Greater Manchester People

People with connections to Greater Manchester and Family Heads

The modern county of Greater Manchester was not created until 1974. Most of today's Greater Manchester lay within the ancient county boundaries of Lancashire;

see also

• Old Historic Families of Lancashire
  
• Old families of Lancashire
  
• People Connected to Lancashire
  

Families on Geni

The project Historic Manchester covers the History of Manchester and historical/political people.

Please add the earliest head of the family to the list of Manchester Families on Geni below and link their profiles to the project. These should be male! Adding anyone with a Greater Manchester birthplace to the project would cause the project to be a little cluttered, so please restrict this to the earliest head of family!

Names with Bold links are to Geni profiles. Non-bold links take you to other biographical web pages.

Renown people of Greater Manchester

The list of people from Greater Manchester, in North West England, is divided by metropolitan borough. The demonym of Greater Manchester is "Greater Mancunian".

1. Manchester
2. Stockport
3. Tameside
4. Oldham
5. Rochdale
6. Bury
7. Bolton
8. Wigan
9. Salford
10. Trafford

Alphabetical by surname

Manchester

A

• Caroline Aherne - BAFTA award winning actress, comedian and writer, The Mrs Merton Show
• Daniel Adamson (1820–1890): engineer born in Durham who designed the Manchester Ship Canal. Adamson was one of the directors of the Manchester chamber of commerce and a Justice of the Peace for Cheshire and Manchester. He was buried in Withington
• Chris Addison - Stand-up comedian, writer and actor
• Mark Addy (1840–1890): Manchester-born Albert Medal recipient
• William Harrison Ainsworth - A historical novelist born in Manchester
• Sir John Alcock - aviator who, with fellow British aviator Arthur Brown, made the first nonstop transatlantic flight
• Don Arden - Cheetham Hill-born music manager and businessman, best known for overseeing the careers of rock groups Small Faces, Electric Light Orchestra and Black Sabbath
• Rob Atha - Table football player
• Mike Atherton - former England cricket captain and commentator

B

• Max Beesley - English actor and musician.
• Wes Brown - ex -Manchester United footballer
• Anthony Burgess (1917–1993): Manchester-born and educated author, poet, playwright, musician, linguist, translator and critic, most famous for his novel A Clockwork Orange

C

• Darren Campbell - former sprinter representing Great Britain
• John Cassidy, an Irish-born sculptor and painter who lived in Manchester
• Sir Humphrey Chetham, merchant and benefactor of Chetham's Library, born in Crumpsall
• Richard Cobden (1804–1865): Sussex-born industrialist who moved to Manchester where he was politically active
• Roy Collins (1934-2009), cricketer who played for Lancashire and Cheshire, born in Clayton
• Peter Cundall OA, a horticulturist and television presenter born in Manchester
• Ian Curtis musician and singer in Joy Division

D

• Mark Davies - Bishop of Shrewsbury
• Les Dawson - comedian born in Collyhurst
• Arthur Delaney - painter influenced by L. S. Lowry
• Lee Dixon - former professional footballer and ITV Sport football pundit
• Robert Donat - film and stage actor. He is best known for his roles in Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps and Goodbye, Mr. Chips for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor

E

F

• Judy Finnigan - Television presenter and columnist. She has usually co-presented with her husband, Richard Madeley, and the two are collectively known, informally, as Richard and Judy

G

• Liam Gallagher lead singer of Manchester band Oasis. Born in Burnage
• Noel Gallagher - songwriter and lead guitarist for High Flying Birds and formerly Oasis[25] Born in Burnage
• George Garrett - Submarine pioneer who built Resurgam. Brought up in Moss Side
• Max George - member of boy band, The Wanted
• Jimi Goodwin - bassist, vocalist and guitarist for The Doves
• Holliday Grainger - Didsbury born actress, most known for portraying Lucrezia Borgia in Showtime's The Borgias
• Trevor Griffiths - dramatist, co-writer of screenplay for the film Reds, born in Ancoats
• Nick Grimshaw - Manchester-born, Radio 1 DJ

H

• Arthur Harden - Manchester-born Nobel Prize winning biochemist
• Andrew Hall - Cheshire cricketer
• Stuart Hall - a BBC radio and television presenter.

I

J

• Howard Jacobson - a Man Booker Prize-winning British Jewish author and journalist, best known for writing comic novels that often revolve around the dilemmas of British Jewish characters
• Davy Jones - actor and singer of the band The Monkees

K

• Michelle Keegan - actor on Coronation Street
• Brian Kidd - football coach, (assistant manager at Manchester City since December 2009) and former player. He was assistant manager to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United in the 1990s and was a member of the Manchester United team that won the European Cup in 1968. Born in Collyhurst

L

• Harold Lever - Labour politician and Baron Lever
• Martin Lewis - Withington-born financial journalist who founded the MoneySavingExpert.com website
• David Lloyd George - born in Chorlton-in-Medlock, British Prime Minister during the First World War and member of the Liberal Party
• Sunny Lowry - Longsight-born swimmer who was the first British woman to swim the English Channel

M

• Bernard Manning - Ancoats-born stand-up comedian
• Johnny Marr - songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist, harmonica player, and singer, rose to fame in the 1980s as the guitarist in The Smiths
• Ian McShane - actor who grew up in Manchester
• Mohyeldeen Mohammad - Islamist activist who studied in Saudi-Arabia prior to his deportation
• Steven Patrick Morrissey - singer in The Smiths, born in Davyhulme
• Daniel Moult - Concert organist, organ tutor and animateur, ensemble player and presenter of films about music
• Gary Mounfield - "Mani" is a bassist, formerly of The Stone Roses and later in Primal Scream

N

• Doug Naylor - comedy writer, perhaps best known for creating the comedy series Red Dwarf

O

P

• Emmeline Pankhurst - suffragette, born Moss Side
• Karl Pilkington - podcaster, author and TV presenter, known for his work with Ricky Gervais
• Fee Plumley - Digital artist
• John Charles Polanyi - chemist, raised in Manchester, who won the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, for his research in chemical kinetics

Q

• Thomas de Quincey (1785–1859) born in Manchester, author and intellectual, best known for his Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (1821)

R

• Marc Riley - musician, alternative rock critic and radio DJ on BBC 6 Music. Formerly a member of The Fall, he had his own record label, In-Tape, and also worked as a record plugger
• Andy Rourke - bass guitarist best known for being a former member of The Smiths
• Shaun Ryder - vocalist and songwriter with the Happy Mondays who became famous in the Madchester era

S

• Peter Saville - Manchester-born artist and designer, best known for his work with Factory Records
• Nobby Stiles - born in Collyhurst, former football midfielder. Stiles, Bobby Charlton and Ian Callaghan are the only Englishmen to have won both World and European Cups
• Bernard Sumner - singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboard player and producer, best known as a founding member of two bands, Joy Division and New Order

