabeth Batt, click on the name above.

~ Daniel Lambert ~

(1770-1809) The famed Leicester gaoler and heavy-weight topped the scales at 739 Lbs; however, there is a lot more to this man than his girth. As a boy, Daniel was athletic and healthy and often taught children to swim in the river Soar. At 14, Daniel was sent to work in Birmingham as an engraver and letter-cutter. He worked there for seven years, returning to Leicester to replace his father as Keeper of the County Bridewell (House of Correction) on Highcross Street in Leicester. The prisoners appeared to hold Daniel in high regard. A report in 1809 states, "He never forbore to make the greatest exertions to assist them at the time of their trials." Apparently several prisoners left the prison pledging their gratitude for Daniel's support, and most apparently also left in tears. Footnote: My sister Angela in Nevada reminded me that, as kids, we use to call him "Daddy Lambert."

~ Lady Jane Grey ~

The "Nine Days Queen." Born in 1537, and lived at Bradgate Manor, Leicestershire where she remained until she was nine years old.  Her parents, Henry Grey (Duke of Suffolk) and Frances Brandon, named her Jane in honour of Jane Seymour.  Nine days after being announced queen, Jane's father received orders telling him that Jane was to relinquish the title. Jane gave up the title willingly, a title that she had never wanted in the first place. All she wished to do was to return home to Bradgate. Sadly, she would never get that chance. Lady Jane was led to the executioners block on Tower Hill and beheaded on February 12th, 1554.  Jane died branded a traitor to the Crown of England. She was only sixteen years old.  

~ Jonathan Swift ~

(1667-1754) Swift, the author of Gulliver's Travels, was the grandson of a Royalist vicar of Yorkshire, whose three sons sought their fortune in Ireland. One of the sons married Abigail Erick (or Herrick), daughter of a Leicestershire family, and obtained a legal post in Dublin. He died before his expected child (Jonathan) was born. In 1689, when James II landed in Ireland and the country was plunged into turmoil, Swift (age 22) left there to stay with his mother's family in Leicestershire.

~ William Brown ~

He was one of the men involved in the famous Mutiny on the Bounty affair. He was born in Leicestershire about 1761 and at the age 26 was selected as a member of the botanical team appointed to sail on the ill-fated H.M.S. Bounty due to set off on a high-priority scientific voyage to the South Pacific. Commander Bligh described him as 5 feet 8 inches tall, with slender build, fair complexion, and dark brown hair. His face was terribly disfigured with a scrofula scar on one of his cheeks which contracted his eyelid, and ran all the way down to his throat. Although Brown took absolutely no part in the mutiny, he had no intention of returning to England with Bligh, so he willingly threw in his lot with Christian, and settled on Pitcairn Island. He was later murdered there during the polynesian crew's uprising in 1793.

~ Thomas Babington Macaulay ~

Baron Macaulay ( Whig Politician, essayist, poet, historian, and statesman) was born in the house of an uncle in Rothley Temple, Leicestershire. His father, Zachary Macaulay, the son of a Presbyterian minister from the Hebrides, had been governor of Sierra Leone and an ally of William Wilberforce, who fought for the abolition of slavery. His career: 1830 elected to parliament; 1834-38 member of Supreme Council in India; 1848 publishes first two volumes of History of England; 1849 Lord Rector of University of Glasgow; 1855 publishes 3rd and 4th volumes of History of England. In 1861 the last volume was published by his sister Hannah. Macaulay's mother, a Quaker, was the daughter of a Bristol bookseller. Thomas was the eldest of nine children. He died in Campden Hill, London, 1859. Quote: �The measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he never would be found out.�

~ Elizabeth Heyrick ~

(1769-1831) Social reformer, anti-slavery abolitionist; helped form the "Birmingham Ladies Society for the Relief of Negro Slaves." In 1824, Elizabeth published a pamphlet, " Immediate not Gradual Abolition." In this pamphlet she argued in favor of an immediate end to slavery in the British Colonies. This argument differed from that of the "Anti-Slavery Society" who advocated gradual abolition. Elizabeth devoted herself to social reform. She campaigned against bull-baiting and became a prison visitor. She wrote eighteen pamphlets on various subjects including one on the "Corn Laws." Click on the name (above) for another article by Elizabeth Batt. 

