List of people from the Borough of Woking

Last updated

This is a list of famous or notable people born in, or associated with, the Borough of Woking in England, who have a Wikipedia page.

Contents

Woking is a town and borough in Surrey, around 23 mi (37 km) southwest of central London. In addition to the town of Woking, the borough also includes the settlements of Brookwood, Knaphill, Pyrford, Byfleet and West Byfleet.

The first surviving record of the settlement is from Domesday Book of 1086, in which the manor appears as Wochinges. [1] The "monastery at Wocchingas" is mentioned in a c. 1200 copy of an early 8th-century letter from Pope Constantine to Hedda, Abbot of Bermondsey and Woking. [2] [note 1]

List of notable people

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
ImageNameResidence PeriodNotes
— Michael Axworthy -Academic, historian and commentator with special interest in Iran [4]
[[File:|center|100x75px| Arthur Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour]] Arthur Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour1929 to deathPolitician, Prime Minister 1902-05, author of Balfour Declaration; lived at Fisher's Hill, Hook Heath Road [5]
Gerald Balfour 2nd Earl of Balfour GeraldBalfour.jpg
Gerald Balfour 2nd Earl of Balfour
Gerald Balfour 2nd Earl of Balfour –Politician, lived at Fisher's Hill, Hook Heath Road [6]
[[File:|center|100x75px|Elizabeth Balfour, Countess of Balfour]] Elizabeth Balfour, Countess of Balfour Politician, suffragette, lived at Fisher's Hill, Hook Heath Road
Lady Margaret Beaufort Lady Margaret Beaufort.jpg
Lady Margaret Beaufort
Lady Margaret Beaufort –Mother of King Henry VII, lived in Woking Palace for 5 years [7]
—Sir Alec Bedser –Surrey County and England Cricketer [7] [8]
— Eric Bedser –Surrey County Cricketer [7]
Richard Benson Richard Benson a Ciampino.jpg
Richard Benson
Richard Benson –Singer and guitarist born at Woking
George Bernard Shaw Bernard-Shaw-ILN-1911-original.jpg
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw 1901–1903playwright, critic, political activist [9]
— Martin Birch –Rock music producer/engineer for Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden (1948) [7]
— John Braine –Novelist [10]
— Thomas Breakwell –First Englishman to be a convert to the Baháʼí Faith [11]
— Rick Buckler –drummer with The Jam, (1955) [7] [12]
— Sonya Butt 1940–1943WW2 Special Operations Executive agent [13]
James Cracknell Jamescracknell.jpg
James Cracknell
James Cracknell –Olympic rower, from Pyrford [7]
Claire Darke Claire Darke Mayor.jpg
Claire Darke
Claire Darke –The 161st Mayor of Wolverhampton, grew up in Woking
Peter Davison 10.14.12PeterDavisonByLuigiNovi.jpg
Peter Davison
Peter Davison –actor, former lead in Doctor Who attended The Winston Churchill School (Woking) [7]
Ron Dennis Ron dennis 2000Monaco.jpg
Ron Dennis
Ron Dennis –CEO/Chairman of the McLaren Group [7]
Susie Dent Susie Dent.png
Susie Dent
Susie Dent –a lexicographer and the dictionary expert on Countdown [14]
Emilia Dilke Emilia Francis (nee Strong), Lady Dilke by Sir Hubert von Herkomer.jpg
Emilia Dilke
Emilia Dilke –art historian, feminist and trade unionist, lived at Pyrford Rough [15]
Ben Charles Edwards Ben-Charles-Edwards-In-Film-Noir.jpg
Ben Charles Edwards
Ben Charles Edwards –photographer/filmmaker [16]
Bruce Foxton Bruce Foxton.jpg
Bruce Foxton
Bruce Foxton –bass player with The Jam, (1955) [7] [12]
John Paul Getty J Paul Getty crop.jpg
John Paul Getty
John Paul Getty –Lived in Sutton Green [7]
Robert Freke Gould 03-Robert-Freke-Gould.jpg
Robert Freke Gould
Robert Freke Gould Soldier, barrister and historian of Freemasonry [17]
— Derek Griffiths –children's entertainer, born in Woking [7]
Rupert Guinness, 2nd Earl of Iveagh Lord Iveag.jpg
Rupert Guinness, 2nd Earl of Iveagh
Rupert Guinness, 2nd Earl of Iveagh 1906–1967businessman, lived at Pyrford [18]
Lady Emma Hamilton George Romney - Emma Hart in a Straw Hat.jpg