T

• John Thaw - actor best known for his roles in The Sweeney, Inspector Morse and Kavanagh QC.Born in Gorton, raised in Burnage
• J. J. Thomson - physicist and Nobel laureate, credited with the discovery of the electron and of isotopes, and the invention of the mass spectrometer. He was awarded the 1906 Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of the electron and his work on the conduction of electricity in gases

U-V-W

• Danny Welbeck - footballer who plays for Manchester United
• Danny Webber - professional footballer, formerly of Manchester United and Sheffield United
• Sir Joseph Whitworth
• Andy Williams - drummer and vocalist of The Doves
• Jez Williams - guitarist/songwriter of The Doves
• Michael Wood - historian and broadcaster. He has presented numerous television documentary series, has made over 80 documentary films
• Alan Wren - known as Reni, he is the drummer of The Stone Roses

Stockport

The demonym of Stockport is Stopfordian, however, this list may include people from Bredbury, Cheadle, Cheadle Hulme, Marple, Reddish and Romiley, all from the wider Metropolitan Borough of Stockport. This list is arranged alphabetically by surname:

A

B

• Joan Bakewell (b. 1933): TV presenter, newsreader and journalist
• Peter Barkworth (1929–2006): actor. Born Margate, moved to Bramhall as young child.
• Peter Boardman (1950–1982): mountaineer who died on Everest North-East Ridge, he was born in Bramhall and went to school at Stockport Grammar.
• John Bradshaw (1602–1659), regicide.
• Liam Broady (born 1994): 2010 Wimbledon Boy's Doubles champion. Born Manchester, now lives in Stockport.
• Andrew Buchan (born 1979): TV and stage actor, who was born in Stockport and raised in the Bolton suburb of Lostock.
• Peter Butterworth (1917–1978) : Film actor, well known for appearances in "Carry on" films

C

• Kirsten Cassidy (b. 1990): actress who went to school in Cheadle Hulme, best known for playing Tanya Young in Grange Hill
• James Conway (1922–1942): Royal Navy marine, born Edgeley, shot on "Cockleshell Heroes" commando raid.

D

• David Dickinson born David Gulessarian (b.1941): antiques expert and television presenter.

E

F

• Norman Foster (b. 1935): Stockport-born architect who was made Baron Foster of Thames Bank, Reddish, in 1999. Only a week after being born, he was raised, in Levenshulme, Manchester which borders Heaton Chapel, Stockport.
• Yvette Fielding (b. 1968): Actress and television presenter

G

H

• Sarah Harding (b. 1981):of pop group Girls Aloud
• Ricky Hatton (b.1978), professional boxer. Light welterweight world champion.
• James Hickman (b.1976):5 times world champion swimmer and TV producer.
• Wendy Hiller (1912–2003): film and stage actress
• William Houldsworth, industrialist and politician born in Manchester, who built Houldsworth Mill, the surrounding housing and St Elizabeth's Church in Reddish.
• Dominic Howard (b. 1977): Stockport-born drummer of the alternative rock band Muse.

I

J

• Barb Jungr, Singer, Songwriter and musician,

K

• Arthur Kadmon, guitarist with post-punk bands from Manchester, like Ludus and The Fall.
• Michelle Keegan, plays Tina McIntyre in Coronation Street.
• Chris Kemp, master DJ. currently based out of Sydney, Australia The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music' P.1834

L

• Horace Lamb, FRS, (1849–1934), applied mathematician and technical author
• Sally Lindsay (b.1973), actress, Shelley Unwin in Coronation Street
• Alan Lowndes, (1921–1978), painter

M

• Will Mellor (b. 1976): actor, well known as Gaz in "Two Pints of Lager"
• Dominic Monaghan (b.1976) film actor known for his role as Merry Brandybuck in Lord of the Rings
• Alan Morrissey (b. 1982) actor, born and raised in Stockport and is best known for his role of Nicky Van Barr in Holby City alongside a well credited theatre career.
• Tim McInnerny (b. 1956): actor who was born and raised in Cheadle Hulme and is best known for his roles as Lord Percy and Captain Darling in Blackadder.
• Roger Moorhouse (b. 1968): Stockport-born historian and author
• Paul Morley (b. 1957): Music journalist, musician, producer and founder of record label

N

O

P

• Fred Perry (1909–1995): former World No.1 tennis player and Wimbledon Champion born in Portwood and granted the freedom of Stockport in 1934.
• Samuel Perry (1877–1954) : MP for Kettering and father of Fred Perry.

Q

R

• Fred Ridgway (b. 1923): first-class cricketer who played for Kent and represented England in five Test matches and was born in Stockport.

S

• Samantha Siddall (b. 1982): Reddish-born actress known for playing Mandy Maguire in Shameless.

T

• Maurice Tremlett (1923–1984): first-class cricketer who played for Somerset and represented England in three Test matches and was born in Stockport.

U-V-W

• Paul Warhurst (b. 1969): Stockport-born footballer who played for many clubs including Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Oldham Athletic, and Sheffield Wednesday.
• Joanne Whalley (b. 1964): aka Joanne Whalley-Kilmer. Actress born in Salford who grew up in Stockport.
• Hannah Whelan (b. 1992): gymnast who represented the United Kingdom at the 2008 Summer Olympics who lives and trains in Stockport.
• Sir Joseph Whitworth (1803–1887): prominent Victorian engineer who has given his name to many Manchester buildings and streets was born in Stockport
• Rick Witter (b. 1972): Stockport-born singer, songwriter and frontman of the York-based rock band, Shed Seven.

X-Y-Z

Mike Yarwood, impressionist born in Bredbury.

Thameside

This list includes people from the towns of Ashton-under-Lyne, Audenshaw, Denton, Droylsden, Dukinfield, Hyde, Longdendale, Mossley and Stalybridge, and the smaller villages that make up Tameside. This list is arranged alphabetically by surname:

A

• Dawn Acton (born 1977) actress, Tracy Barlow in Coronation Street. Born in Ashton-under-Lyne.

B

• Amanda Barrie: (born 1935): actress, Alma Sedgwick in Coronation Street. Born in Ashton-under-Lyne.
• Margaret Beckett, who became Britain's first female Foreign Secretary in 2006;
• Melvyn Bowler (1941-20??) Counsellor and Experiential Therapist. Produced Counsellor Training Videos Using Rational-Emotive Therapy. Worked for British Medical Team Vietnam 1968.
• Mary Ann Britland (1847–1886): convicted murderer who lived in Ashton-under-Lyne and was the first woman hanged at Strangeways Prison.
• Arthur Brooke (1845–1918): founder of Brooke Bond and Co tea company

C

• Henry Cockburn (1923–2004): footballer who was born in Ashton-under-Lyne; he played mid-fielder and was capped by England 13 times and in a 14-year playing career played for Manchester United F.C. and Bury F.C..