~ George Villiers ~

The Duke of Buckingham. This unworthy favourite of James I, was a native of Leicestershire, born in Brooksby (1592). His father was a Knight and Sheriff in the County. The unpopularity of George Villiers with parliament was seen as part of the long-term reasons for the English Civil War, which was to change the position of the British monarchy forever.  In 1628 at the age of 36 he was stabbed to death in Portsmouth, resulting in general jubilation in London. He had apparently conducted himself with so much pride and insolence as to excite popular hatred and disgust. Modern newspaper quote: "He was possibly the most successful tart of all time. The 'favourite,' for which read glorified rent boy, of James I, he rose from unremarkable origins to occupy positions of enormous power in 17th. Century England."

~ King Lear ~

Leyre was some tyme kyng of Bretayne the more, that now is called Englond. This Kyng Leyre made the towne of Leycetur [Leicester], and called it after his name Leycetur. This kyng had thre doughters; the name of the fyrste doughter was Gonoryll; the seconde was Regan; the thrid Cordell, that was beste taughte, and wiseste. Leyre, here fadre, was feble and olde, and wolde marie his doughters or he deyed, But fyrste he wolde wete [to know], which loued hym moste, shuld be beste mariede. On a day he askid his Eldiste doughter, how mych she louyd hym? "Sir," she seide, "I loue you as mych as myn owne lyfe." "for sothe," seide the kyng, "that is a grete loue; I may no more aske." Then he asked the seconde doughter, how mych she louyd hym she sayde, she louyd hym aboue all Criatures of the worlde. "for sothe," seide Leyre, " I may no more aske." Than ho asked of the yongeste doughter, how mych she louyd hym? "Sir," she seide, "my systers han seide to you wordes of glosyng [flattery], but I say to you trouthe. I love you as mych as I owe to loue my Fadire, and for to make you more Certayne how mych loue is worthe, I shall say you, as mych as ye han so mych are ye worthe, and so mych I loue you. Taken from the English version of the Gesta Romanorum --> [Link] which is preserved in the British Museum. Spell check that - and to think my wife gets after me for my spelling.

~ Richard III ~

~ Henry Walter Bates ~

(1825-1892) Born in Leicester, this naturalist and explorer was a friend of the amateur naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace and a contemporary of Charles Darwin contributing to the debate on the origin of species. He was engaged in Amazonian exploration (1848-1859). Bates remained 11 years, exploring the entire valley of the Amazon, where he collected about 14,712 species, mostly of insects (8,000 previously unknown). On his return to England (1859), he began work on his huge collections and the preparation of his famous paper, presented in 1861 as "Contributions to an Insect Fauna of the Amazon Valley." In 1864 Bates was appointed assistant secretary of the Royal Geographical Society (London) and held the position until his death. Author of the "Naturalist on the River Amazons," in 1864. He gave his name to Batesian mimicry whereby a harmless creature evolves to resemble a poisonous or dangerous one.

~Thomas Paget ~

An advocate of free trade and municipal reform, in 1830 Paget unsuccessfully stood for parliament. Strongly opposed to the influence and patronage of the duke of Rutland he had addressed the voters from the Castle Yard in opposition to the Corn Law, Negro slavery, the game laws, the tax levied on tea and, on a more positive note, the reform of parliament. He lost by only 800 votes, without having spent a single penny on his campaign. The following year he stood again and was elected, only to resign his seat the following August having accomplished the two great objects of his life, namely the overthrow of the system of aristocratic domination and the obtainment of municipal reform. Known by his political enemies as "The great and mighty Plum Pudding Orator," Thomas Paget died in 1862 and was buried at Ibstock where there is a memorial to his memory. This entry courtesy of the Max Wade-Matthews Website - click on the name above to visit this site and learn more about Thomas Paget and other notable characters from Leicester's colourful 19th Century period in "Leicester in 1834.". 