Lady Emma Hamilton
Lady Emma Hamilton –lover of Horatio Nelson. Hamilton lived in Pyrford [7]
Harry Hill Harry Hill (crop).jpg
Harry Hill
Harry Hill –comedian, was born in Woking (1964) [7]
— Bob Hiller –former England international rugby union player, was born in Woking (1942) [19]
— Brian Hooper –Olympic pole vaulter [7]
— Marmaduke Hussey, Baron Hussey of North Bradley –newspaper executive, was born at Worplesdon Hill (1923) [20]
Chris Ingram ChrisIngram (cropped).jpg
Chris Ingram
Chris Ingram Businessman, Entrepreneur and Former Chairman of Woking F.C.
Albert Jack AJTemple2.jpg
Albert Jack
Albert JackBestselling author from Winston Churchill School
— Jentina –rapper [21]
Kazuo Ishiguro Kazuo Ishiguro by Kubik.JPG
Kazuo Ishiguro
Kazuo Ishiguro –novelist, attended Woking County Grammar School [7] [22]
Adelina de Lara Adelina de Lara 1900.jpg
Adelina de Lara
Adelina de Lara –concert pianist, lived and worked in Woking. [7]
— Rowland Lee –composer, pianist, conductor and music arranger born in Woking (1960), attended Sheerwater Secondary School, Woking Boys Grammar School and Woking VI Form College. [7]
Sean Lock Sean lock the hexagon 08.jpg
Sean Lock
Sean Lock –comedian, was born in Woking (1963) [7]
— Peter Lord –co-founder of Aardman Animations, attended Woking Grammar school [7]
Liz Lynne Liz Lynne MEP at Bournemouth.jpg
Liz Lynne
Liz Lynne – Liberal Democrat politician [23]
— Tom Mison –actor [24]
— Iain Morris –Co-Writer of The Inbetweeners, born in Woking [7]
— Robert Ogilvie - England footballer, captain of Clapham Rovers team who won 1880 FA Cup Final, died at Golf Cottage, St John's (1938) [25]
Ian Ogilvy Ian Ogilvy.jpg
Ian Ogilvy
Ian Ogilvy –actor, 1943 [26]
Rick Parfitt Rick-parfitt-2007-07-18-orebro.jpg
Rick Parfitt
Rick Parfitt –guitarist for Status Quo went to school in Sheerwater and had family in the area, [7] [27]
Francis Henry Salvin F H Salvin.jpg
Francis Henry Salvin
Francis Henry Salvin –naturalist and writer, lived at Sutton Place and Whitmoor House [28] [29]
Delia Smith Delia & Michael with Capital Canaries T-Shirts.jpg
Delia Smith
Delia Smith –best-selling cook was born in Woking [7]
Ethel Smyth Ethel Smyth.jpg
Ethel Smyth
Ethel Smyth –composer and the first woman suffragette [7] [30]
The Spice Girls Spice Girls (6 janv) 56.jpg
The Spice Girls
The Spice Girls –pop group, started their careers at a Knaphill studio [7]
David Sproxton David Sproxton.jpg
David Sproxton
David Sproxton –co-founder of Aardman Animations, attended Woking Grammar school [7]
— Laurretta Summerscales –Ballerina, principal dancer with Bayerisches Staatsballett in Munich and formerly with the English National Ballet, grew up in Woking [31]
Alan Turing Alan Turing az 1930-as evekben.jpg
Alan Turing
Alan Turing –mathematician, Cremated at Woking Crematorium [32]
— Sam Underwood –actor [33]
— Tony Wakeford –neo-folk musician, co-founder of Death in June, founder and vocalist of Sol Invictus, & L'Orchestre Noir [7]
Paul Weller Paul Weller 4.jpg
Paul Weller
Paul Weller –guitarist and singer-songwriter, The Style Council, The Jam. "Town Called Malice", which was written by Paul Weller and recorded by his band, The Jam, is about Woking. The song reached No. 1 in the UK Charts. [7] [12]
H. G. Wells H. G. Wells, c.1890.jpg
H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells 1895-1898author who used the town as a setting for his novel The War of the Worlds and was staying in the town when he wrote it. A large sculpture of a (Wellsian) Martian Fighting Machine (above) was installed in the town centre to commemorate Woking's links with the story. [34] [35] [36]
Matt Willis Matt Willis.jpg
Matt Willis
Matt Willis –musician, singer-songwriter, television presenter and actor, who was a founding member of pop rock band Busted and was the winner of I'm A Celebrity... in 2006, lived in Woking and attended Woking High School [7]
— Ken Wood –founded the Kenwood company in Woking [7] [37]