D

• Robert Duckenfield (1619–1689): Military commander in Civil War, High Sheriff of Cheshire

E

• Thomas Earnshaw (1749–1829) : late 18th-century watchmaker. born in Ashton-under-Lyne.
• Evan Leigh : was a 19th-century author, inventor, and engineer, born in Aston-under-Lyne.

F

• George Formby, Sr. (1875–1921): music hall entertainer born "James Lawler Booth" in the Ashton-under-Lyne and father of the music hall and cinema star George Formby.
• Ronald Fraser (1930–1997): film actor born Ashton-under-Lyne

G

H

• Andrew Harris (b. 1973): cricketer born in Ashton-under-Lyne who played for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, and currently plays for Leicestershire.
• Simon Hoggart (b. 1946): journalist and broadcaster born in Ashton-under Lyne.
• Lisa Huo: a Big Brother contestant in 2006,
• Sir Geoff Hurst (b. 1941): retired footballer who was born in Ashton-under-Lyne and spent most of his career playing for West Ham United F.C.; he was part of England's World Cup winning team in 1966 and is the only person to have scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final.

I

J

K

• John Kilbride: a Moors Murders victim

L

M

• Hugh Mason (1817–1886): mill owner and politician who was born in Stalybridge and owned textile mills in Ashton-under-Lyne; he was MP for Ashton-under-Lyne and an advocate of paternalism for workers, Irish home rule, and women's suffrage.
• Mary Moffat (1795–1871): Born Mary Smith in Dukinfield. Wife of Dr Robert Moffat. African Missionary

N

O

P

• Simone Perrotta (b. 1977): footballer born in Ashton-under-Lyne was part of Italy's 2006 World Cup winning team.
• John Louis Petit (1801–1868): antiquarian who was born in Ashton-under-Lyne and drew examples of the architecture and landscape of Lancashire.
• Harry Pilling (b. 1943): cricketer who was born in Ashton-under-Lyne and played first-class cricket for between 1962 and 1980.
• Robert Platt (1802–1882): Cotton manufacturer and philanthropist. Born in Stalybridge.

Q

R

• Albert E. Richardson, clockmaker who designed the Teasmade
• Mark Robins (b. 1969): former footballer who manages Barnsley F.C., born in Ashton-under-Lyne.
• Sunny Rogers (1913–2005): comedienne, pianist and actress.

S

T

U-V-W

• David Vaughan (1944–2003): artist who attended art school in Ashton-under-Lyne and lived in Tameside.
• Brooke Vincent (born 1992) : actress, Sophie Webster in ' 'Coronation Street' '. Born in Audenshaw
• Brian Wilde (1927–2008): actor born in Ashton before he moved with his family at a young age; he was best known for his roles in Last of the Summer Wine and Porridge.
• Sean Wilson (born 1965) : actor, Martin Platt in Coronation Street. Born in Ashton-under-Lyne.
• Lewis Wright, Baron Wright of Ashton-under-Lyne, CBE (1903–1974): President of the Trades Union Congress. He lived in Ashton-under-Lyne from 1940 until his death in 1974. He is commemorated by a blue plaque there.

X-Y-Z

• Gary Yates (b. 1967): cricketer born in Ashton-under-Lyne who played first-class cricket for Lancashire from 1990 to 2002 and coaches the Lancashire second XI.

Oldham

The demonym of Oldham is Oldhamer, however, this list may include people from Chadderton, Failsworth, Lees, Royton, Saddleworth, and Shaw and Crompton, all from the wider Metropolitan Borough of Oldham. This list is arranged alphabetically by surname:

A

• Mike Atherton - broadcaster, journalist and retired cricketer for Lancashire and England.

B

• Vera Baird QC - Labour politician, author and barrister.
• Bobby Ball - one half of comedy double act Cannon and Ball.
• Lydia Becker - leading 19th century suffragette, born in Chadderton's Foxdenton Hall.
• Hannah Beswick - woman who was so afraid of being buried alive that she insisted on her body being embalmed and kept above ground.
• Christopher Biggins - television presenter, pantomime actor and winner of 2007's I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!.
• lally_bowers Actress, and next door neighbour to Dora_Bryan
• Helen Bradley - 20th century oil painter born in Lees in 1900.
• Benjamin Brierley - Failsworth-born weaver, poet and writer in Lancashire dialect.
• Louise Brown - the world's first baby to be conceived by in vitro fertilisation.
• Dora Bryan - Southport-born Oldham-raised actress best known for her role as Roz in Last of the Summer Wine

C

• Tommy Cannon - one half of comedy double act Cannon and Ball.
• Ronald Castree - murderer convicted for the killing of Lesley Molseed.
• Laurence Chaderton - one of the original translators of the Authorized King James Version of the Bible.
• Brian Clarke - Oldham-born artist known for his work in stained glass.
• Jodie Connor - recording artist, lyricist, fashion model and goodwill ambassador for The Prince's Trust, from Shaw and Crompton.
• Brian Cox - Chadderton-born television presenter, particle physicist, a Royal Society research fellow, and a professor at the University of Manchester.
• Bernard Cribbins - character actor and musical comedian.

D

• Agyness Deyn - Failsworth-raised supermodel.

E

• Paul Edwards - ex-association footballer who played for Manchester United, Oldham Athletic and Stockport County.
• Karen Elson - Chadderton-raised supermodel and wife of American musician Jack White.

F

G

• Ian Greaves - Shaw and Crompton-born association football player and manager, and one of the Busby Babes.
• Emma Greenwood - one of the thirteen 2004 Big Brother housemates.
• Nick Grimshaw - Television presenter and DJ
• Shobna Gulati - Oldham-born actress, writer and dancer.

H

Philip Gilbert Hamerton - acclaimed etcher, painter, and art critic was born in Crompton * in 1834.

• Terry Hall - pioneering ventriloquist and early children's television entertainer.
• Paul Harrison - Oldham-born writer on environment and development and founder of the World Pantheist Movement.
• John Hogan - Royton-born recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the British and Commonwealth forces.

I

• Inspiral Carpets - Madchester/indie rock band.

J

• Suranne Jones - Chadderton-born actress who played Karen McDonald in Coronation Street.
• William Joyce - Brooklyn-born fascist politician and Nazi propagandist was a short-term resident of Glodwick in Oldham .

K

• Annie Kenney - one of the first suffragettes to be imprisoned for protesting for women's suffrage.
• Anne Kirkbride - soap opera actress best known for playing Deirdre Barlow in Coronation Street.
• Jack Kirkbride - acclaimed cartoonist who worked for the Oldham Evening Chronicle.
• Barbara Knox - soap opera actress best known for playing Rita Sullivan in Coronation Street.