~ Simon De Montfort ~

Little is known of his early childhood or the exact year of his birth; however, it is believed that he was born circa 1208, in Montfort, Ile-de-France.  The younger son of a French noble, he received the claim to the earldom of Leicester, which he inherited from his Grandmother.  In approximately 1229-30, he departed France for the shores of England. He died on August 4th 1265 at the Battle of Evesham. De Montfort's Parliament of 1265 is seen to have laid down the foundations for the eventual development of the House of Commons. For the full story go to Elizabeth Batt's article (click on the name above). Not the most pleasant of characters apparently, and his wife Alice was no better. In that regard, for a different perspective, see this link to "The Concise History of the Baptists" sections 11 and 12 for details of their cruelties in France ---> [Link]   

~ Ben Marshall ~

(1768-1835) He was one of the greatest British horse portraitists, and although he spent much of his life in Newmarket he was, in fact, born in Leicestershire. Among his most illustrious patrons were George III, George IV, Earl St Vincent, Lord Darlington and George Osbaldeston. Henry Villebois (1778-1847), whose initials appear on the feeding sieve of the painting shown in this link, was a regular patron of Marshall from whom he commissioned paintings of his hacks, carriage horses and hunters. Ben Marshall quote: "I discover many a man who will pay me fifty guineas for painting his horse, who thinks ten guineas too much for painting his wife."

~ William Wyggeston ~

(1467-1536), a native of Leicester, a wealthy merchant, and four times Mayor of Calais as well as Mayor of Leicester in 1499 and 1510. His two marriages produced no children, so he devoted his money and energies towards charitable work; the chief of which were the founding of a Chantry chapel (1512) and a hospital (1513). The Chantry House has now been incorporated as part of the Newarke Houses Museum; the hospital, originally sited to the west of St. Martin's church was transferred to new buildings near the corner of Hinckley Road and Fosse Road South in 1869; this was removed in 1966/67. The original site was incorporated in the playground of the Wyggeston Boy's School in 1877 and is now used by Alderman Newton's School. Find out more about William Wyggeston, in conjunction with the Leicester Clock Tower, by following the link (click on the name above) to the website "Leicester Research."

~ Alderman Newton ~

(1683-1762). Alderman Gabriel Newton was originally a Leicester woolcomber, he became a Freeman in 1702, a councillor in 1710, an Alderman in 1726 and Mayor of Leicester in 1732. Largely as a result of three marriages, he amassed great wealth, and when his only son died at the age of 18, this caused him to settle a sum of  �3,250 towards the schooling and clothing of  thirty-five boys. Many other schools besides Alderman Newton's were supported in many other centres beside Leicester. He laid down strict rules as to dress and religious instruction, and Newton, deeply religious, was eccentric in the extreme and a stickler for orthodoxy and detail. This brought him in to conflict with many of his contemporaries - from bell-ringers to clergymen. When he died, he was afforded a civic funeral and was buried at All Saints Churchyard, Leicester. Find out more about Alderman Newton, in conjunction with the Leicester Clock Tower, by following the link (click on the name above) to the website "Leicester Research." THen go to "Leicester in 1834."

~ Thomas Tallis ~

(1510-1585) His connection with Leicestershire is somewhat tenuous. Thomas Tallis was an organist and composer whose career spanned the reigns of four monarchs and a long period of religious change. He was organist of Dover Priory in 1532 but moved to London (Saint Mary-at-Hill) and then to Waltham Abbey, where the excellent choir and acoustics probably inspired him to compose his early Latin motets. He was referred to as "The Father of English Cathedral Music."

~ Ronald Knox ~

(1888-1957) Born in Kibworth Beauchamp, Leicestershire. He was an author, theologian, and dignitary of the Roman Catholic Church, best known for his translation of the Bible. Born into an Anglican family, he was educated at Balliol College, Oxford, and in 1912 was appointed chaplain of Trinity College, Oxford. He became a Roman Catholic in 1917. From 1926 to 1939 he served as Roman Catholic chaplain to the university. Knox gave witty expression to the perplexities that bedeviled him between his graduation and conversion in "Some Loose Stones" (1913) and in "Reunion All Round" (1914). He chronicled his struggle and its resolution in "A Spiritual Aeneid" (1918). The final expression of his position appeared in "The Belief of Catholics" (1927). Knox also wrote inventive and complex detective novels; "Still Dead" (1934) is generally considered the best among them. 