Notes

  1. ↑ There is some doubt as to the accuracy and authenticity of Medieval copies of earlier Anglo-Saxon documents. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milford, Surrey</span> Human settlement in England

Milford is a village in the civil parish of Witley south west of Godalming in Surrey, England that was a small village in the early medieval period — it grew significantly after the building of the Portsmouth Direct Line which serves Godalming railway station and its own minor stop railway station. The village, served by a wide array of shops and amenities, has to one side an all-directions junction of the A3, one of Britain's trunk roads. Nearby settlements are Eashing, Shackleford, Witley and Elstead, and the hamlets of Enton and Hydestile, all of which are in the Borough of Waverley. The west of the parish is in the Surrey Hills AONB.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Master of the Rolls</span> Second most senior judge in England and Wales

The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the President of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales and Head of Civil Justice. As a judge, the Master of the Rolls is second in seniority in England and Wales only to the Lord Chief Justice. The position dates from at least 1286, although it is believed that the office probably existed earlier than that.

The title of Earl of Gloucester was created several times in the Peerage of England. A fictional earl is also a character in William Shakespeare's play King Lear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buchanan Medal</span>

The Buchanan Medal is awarded by the Royal Society "in recognition of distinguished contribution to the medical sciences generally". The award was created in 1897 from a fund to the memory of London physician Sir George Buchanan (1831–1895). It was to be awarded once every five years, but since 1990 the medal has been awarded every two years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom</span> Honorary position in the United Kingdom

The British Poet Laureate is an honorary position appointed by the monarch of the United Kingdom, currently on the advice of the prime minister. The role does not entail any specific duties, but there is an expectation that the holder will write verse for significant national occasions. The origins of the laureateship date back to 1616 when a pension was provided to Ben Jonson, but the first official holder of the position was John Dryden, appointed in 1668 by Charles II. On the death of Alfred, Lord Tennyson, who held the post between November 1850 and October 1892, there was a break of four years as a mark of respect; Tennyson's laureate poems "Ode on the Death of the Duke of Wellington" and "The Charge of the Light Brigade" were particularly cherished by the Victorian public. Three poets, Thomas Gray, Samuel Rogers and Walter Scott, turned down the laureateship. Historically appointed for an unfixed term and typically held for life, since 1999 the position has been for a term of ten years. The holder of the position as at January 2024 is Simon Armitage who succeeded Carol Ann Duffy in May 2019 after 10 years in office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justice of the Common Pleas</span>

Justice of the Common Pleas was a puisne judicial position within the Court of Common Pleas of England and Wales, under the Chief Justice. The Common Pleas was the primary court of common law within England and Wales, dealing with "common" pleas. It was created out of the common law jurisdiction of the Exchequer of Pleas, with splits forming during the 1190s and the division becoming formal by the beginning of the 13th century. The court became a key part of the Westminster courts, along with the Exchequer of Pleas and the Court of King's Bench, but with the Writ of Quominus and the Statute of Westminster, both tried to extend their jurisdiction into the realm of common pleas. As a result, the courts jockeyed for power. In 1828 Henry Brougham, a Member of Parliament, complained in Parliament that as long as there were three courts unevenness was inevitable, saying that "It is not in the power of the courts, even if all were monopolies and other restrictions done away, to distribute business equally, as long as suitors are left free to choose their own tribunal", and that there would always be a favourite court, which would therefore attract the best lawyers and judges and entrench its position. The outcome was the Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1873, under which all the central courts were made part of a single Supreme Court of Judicature. Eventually the government created a High Court of Justice under Lord Coleridge by an Order in Council of 16 December 1880. At this point, the Common Pleas formally ceased to exist.