L

• Sarah Lancashire - Oldham-born television actress.
• John Lees - Royton-born inventor who made a substantial improvement to machinery for carding cotton in 1772.
• Joseph Lees (1748–1824) - regional dialect poet from Glodwick, who wrote Jone o Grinfilt.He was a hand-loom weaver and schoolteacher accustomed to "study on his seatboard, and when he had thrown a few ideas into rhyme he stopt picking-o'er and wrote it down".
• Ralf Little - television actor, best known for his roles in The Royle Family and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.
• Eric Longworth - Shaw-born actor, best known for his semi-regular part in sitcom Dad's Army, as the town clerk of Walmington-on-Sea.

M

• Michelle Marsh - glamour model and page 3 girl.
• Matthew Maynard - former England Test cricketer.
• William McDougall - Chadderton-born psychologist and writer of several highly influential textbooks.

N

• N-Trance - Dance music producers.

O

• Kieran O'Brien - actor who gained notoriety for his role in the 2004 film 9 Songs.
• Mark Owen - Oldham-born member of boyband Take That.

P

• David Platt - association footballer, formerly captain of the England national football team.

R

• Hervey Rhodes, Baron Rhodes - Greenfield-born Labour party politician and life peer.
• Andy Ritchie - former Oldham Athletic A.F.C. player and manager.

S

• Sahil Saeed - a British Pakistani from Shaw and Crompton who was kidnapped for ransom in Pakistan during 2010.
• Andrew 'Drew' Storey - Oldham born and raised, now chief statistics creator for Football Manager and a well known man about town.
• Phillip Schofield - Oldham-born television presenter.
• Nicola Stephenson - television actress.
• Philip Sydney Stott, 1st Baronet, Chadderton-born architect, civil engineer and surveyor of cotton mills.
• William Stott - successful impressionist painter.
• Eric Sykes - comedy writer and actor.
• Kevin Sinfield - England and Leeds Rhinos Rugby League player and captain.
• Paul Sculthorpe - England and Saint Helens Rugby League player and captain.

T

• Henry Taylor - British Olympic freestyle swimming triple gold medallist and champion.
• Kevin Thaw, alpinist, climber; many first and notable ascents, member of The North Face climbing team, Altitude Everest Expedition 2007
• Geoff Tootill - Chadderton-born scientist helped create the Manchester Small-Scale Experimental Machine in 1948, the world's first wholly electronic stored program computer.
• Dame Eva Turner, DBE - Renowned soprano opera singer

U-V-W

• Paul Walsh - Chadderton-born Chief Executive of Diageo.
• Sir William Walton - acclaimed composer and conductor.
• Ricky Whittle - Oldham-born model and actor.
• Jack Wild - Royton-born Academy Award nominated actor, best known for his role as the Artful Dodger in the 1968 musical film Oliver!.
• Woolly Wolstenholme - Chadderton-born vocalist and keyboard player with progressive rock band Barclay James Harvest.
• Phil Woolas MP - Lincolnshire-born politician representing Oldham East and Saddleworth, lives in Lees.

X-Y-Z

Rochdale

The demonym of Rochdale is Rochdalian, however, this list may include people from Heywood, Littleborough, Middleton, Milnrow and Wardle, all from the wider Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. This list is arranged alphabetically by surname:

A

B

• Colin Baker - actor famous for playing Doctor Who on television.
• Lizzy Bardsley - gained fame from appearing on Channel 4's Wife Swap in 2003.
• Christine Bottomley - actress known for her roles on Early Doors, Heartbeat and as Shoo Coggan on BBC drama, Hope Springs.

C

• Noorul Choudhury - candidate on Alan Sugar's The Apprentice series 5.
• Louise Cliffe - model and actress from Middleton
• John Collier - acclaimed Urmston-born 18th-century caricaturist and satirical poet who was raised and spent all his adult life in Milnrow.
• Jake Cody - Professional poker player, winner of the triple crown.
• Steve Coogan - Middleton-born and raised comedian.
• Jack Crabtree - contemporary British artist who was born in Rochdale.EDon Estelle - Crumpsall-born actor and singer who lived for much of his life in Rochdale.

D

E

F

• Roger Fenton - Heywood-born pioneering war photographer. His work on the American Civil War is particularly acclaimed. A blue plaque marks his former home.
• Gracie Fields - real name Grace Stansfield - actress, singer and comedienne
• Anna Friel - stage and screen actress

G

• Julie Goodyear - television actress and personality, best known for her portrayal of Bet Lynch in Coronation Street.

H

• Trevor Hoyle,novelist, radio dramatist, broadcaster. writes mainstream fiction, SF, and novels set in the North-West.

I

J

• Anna Jacobs, novelist.
• Barb Jungr, Singer, Songwriter and musician,

K

• Sir James Kay-Shuttleworth, 1st Baronet - politician and educationalist.
• Walter Kershaw - artist.
• Andy Kershaw- BBC music broadcaster

L

M

• John Milne - Liverpool-born, Milnrow-raised professor, geologist and mining engineer who invented a pioneering seismograph (known as the Milne-Shaw seismograph) to detect and measure earthquakes.
• Vance Miller - controversial entrepreneur from Rochdale.
• Jim Milne - lead guitarist and vocalist in Tractor (band) and co founder of Tractor Sound Studios - see John Peel blue plaque in Heywood

N

O

• Bill Oddie - naturalist, comedian, musician and actor.

P

Q

R

• Francis Robert Raines - former Anglican vicar of Milnrow, and an antiquary. He edited 23 volumes for the Chetham Society publications.

S

• Lisa Stansfield - Grammy Award-nominated and BRIT Award-winning R&B and soul singer, was raised in Heywood.
• Joseph Smith - steeplejack known as the "Best Steeplejack in the World

T

U-V-W

X-Y-Z

BURY

This list includes people from the borough of Bury and also people from the towns of Radcliffe, Prestwich, Whitefield, Tottington, Ramsbottom and other smaller places which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of Bury. This list is arranged alphabetically by surname:

A

B

• Cherie Blair (born 1954), barrister and former Prime Minister Tony Blair's wife.
• Danny Boyle (born 1956), filmmaker and producer. Born in Radcliffe.
• Richard Buxton (1786–1865), botanist. Born in Prestwich.

C

• Richmal Crompton (1890–1969), real name Richmal Crompton Lamburn - author of Just William stories.

D

• Victoria Derbyshire (born 1968), journalist and radio presenter.

E

• Elbow (band) were formed and played their first gig in Bury.