~ Elliot Galer ~

Elliot Galer was the first manager of the Leicester Royal Opera House (1877) and was married to the singer Fanny Reeves. Born in Cambridge, Elliot, an amateur actor and playwright, had trained as an architect in Norwich before going to Milan for voice training. In May 1879, during Elliot's tenure as manager of the Opera House, Leicester had the honour of being the first provincial town to hear Bizet�s Carmen sung in English. This link will take you to a webpage called "Musical Leicester," a fascinating look at the music scene in the City during the 18th and 19th centuries. The author of this book is the Leicester resident Max Wade-Matthews; he has made numerous contributions to Who's Who.

~ David Beatty ~

David Beatty joined the Navy in 1884 and served in the Sudan (1896-98) and China (during the 1900 Boxer Rebellion). He was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1910 and appointed Naval Secretary to Winston Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty. Early in World War I he saw action in the Heligoland Bight, the Dogger Bank and Jutland, where he successfully enticed the German Navy into the arms of Jellicoe's Grand Fleet approaching from the North. At the end of 1916, aged only 45, Beatty was promoted Acting Admiral and succeeded Jellicoe as Commander-in-Chief. In September 1919 he was created an earl and appointed First Sea Lord, a post he held until 1927. Lord Beatty, who lived in Brooksby Hall, Leicestershire, died in 1936 and was buried in Saint Paul's Cathedral, London. There is a bronze bust of David Beatty in the church of St Michaels and All Angels, Brookesby. Beatty is depicted wearing dress uniform and his Order of Merit. The simple inscription reads: "Beatty of Brooksby and the North Sea 1871-1936."  This entry courtesy of Max Wade-Matthews.

~ Lord Cardigan ~

James Thomas Brudenell, the Seventh Earl of Cardigan, was (after his retirement) another resident of Brooksby Hall in Leicestershire. This military man, forever associated with the "Charge of the Light Brigade," was very much to the manor born. He was, in his early adulthood, a striking figure; tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed. He had a reputation as a daring horseman, excelled at swordsmanship, and was a fine shot. He was, much of the time, every bit the martinet that Flashman described. He was also a reasonably complex human being who didn't quite fit the Lord Haw-Haw image. Brought up at home among his sisters, he grew up as such boys do, spoilt, domineering, and headstrong. No arm was stronger than his. No rude voice contradicted him, no rough shoulder pushed him. From his earliest consciousness he was the most important, the most interesting, the most influential person in the world. A legend grew that, at age fourteen, Cardigan had been thrown from a horse and struck his head on a gate; emerging from a weeks-long recuperation, his disposition had changed to a far more harsh, domineering style, and he was subject to flights of extraordinary rage.

~ Lord Kitchener ~

Horatio Kitchener was born near Ballylongford, County Kerry in 1850. Educated at the Royal Military Academy he entered the Royal Engineers in 1871. Kitchener served in Palestine (1874-78), Cyprus (1878-82) and the Sudan (1883-85). In 1898 Kitchener became a national hero when he successfully led the British Army in the fight to win back the Sudan. As a result of his victory at Omdurman he was granted the title Lord Kitchener. Lord Kitchener used to visit his father who lived at Cossington for the last 13 years of his life. His Father is buried in that  village's All Saint's churchyard. This entry courtesy of Leicester author and historian Max Wade-Matthews. 

Joseph Goddard (1840-1900) the son of Henry Goddard, was a third-generation architect. He was articled to his father in 1856 and commenced practice with him in 1862. Joseph Goddard was very keen on the Gothic style and was responsible for some of Leicester's best-known buildings. As well as engaging in a profitable architectural practice Joseph Goddard also made a lot of money out of property development, especially the Highfields Street area, which at that time was one of the more highly thought of places to live in Leicester. Joseph Goddard founded the Leicester Society of Architects and, outside business, the Leicester Art School. A man who was small of stature, at one time there was a rhyme "Here is the architect not very tall, who made the estimates ever so small." Examples of Joseph Goddard's work include: the Midland Bank, Granby Street (1872-74); the Clock Tower (1868) and the Thomas Cook Building, Gallowtree Gate (1894). This entry courtesy of Max Wade-Matthews.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Welford Road Cemetery ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the early Victorian years, many towns with their rapidly rising populations saw the need for municipal cemeteries. Not only were the church yards vastly overcrowded, but many people were dissenters [non C of E] who did not want to be interred in Anglican graveyards. Leicester's Welford Road Cemetery was the result of both these pressures." Courtesy of Max Wade-Matthews, author of "Grave Matters - A Walk through Welford Road Cemetery Leicester. The story of the first fifty years of the cemetery with brief biographies of some of the notable citizens of Victorian Leicester who are therein interred." 