English county histories, in other words historical and topographical works concerned with individual ancient counties of England, were produced by antiquarians from the late 16th century onwards. The content was variable: most focused on recording the ownership of estates and the descent of lordships of manors, thus the genealogies of county families, heraldry and other antiquarian material. In the introduction to one typical early work of this style, The Antiquities of Warwickshire published in 1656, the author William Dugdale writes:

I offer unto you my noble countriemen, as the most proper persons to whom it can be presented wherein you will see very much of your worthy ancestors, to whose memory I have erected it as a monumentall pillar and to shew in what honour they lived in those flourishing ages past. In this kind, or not much different, have divers persons in forrein parts very learnedly written; some whereof I have noted in my preface: and I could wish that there were more that would adventure in the like manner for the rest of the counties of this nation, considering how acceptable those are, which others have already performed

References

  1. ↑ Gover, Mawer & Stenton 1969 , p. 156
  2. ↑ de Gray Birch 2012 , pp. 196–197
  3. ↑ de Gray Birch 2012, pp. xx–xxi
  4. ↑ Abrahamian, Ervand (4 April 2013). "Revolutionary Iran: A History of the Islamic Republic by Michael Axworthy". Times Higher Education. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  5. ↑ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Volume 3. Oxford University Press. 2004. p. 512. ISBN   0-19-861353-9.Article by Ruddock Mackay and H.C.G. Matthew.
  6. ↑ Oppenheimer, Janet. "Balfour, Gerald William, second earl of Balfour". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/30556.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 "Hall of fame". Woking Borough Council. Archived from the original on 15 April 2010. Retrieved 21 May 2008.
  8. ↑ Steen, Rob. "Bedser, Sir Alec Victor". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/102513.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  9. ↑ Field 2012, p. 77
  10. ↑ Amis, Kingsley. "Braine, John Gerard". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/39825.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  11. ↑ Hainsworth, Philip. "Breakwell, Thomas". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/52579.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  12. 1 2 3 O'Brien, Christy (30 May 2022). "Paul Weller's quiet life in Woking and the time he fell into a pond". Surrey Live. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  13. ↑ Bailey, Roderick. "D'Artois [née Butt], Sonia Esmée Florence [Toni]". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.108203.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  14. ↑ "Biography". Susiedent.awardspace.com. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  15. ↑ Fraser, Hilary. "Dilke [née Strong; other married name Pattison], Emilia Francis, Lady Dilke". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/32825.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  16. ↑ Wells, Dominic (14 August 2008). "Heels before swine in Ben Charles Edwardss The Town That Boars Me". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  17. ↑ Rylands, W.H; Songhurst, W.J. Ars Quatuor Coronatorum. ISBN   9785873023493. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  18. ↑ Wilson, R.G. "Guinness, Rupert Edward Cecil Lee, second earl of Iveagh". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/33604.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  19. ↑ "Robert Hiller". ESPN scrum. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  20. ↑ Fred, Emery. "Hussey, Marmaduke James [Duke], Baron Hussey of North Bradley". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/97522.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  21. ↑ "Dreams are unfolding for Jentina". Surrey Live. 2 July 2013 [30 September 2004]. Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  22. ↑ McKeon, Christopher (5 October 2017). "Guildford man wins Nobel Prize in literature". Surrey Live. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  23. ↑ "Elizabeth Lynne - European Parliament MEPs". Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  24. ↑ Wolf, Matt (23 May 2012). "Rising London Star Tom Mison on Juggling Movies, TV and the Timely West End Comedy Posh". Broadway.com . Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  25. ↑ Warsop, Keith (2004). The Early FA Cup Finals and the Southern Amateurs. SoccerData. p. 109. ISBN   1-899468-78-1.
  26. ↑ "Ian Ogilvy". Ian Ogilvy. Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  27. ↑ "Rick Parfitt". The Times. No. 72103. London. 26 December 2016. p. 51.
  28. ↑ Norgate, G. Le G. "Salvin, Francis Henry". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/35922.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  29. ↑ White, Stephen (19 June 2022). "Woking war hero that had pet pig he used to take for walks and taught to 'fly'". Surrey Live. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  30. ↑ Kertesz, Elizabeth. "Smyth, Dame Ethel Mary". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/36173.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  31. ↑ "Lauretta Summerscales: the rising star of English ballet". standard.co.uk. 10 April 2012. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  32. ↑ Hodges, Andrew. "Turing, Alan Mathison". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/36578.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  33. ↑ "Sam hits the big time in New York". Guildford: GetSurrey. 20 March 2009. Archived from the original on 26 May 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  34. ↑ "Woking Surrey Online: War of the Worlds". Wokingsurrey.com. Archived from the original on 16 November 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  35. ↑ "Woking – Surrey town". Surrey-online.co.uk. Archived from the original on 22 December 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  36. ↑ Crosby 2003, pp. 110–111
  37. ↑ Pimlott Baker, Anne. "Wood, Kenneth Maynard". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/68849.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.