G

• Jack Greenall (1905–1983), comic artist - created "Useless Eustace"

H

• Reg Harris (1920–1992), professional cyclist - twice Olympic silver medallist.
• Gordon Hewart, 1st Viscount Hewart (1870–1943), lawyer and politician - Lord Chief Justice.
• Simon Hopkinson - food writer and former chef.
• John Horsefield (d. 1854), botanist and handloom weaver. Born Prestwich, lived in Besses o' th' Barn.

I

J

• Howard Jacobson (born 1942), writer. Born in Prestwich.

K

• John Kay (1704–1780), the inventor of the Flying Shuttle.
• Myles Kenyon (1886–1960), captain of Lancashire CCC, High Sheriff of Lancashire. Born at Walshaw Hall.

L

M

N

• Gary Neville (born 1975), footballer - brother of Phil - Manchester United defender and captain.
• Phil Neville (born 1977), footballer - brother of Gary - Everton midfielder and captain.

O

P

• Sir Robert Peel (1788–1850), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Q

R

S

• Suzanne Shaw (born 1981), real name Suzanne Crowshaw - ex-member of popgroup Hear'say - now star of West End shows and television presenter.
• Peter Skellern (born March 1947),singer and songwriter, born in Bury.
• Dodie Smith (1896–1990), novelist and playwright - writer of 101 Dalmatians.
• John Spencer (1935–2006), snooker player - British champion 3 times.

T

U-V-W-

• Victoria Wood CBE (born 1953), comedienne, actor, singer and writer. Born in Prestwich.
• James Wood (1760–1839), Mathematician and Dean of Ely Cathedral .

BOLTON

The demonym of Bolton is Boltonian. This list also includes people from the towns of Farnworth, Horwich, Westhoughton, Kearsley, Little Lever, Blackrod, and other smaller places within the wider Metropolitan Borough of Bolton. This list is arranged alphabetically by surname:

A

• Alan Ainscow (born 1953) – a former professional footballer.
• Alyn Ainsworth (1924–1990) – band leader, orchestra conductor, and musical director.
• Simon Aldred – lead singer of Cherry Ghost.
• Monica Ali (born 1967) – author, born in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), but settled and grew up in Bolton – former pupil of Bolton School.
• Sir Richard Arkwright (1732–1792) – Inventor of the Water Frame - Born in Preston.
• Ian Aspinall (born 1961) – actor, played roles in Holby City and East is East.

B

• Hylda Baker (1905–1986) – actress, comedienne, and music hall star – born in Farnworth.
• Alan Ball (1945–2007) – professional footballer, member of the 1966 Football World Cup winning side – born in Farnworth.
• Johnny Ball (born 1938) – a children's TV presenter, and the father of former BBC Radio 1 DJ and TV host, Zoë Ball.
• Tommy Banks (footballer) (born 1929) – Bolton Wanderers and England footballer.
• Sir Thomas Barlow (1845–1945) - royal physician, born in Edgeworth.
• Danny Boyle (born 1956) – film director, born in Radcliffe but educated in Bolton.
• Liam Boyle (born 1985) – TV and film actor - born in Bolton, but grew-up in Heywood.
• Andrew Buchan (born 1979) – TV and stage actor – born in Stockport and brought up in Lostock.

C

• Katy Cavanagh (born 12 December 1973) - English actress, best known for her appearances in Coronation Street in the role of Julie Carp since 2008, grew up in Bolton.
• Samuel Taylor Chadwick (1809–1876) – doctor, politician and philanthropist. Born in Urmston but grew up in Bolton.
• Mark Charnock (born 1968) – actor, currently plays as Marlon Dingle in Emmerdale.
• Phil Clarke – Blackrod- born ex-Rugby League international player and presently Sky Sports pundit.
• Tom Clough (1867–1943) – Landscape Artist.
• Sir Daniel Cooper (1821–1902) – first speaker of the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales.
• Thomas Cole (1801–1848) – American landscape painter.
• Sara Cox (born 1974) – Radio 1 DJ. and TV presenter.
• Philip Craven (born 1950) – International Paralympic Committee President.
• Samuel Crompton (1753–1827) – inventor of the Spinning Mule.
• John Cunliffe (born 1984) – Soccer player for Major League Soccer side Chivas USA - born in Bolton, and grew-up in nearby Edgworth.
• Sian Charlesworth (born 1987) - Member of girlband Parade.

D

• Charles James Darbishire (1797–1874) Bolton's first Mayor was sympathetic to Chartism and a supporter of the Anti-Corn Law League
• Julian Darby (born 1967) – ex. footballer, now youth team coach at Bolton Wanderers.
• Norman Davies (born 1939) – historian.
• John Davis (1943–2000) - cricketer
• Hilary Devey (born 1957)- Entrepreneur and TV Personality. A Dragon in BBC2's Dragon's Den (2011) Born in Tonge Moor.
• Fred Dibnah (1938–2004) – steeplejack, engineer, and TV presenter. Born on Farnworth.
• Sir Benjamin Alfred Dobson (1847–1898) – Textile machinery manufacturer and Mayor of Bolton.

E

F

• Vic Faulkner, (born 1944) - Wrestler, Won Wrestler of the Year.
• William Farrimond (1903–1979) – Lancashire County Cricketer.
• Shirley Anne Field (born 1938) – stage, film and television actress.
• Frank Finlay (born 1926) – Farnworth-born stage, film and television actor.
• Garry Flitcroft (born 1972) – professional footballer – Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers, Sheffield United and England U21s, currently manager of Chorley F.C..
• Stu Francis (born 1951) – comedian, Crackerjack presenter.
• Peter Freeman (born 1946) - Heavyweight boxer, fought Leon Spinks

G

• Damon Gough (born 1969) known as Badly Drawn Boy – indie singer-songwriter.
• Aaron Grundy (born 1988) – professional footballer, currently goalkeeper for Chorley F.C.

H

• Sir Ernest Hall (born 1930) – classical musician and entrepreneur - developed Dean Clough, Halifax.
• Leslie Halliwell (1929–1989) – British film historian and encyclopaediast of Halliwell's Film Guide fame.
• Charles Hallows (1895–1972) – county cricketer - Wisden Cricketer of the Year, 1928.
• James Hallows (1873–1910) – county cricketer - Wisden Cricketer of the Year, 1905.
• Mark Halsey (born 1961) – English Premier League Referee - lives in Little Lever.
• Ruth Hamilton - Authoress
• John Hanscomb, C.B.E., M.A. (born 1924), retired Conservative politician.
• Frank Hardcastle (1844–1908) - Businessman, MP and cricketer. Born in Tonge.
• John Harwood (1893–1964) – Invented self-winding wristwatch.
• Annie Haslam (born 1947) – lead singer of progressive rock band Renaissance.
• William Haslam (1850–1898) – gave his name to the town of Haslam, South Australia.
• Paul Heathcote (born 1960) - Chef and restauranteur. Born in Farnworth
• Gordon Hill (born 1928) – former League football referee in the 1960s and 1970s.
• Charles Holden (1875–1960) – architect, known for his designs of stations on the London Underground railway system.
• Nicky Hunt (born 1983) – professional footballer currently playing for Rotherham United after previously playing for Bolton Wanderers.
• Jack Hylton (1892–1965) – band leader.Born in Great Lever.