Most of the following entries are taken from either the book "Grave Matters," or from author's website: Leicester Research. In some cases, you can click on the names to visit this site and learn more about these notable characters from Leicester's colourful past.

~ John Ellis ~

Although George and Robert Stephenson are names synonymous with the Leicester & Swannington Railway, its chief promoter, John Ellis, three times mayor of Leicester, is not as well known and does not get the recognition he deserves. He was chairman of the Midlands County Railway and one of the owners of Belgrave Hall. He bought the house in 1847 and lived there with his six daughters until their deaths. One or more of the daughters have been associated with the haunting of Belgrave Hall (see Leicester Ghosts in the Links page). Footnote: I don't have a link to go with this entry as yet; in fact, I don't have very much information at all at this time.  John Ellis was born a farmer's son in 1789 and was fully engaged with the family farm at Beaumont Leys, until 1832. In this year coal was discovered in north-west Leicestershire and Ellis approached George Stephenson to ask if a line could be built between the Swannington coal field and Leicester. A line was quickly built and opened in July 1832 the cheap source of coal bringing a new prosperity to Leicester. Ellis then took an interest in the establishment of a passenger railway for Leicester and was the main mover behind the Midland County Railway, which opened in 1840 with a station in Campbell Street. In politics Ellis was a reformer and was elected a town councillor in 1837. The following year he was made an alderman. he was often asked to be mayor, but always refused on account of him being a Quaker. His religion, however, did not stop him standing for Parliament, to which he was elected in 1848. At about this time he gave up his farm and moved to Belgrave Hall. During his four years as a MP he was always recognised in the House as being a character - his blunt, but friendly demenour and his straightforward and sincere speech always ensuring a full measure of respect. Courtesy (in part) to Max Wade-Matthews. 

~ Henry Nicholson ~

One of the most prominent musician in nineteenth-century Leicester was Henry Nicholson (1825-1907). Nicholson was a virtuoso flautist and played in the first English performance of Mendelssohn�s Elijah at Birmingham Town Hall which was conducted by the composer. Nicholson used the opportunity to get the maestro to sign his flute case. This was the start of a life-long hobby, for he continued collecting many famous musician�s autographs including, on his visit to Leicester in 1903, that of the American "March King," John Philip Sousa. Sadly the case is now lost. The castellated monument over his grave was erected in his honour by the officers, NCOs and men of the Leicester Yeomanry. Henry, who had been their Bandmaster for over 40 years, had met the Duke of Rutland at Waterloo and, knowing of Nicholson's musical ability, the Duke had invited him to take over his band. Henry was also responsible for bringing some of the famous musicians of the day to Leicester, such as Paganini in 1833 and Franz Liszt in 1842.

~ John Biggs ~

He was born in 1801 and served as mayor of Leicester in the years 1840, 1847 and 1855. The leading member of Biggs & Sons, one of the main hosiery firms in the town, he was a kind and benevolent boss who was well regarded by his workers. After the slump of 1838, for instance, theirs was the first factory in the town to raise wages. It was also the first firm in the town to abolish frame rents, a system whereby the framework knitter had to pay his master a rent for the frame upon which he worked. Courtesy of Max Wade-Matthews

~ Richard Harris ~

The main hosiery firm in Leicester in 1836 was that of Richard Harris & Co. Richard Harris began his working life as a printer's apprentice with the Leicester Herald. One evening, so the story goes, just before the newspaper was to be printed, young Richard knocked over some of the newly-set type, turning it into "pie." However, the publisher, Richard Phillips, who was to become Lord Mayor of London, was an ingenious man and, as there was no time to reset before the paper had to be printed in order to catch the stage, he ordered the printer to leave the type as it was. Above the nonsensical jumble of letters Phillips had printed words to the effect that just as the paper was going to press they had received an express from Holland and as there had been no time to translate the text, it was printed just as received in the "original Dutch." The translation, Phillips went on to say, would appear in the next issue - needless to say it never did. This entry courtesy of the Max Wade-Matthews Website - click on the name above to visit this site and learn more about Richard Harris and other notable characters from Leicester's colourful 19th Century period. Once there, click on "Leicester in 1834."