I

• Susan Sutherland Isaacs (1885–1948) – educational psychologist and psychoanalyst.

J

• Danny Jones (born 1986) – guitarist and vocalist in the British pop-rock band McFly.

K

• Peter Kay (born 1973) – Comedian, actor, writer and producer. Born in Farnworth
• Vernon Kay (born 1974) – TV presenter and DJ.
• Jason Kenny (born 1988) – 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics Track cycling gold medalist.Born in Farnworth.
• Amir Khan (born 1986) – Professional boxer (light-welterweight world champion).
• Thomas Penyngton Kirkman (1806–1895) - Mathematician, FRS
• Andy Knowles (born 1981) – Musician and artist.
• Tony Knowles (born 1955) – snooker player.
• Sir Harold Kroto (born 1939) – Chemist; Nobel Prize winner in 1996 for his work on Buckminsterfullerene. Born in Wisbech, brought up in Bolton.

L

• Roy Lancaster (born 1938) – gardener and broadcaster - Gardeners' World.
• Bruno Langley (born 1983) - actor Coronation Street. Born in Devon, lives Bolton.
• William Lassell (1799–1880) – astronomer, discoverer of the moons Ariel and Triton.
• Tommy Lawton (1919–1996) – professional footballer, Burnley, Everton, Arsenal, Chelsea and England – born in Farnworth.
• Francis Lee (born 1944) – Footballer. Bolton Wanderers, Manchester City, Derby County. England (27 caps).
• James Darcy Lever (1854–1910) - Born in Bolton. Co-founder of Lever Brothers which became Unilever.
• William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme (1851–1925) – Born in Bolton. Co-founder of Lever Brothers which became Unilever.
• Ralf Little (born 1980) – actor, star of The Royle Family, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps and Children's Ward. Born in Oldham, educated at Bolton School.
• Keziah Lockwood (born 1986) – Actress.
• Nat Lofthouse (1925–2011) – footballer, played for Bolton Wanderers and England.
• Kate Long (born 1964) - Bestselling authoress. Author of The Bad Mother's Handbook - brought up in Blackrod.
• Peter Lown (born 1947) – born in Bolton, became a Canadian field hockey player, competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics.
• Captain Stanley Lord (1877–1962) – Captain of the SS Californian, the ship closest to RMS Titanic as she sank.

M

• Sajid Mahmood (born 1981) – Lancashire and England cricketer.
• Paul Mariner (born 1953) – former professional footballer with Plymouth Argyle, Ipswich Town, Arsenal and Portsmouth, currently back with old club Plymouth as Head Coach - born in Farnworth.
• George Marsh (1515–1555) – born in Deane, he was a Protestant Martyr who was burnt at the stake for his faith at Boughton, Chester.
• Lee Mason (born 1971) – English Premier League Referee - educated at Thornleigh Salesian College in Bolton.
• Patrick McGuinness (born 1973) – stand-up comedian and comedy actor.
• Sir Ian McKellen (born 1939) – stage and screen actor; born in Burnley and educated at Bolton School.
• Thomas Moran (1837–1926) – American landscape painter.
• Geoffrey Moorhouse (born 1931) – travel writer, novelist and poet.

N

• Carlo Nash (born 1973) – Footballer with Stoke City.
• Bill Naughton (1910–1992) – author and playwright – born Ireland but educated in Bolton and his work was often set in the town in which he grew up.
• Paul Nicholls (born 1979) – TV and screen actor, played roles in EastEnders and City Central.
• Amy Nuttall (born 1982) – actress and singer, played as Chloe Atkinson in Emmerdale from 2000 to 2005.

O

• Andrew Oldcorn (born 1960) – professional golfer, born in Bolton and brought up in Edinburgh.
• Glyn Owen (1928–2004) – stage and television actor.

P

• Tom Parker, (born 4 August 1988) - Member of pop boyband The Wanted.
• Maxine Peake (born 1974) – actress, played in Shameless - born in Westhoughton.
• Dick Pollard (1912–1985) - test cricketer - born in Westhoughton
• Mike Pollitt (born 1972) – Premiership goalkeeper Wigan Athletic – born in Farnworth.
• Eva Pope (born 1967) - actress - born in Wigan.
• David Potts (born 1970) – musician and songwriter – born in Farnworth.
• David Andrew Phoenix (born 1966) – biochemist and educationalist.
• Hovis Presley, real name: Richard Henry McFarlane (1960–2005) – poet and stand-up comedian.

Q

R

• Mark Radcliffe (born 1958) – Radio 1 DJ, TV presenter and writer.
• Dorning Rasbotham (c. 1730–1791) – writer, antiquarian and artist. High Sheriff of Lancashire for 1769. Born in Manchester.
• Sir Arthur Rostron (1869–1940) – Captain of the RMS Carpathia, first ship to aid the RMS Titanic.
• David Ruffley (born 1962) – politician, Conservative MP for Bury St Edmunds, educated at Bolton School.

S

• Charles Allan Shaw (1927–1989) - Dean of Bulawayo and Dean of Ely - Born in Westhoughton.
• Robert Shaw (1927–1978) – actor and writer – born in Westhoughton, moved to Scotland as a child.
• Dave Spikey (born 1951) – actor, comedian, writer and film producer.
• Dale Stephens (born 1989) - professional footballer with Charlton Athletic.

T

• Thomas Taylor (1851–1916)- Cotton mill owner. MP for Bolton 1912–1916.
• Thomas Thomasson (1808–1876) – cotton spinner, political economist and benefactor.
• John Pennington Thomasson (1841–1904) – cotton spinner, MP and benefactor.
• Frank Tyson (born 1930) – Northants and England cricketer - known as "Typhoon Tyson".

V

W

• Mike Watkinson (born 1961) – ex-England cricketer, now coach of Lancashire – born in Westhoughton.
• Simon Whaley (born 1985) – professional footballer, Bury, Preston North End, Norwich City, Chesterfield and currently Doncaster Rovers.
• Robert Whitehead (1823–1905) – developed the first self-propelled torpedo and great-grandfather of the Von Trapp children (Sound of Music).
• Jason Wilcox (born 1971) – professional footballer, Blackburn Rovers, Leeds United and England.
• Thomas Willoughby, 11th Baron Willoughby of Parham (c.1602–1691/92), peer of the House of Lords.
• Sammy Winward (born 1985) – actress, singer and model, currently plays as Katie Sugden in Emmerdale.
• Bernard Wrigley (born 1948) – comedian, actor, playwright and musician.

WIGAN

The demonym of Wigan is Wiganer, however this list may include people from the wider Metropolitan Borough of Wigan—from Ashton-in-Makerfield, Hindley, Ince-in-Makerfield, Atherton, Greater Manchester, Leigh, and Tyldesley and other outlying areas from Wigan. This list is arranged alphabetically by surname:

A

• James Anderton, former Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police.
• Richard Ashcroft, Lead singer of The Verve Born in Billinge.
• Bill Ashurst, rugby league footballer of the 1960s and '70s for Great Britain, Wigan, Penrith Panthers, and Wakefield Trinity
• Chris Ashton- England rugby league and rugby union international.

B

• Tom Billington, professional wrestler under the ring name 'Dynamite Kid', one half of tag-team 'The British Bulldogs' with Davey Boy Smith.
• Margery Booth, opera singer and World War II spy

C

• Craig Connelly - Electronic Dance Music DJ & Producer, known as the Wagner of Wigan. Hailed by Gareth Emery as the breakthrough producer of 2012, and the person you would least likely want to make you a cup of tea.

D

E

• Shaun Edwards, rugby league player and coach of London Wasps rugby union coach. Also Wales national rugby union team defence coach.
• Greg Ellis, actor and voice over artist.

F

• Georgie Fame, real name Clive Powell, R & B singer and keyboard player was born in Leigh.
• Andrew Farrell, former international rugby player of both codes, born and raised in Wigan
• Brian Finch, Wigan-born script-writer who contributed 151 episodes of Coronation Street over a period of 12 years.
• Henry Finch (1633-1704) - Presbyterian minister ejected from Church of England. Born in Standish.
• John Finch Wigan born singer who won the TV talent show, "Stars In Their Eyes" performing as Marti Pellow in July 1994.
• George Formby, Jr., comedian, ukulele player and actor

G

• Joe Gormley, former president of the National Union of Mineworkers.
• Mike Gregory, former Great Britain national rugby league team and Warrington Wolves captain and former Wigan Warriors coach was born in Wigan,
• Andy Gregory, former Wigan rugby league player, born and lives in Wigan
• John Elisha Grimshaw, Recipient of the Victoria Cross of "6 VCs before breakfast" fame
• Lucy Gaskell, British actress.

H

• Eddie Halliwell, DJ
• Roger Hampson (1925 – 1996), artist, printmaker and teacher was born in Tyldesley.
• Thomas Highs(1718–1803), inventor of cotton spinning machinery. Born in Leigh.

I

• James Lawrence Isherwood, prolific impressionist/expressionist painter

J

• Jennifer James, actress who has played a role in television soap Coronation Street.
• Nikki Jayne, pornographic actress who was raised in Wigan.

K

• Thomas Kershaw (1819-1898) - Pioneer in creating imitation marble. Born in Standish
• Shaun Keaveny was born in Leigh, and on 11 February 2011, broadcast his BBC 6 Music breakfast show live from Leigh Library.
• Roy Kinnear, comedy actor born in Wigan.

L

• Eric Laithwaite, electrical engineer who developed the linear induction motor and Maglev rail system was born in Atherton.
• James Lindsay, 24th Earl of Crawford (1783–1869)- Earl of Balcarres - built Haigh Hall.
• Limahl, real name Christopher Hamill - pop rock/dance vocalist- lead singer of Kajagoogoo.
• ((Shaun Lythgoe)), apprentice design engineer

M

• Stuart Maconie writer, DJ and presenter, attended St John Rigby school and has a star on the Wigan Walk.
• Ken Major (1928–2009), architect, author and molinologist, attended the Boy's Grammar School, Leigh from 1939-45.
• AJ Makin, Actor, grew up in Ashton-In-Makerfield, attended Byrchall High School, appearing in the 2013 film The Hooligan Factory
• Paul Mason, journalist and broadcaster was born in Leigh in 1960.
• Jennifer Moss, actress who has played a role in television soap Coronation Street.

N

O

• Edward Ormerod, mining engineer, inventor of the Ormerod safety link. Born in Church,Accrigton but lived in Atherton
• Leon Osman, footballer for Everton

P

• Sacha Parkinson - Living in Tyldesley. Born in Salford, actress who plays Sian Powers in UK Soap Opera Coronation Street.

Q

R

• Frank Randle, comedian. Born in Aspull.
• Ted Ray, comedian
• John Roby, folklorist
• Kalon Round, Student at Carmel College and National lottery winner

S

• Danny Sonner, Wigan-born association football player who has represented Northern Ireland national football team.
• Davey Boy Smith, Former professional wrestler for the WWF and WCW as The British Bulldog.
• Rob Speak, multiple BriSCA Formula 2 Stock Cars World Champion and National Points Champion is from Tyldesley.
• Brian Simpson, MEP Chair of the Transport and Tourism Committee European Parliament
• John Stopford, Baron Stopford of Fallowfield,FRS, physician and anatomist, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manchester. Born in Hindley Green.

T

• Georgia Taylor, actress who has played a role in television soap Coronation Street.
• Simon Tong, bass guitarist with The Verve, Blur and Gorillaz. Born in Wigan.

U-V-W

• Charles Walmesley (1722-1797) - Roman Catholic Titular Bishop of Rama. Born in Langtree.
• Dave Whelan, businessman with the nickname "Mr Wigan" as a result of his involvement in the town's sport. Founder of JJB Sports, owner of Wigan Athletic, and former owner of Wigan Warriors.
• Gerrard Winstanley, the founder of the 17th century Diggers, was born in Wigan.
• Danny Wilson, Wigan-born association football player and manager

SALFORD

This list includes people from Salford and the wider City of Salford, and thus may include people from Eccles, Swinton, Worsley and other outlying areas of Salford. This list is arranged alphabetically by surname:

A

B

• Hazel Blears - Labour Party politician and former cabinet minister.
• Elkie Brooks - singer, born in Salford.

C

• John Cooper Clarke - performance poet from Higher Broughton.

D

• Alfred Darbyshire - Architect and painter
• Sir Peter Maxwell Davies - Salford-born composer and Master of the Queen's Music.
• Shelagh Delaney - playwright, best known for the play A Taste of Honey, born in Salford in 1939.
• Arthur Thomas Doodson - oceanographer.

E

• Terry Eagleton - literary theorist born in Salford and educated at De La Salle College in Weaste.
• Christopher Eccleston - Salford-born, Little Hulton-raised stage, film and television actor.

F

• James Fearnley – musician and member of the Pogues
• Clinton Ford - classic-pop singer, born in Salford.

G

• Walter Greenwood - novellist, best known for the book and film Love on the Dole was born in Ellor Street, Salford in 1903.