~ William Gardiner ~

His love of music had been with him since childhood having, at the age of six, sung a solo at the wedding of one of his father's friends. He learnt to play the piano and viola and in his early teens wrote, under the name Paxton, a hymn tune for the Great Meeting choir. In 1794 Leicester was the first town in England to hear the music of Beethoven when Gardiner, the Abbe Dobler and one of the Valentine family performed that composer's Violin Trio in E flat, three years before it was published in London. The proudest day of Gardiner's life was in August 1845 when he was present at the unveiling of the statue of Beethoven in Bonn. Introduced to the crowd as the man who had introduced the composer's music to England, he was invited to sign the parchment which recorded the date and facts of the inauguration which was to be soldered up in a lead box and deposited in the base of the statue. The only place on the document which would accommodate Gardiner's signature was under the names Victoria and Albert. Find out more at Leicester Research by clicking on the name above and then on "Leicester in 1834," and then on "Entertainment."

In 1880 Edward Gittins, a corn merchant who lived with his family a few doors away (on Churchgate) in a big Georgian town house, owned No. 67 Churchgate (Granary Mews). Edward's eldest daughter, Catherine, was the Secretary of the local Kyrle Society; named after John Kyrle (1637-1724), an English philanthropist, the Society's aim was to better the lot of working people laying out parks and encouraging home decoration. Founded in 1877 the Society lasted nearly fifty years before being merged with the Leicester Civic Society. Catherine's sister, Edith, founded the Leicester Women's Liberal Association and was deeply involved with the women's suffrage movement. Both sisters were watercolour artists, teachers of drawing and members of the Leicester Sketch Club. Edith seems to have been the more talented of the two and had several of her works exhibited at the Royal Academy. Edith was also a Sunday school teacher at the nearby Great Meeting and in 1883, at that Sunday school's centenary, wrote a book outlining the history of the chapel. Catherine died in 1900 and Edith in 1910, both being buried with their parents in Welford Road Cemetery.

~ Thomas Burbidge ~

In 1833, with a view to municipal reform, commissioners were appointed by Parliament to visit several boroughs and collect evidence as to the way in which their corporations had managed local business. In September two of these commissioners, visited Leicester and requested the town clerk, Thomas Burbidge, to produce the Corporation Hall Books for the last twenty years and the Chamberlains' Accounts for the last ten years. This, Burbidge refused to do, being not over-courteous in his reply. In April 1836 the Attorney General made an appeal on behalf of Leicester's Mayor and Corporation to show cause why Burbidge should not hand over the accounts which were still in his possession. He was also requested to submit his bill for work done under the old regime as he had retained �4,500 of corporation money to "reimburse" himself, as he alleged, for work he had done on behalf of the town. Find out more about this colourful and controversial character at Leicester Research. Just click on the name above.

~ David Vaughan ~

Educated at Rugby and Trinity College Cambridge, in 1852 David translated Plato�s Republic with scholarly notes. He returned to Leicester in 1855 but three years later took the incumbency of Whitechapel, a post he held until 1860 when he was appointed Vicar of St Martin's and Master of Wyggeston�s Hospital. In 1872 he was offered the living of Battersea, worth �1,200 a year, however, he turned it down preferring to remain at Leicester where he was receiving only �140 a year. Today he is mainly remembered in Leicester for his work in adult education, being the founder of the Leicester Working Man�s College which evolved into the present Vaughan College, the Adult Education Centre of Leicester University. David Vaughan died in 1905 and is buried in Welford Road Cemetery.

This is not a "Surf to..." program or any kind of a referral program for that matter, it's just one heck of a good search engine utility; in fact, it's the best. I used it exclusively for all of my research for the "Who's Who" section of "Leicester Overseas."  

Follow the link to see all of the awards and accolades about Copernic 2000. Install it on your computer, just like your browser or your e-mail software, it's great, it's free, it's Canadian (see, we're not all igloos and fur trading). Download free version or low priced upgraded versions.

[Page One]

Section 1: [The World Famous]  Section 2: [Historically Significant]  Section 3: [Welford Road Cemetery]

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