H

• Isabel Hodgins - Actress currently portraying Victoria Sugden on ITV's serial drama Emmerdale

I

J

K

• Ayub Khan-Din - actor and playwright who grew up in Salford
• Yousaf Ali Khan - film director
• Dean Kiely - Salford-born, Irish goalkeeper

L

• Mike Leigh - writer and director of film and theatre, brought up in Salford

M

• Ewan MacColl - folk singer/writer (known for "Dirty Old Town", a song about Salford, and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face") born in Broughton.
• Jason Manford - comedian and former host of the BBC's The One Show
• Sir Norman Moore - doctor and medical historian, born in Higher Broughton.
• Adrian Morley - Great Britain and England and Warrington Wolves rugby league player.

N

O

P

• Emmeline Pankhurst - one of the founders of the British suffragette movement, who for a time lived in Salford.
• Robert Powell - Salford-born television presenter and film actor, known for his roles as Jesus in Jesus of Nazareth and Richard Hannay in the Thirty-nine Steps
• Sacha Parkinson - Salford-born actor, Sian Powers in Coronation Street.
• Karl Pilkington - Salford-raised. Broadcaster from The Ricky Gervais Show and An Idiot Abroad.

Q

R

• Joe Riley - footballer at Bolton Wanderers.
• Shaun Ryder - vocalist and songwriter with the Happy Mondays.

S

• Mark E. Smith - lead vocalist and lyricist with The Fall, born in Broughton, Salford
• Paul Scholes - England and Manchester United midfielder.
• Edward Schunck - chemist

T

U-V-W

• Arthur Woolliscroft - footballer, who played for Manchester City, Leicester City, Watford and Northwich Victoria.
• Tony Warren - Swinton-born television scriptwriter, best known as the creator of Coronation Street.
• Joanne Whalley - actor, Salford-born, brought up in Stockport, aka Joanne Whalley-Kilmer.
• Tony Wilson - Salford-born Factory Records and The Haçienda owner, radio and TV presenter, and journalist for Granada Television and the BBC.
• Russell Watson - Salford-born tenor.

TRAFFORD

This list includes people from the towns of Altrincham, Sale, Stretford and Urmston, and the smaller villages that make up Trafford. This list is arranged alphabetically by surname:

A

• Lascelles Abercrombie (1881–1938): poet and literary critic who became a lecturer in poetry at the University of Liverpool; he was born in Ashton upon Mersey, an area of Sale.
• Edward Adamson (1911-1996): Born in Sale. Artist and pioneer of Art Therapy. Creator of the Adamson Collection, a major and internationally recognised collection of art created by people living in a mental asylum, Netherne Hospital, between 1946 and 1981. Author of 'Art as Healing' (1984).
• John Alcock, (1892–1919), the Stretford aviator was the first man to pilot an aeroplane non-stop across the Atlantic in 1919.
• Helen Allingham (1848–1926): water colour artist who lived in Altrincham until the age of 14 and was the first woman to be admitted to the Royal Academy Schools

B

• Michael Bishop (born 1942): multimillionaire businessman and owner and chairman of British Midland Airways who grew up in Hale and Bowdon.
• Robert Bolt (1924–1995): Oscar winning playwright and screenwriter who was brought up in Sale, well known for adapting Doctor Zhivago and A Man for All Seasons for the screen.
• John Brogden (1798–1869): industrialist involved in the construction of the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway who lived in Sale from the 1840s and died in the town.
• Samuel Brooks (1792–1864): businessman and banker who owned nearly a quarter of the township of Sale.
• William Brooks (1819–1900), the son of Samuel Brooks: benefactor of and land owner in Sale, and also the Member of Parliament for Altrincham.

C

• Darren Campbell (born 1973): Olympic gold medallist who was brought up in Sale and represented Sale Harriers.
• John Collier (1708–1786): Urmston-born caricaturist and Lancashire dialect satirical poet, also known by the pseudonym of Tim Bobbin.
• Thomas Coward (1867–1933): ornithologist who lived in Bowdon and went to school in Sale.
• Ian Curtis (1956–1980): musician and singer in Joy Division, born in Old Trafford and lived in Macclesfield.

D

E

F

G

• Ronald Gow (1897–1993): dramatist and author of Love on the Dole who lived in Altrincham, attending and later teaching at Altrincham Grammar School for Boys.
• Les Graham, footballer and football manager was born in Flixton, Greater Manchester. He made 150 football league appearances for Blackburn Rovers
• David Gray (born 1968): singer-songwriter who lived in Sale until moving to Wales at age nine.

H

• William Stanley Houghton (1881–1913): a playwright in the Manchester School of dramatists who was born and raised in Ashton upon Mersey.

I

J

• James Prescott Joule (1818–1889): the physicist who developed the first law of thermodynamics moved to Sale in the 1870s for his health and remained there for the rest of his life.
• Phil Nikodem Jagielka (born 1982): Current England and Everton footballer who was born in Sale, Greater Manchester

K

L

• L. S. Lowry (1887–1976): painter of urban landscapes born in Stretford.
• Levy, Mervyn (2004), "Lowry, Laurence Stephen (1887–1976)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/31378?docPos=1, retrieved 2010-01-14

M

• Joseph Makinson (1886–1914): first-class cricketer who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club and Cambridge University in the 19th century; lived in Sale towards the end of his life.
• Diane Modahl (born 1964): Commonwealth Games gold medalist and Sale Harriers athlete who lived in Sale.

N

O

• Stanley Orme (1923–2005): left-wing Member of Parliament, cabinet minister, and Baron Orme, of Salford, who was born in Sale.

P

• Karl Pilkington (born 1972): podcaster, author, TV personality and former radio producer who was brought up on a council estate in Sale.

R

• Marc Riley (born 1959): ex guitarist with Manchester post punk band The Fall. Radio presenter and former host of the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast show, now presents the early evening show on Radio 6; who lived in Sale.

S

• Dodie Smith (1896–1990): author of The Hundred and One Dalmatians who was born in Whitefield and grew up in Old Trafford; there is a blue plaque on her childhood home at 609 Stretford Road.
• Bill Speakman (born 1927): recipient of the Victoria Cross in 1951 for service in the Korean War who grew up and lived in Hale.

T

• William Taylor (1885–1959): first-class cricketer for Worcestershire County Cricket Club, born in Sale.
• Peter Tinniswood (1936–2003): radio and television script-writer who was brought up in Sale.

U-V-W

• Alison Uttley (1884–1976): prolific author who wrote the Little Grey Rabbit books while living in Bowdon.
• Cyril Washbrook (1914–1999): England and Lancashire County Cricket Club cricketer who lived in Sale towards the end of his life.
• Dr Charles White – co-founder of the Manchester Royal Infirmary who lived in Sale and held the remains of Hannah Beswick (the Manchester Mummy)

this project is in HistoryLink