List of people from Calderdale

This is a list of people from Calderdale, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. This list includes people who pre-date the creation of Calderdale, from the towns of Brighouse, Elland, Halifax, Sowerby Bridge, Hebden Bridge, Todmorden, and the smaller villages that make up the borough. This list is arranged alphabetically by surname:

Table of contents: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Without biographies • See also • References

A

• Dicken Ashworth, Todmorden-born actor[1]

B

• Christopher Paul Baker (born 1955), award-winning travel writer, photographer, and adventure motorcyclist from Brighouse; currently living in Palm Springs, California
• Paul Barker (writer) (1935–2019), journalist and writer, grew up in Mytholmroyd
• Antony Booth (born 1931), actor and father of Cherie Blair; married to Stephanie Booth, a politician local to Calderdale; lived in Todmorden[2]

C

• Chipps Chippendale (born 1968), mountain biking journalist from Todmorden[3]
• Prof. Sir John Cockcroft (1897–1967), Todmorden-born scientist who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1951[4][5]
• Neil Cowie, Rugby League player for Wigan, Wales and Great Britain from Todmorden[6]

D

• Divina de Campo, a British drag queen and singer best known for appearing on the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, born in Brighouse[7]

E

• Keith Emerson (1944–2016), pianist, founder and member of The Nice and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, born in Todmorden[8]

F

• John Fielden (1784–1849), land and factory owner in Todmorden; Member of Parliament; national leader of the Ten Hours Campaign for factory reform; scion of the Fielden family[9]

H

• Eric Harrison (footballer) Mytholmroyd born football/soccer coach for the Manchester United youth team during the reign of Sir Alex Ferguson
• John Helliwell, Todmorden-born musician of the band Supertramp
• Dale Hibbert, Todmorden. Original bass player with The Smiths, author of "Boy Interrupted"
• Ursula Holden-Gill (born 1974), TV actress (Emmerdale, Holby City, Teachers, The Bill)[10]
• William Holt (1897–1977), Todmorden-born writer, painter, political activist, journalist and traveller[11]
• Ted Hughes (1930–1998), Poet Laureate, born in Mytholmroyd [12]

I

• Innes Ireland (1930–1993), Formula One racing driver (1960s and 1970s), born in Mytholmroyd

J

• Jollyboat, musical comedy double-act, of Todmorden brothers Tommy and Ed Croft
• Wilfred Judson (1902–1980), former Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, born in Todmorden[13]

K

• Jason Kay, singer from the band Jamiroquai, owns a 'country retreat' (actually a small terraced house) in Todmorden
• John Kettley (born 1952), BBC weatherman, from Todmorden[14]
• Julie Kirkbride (born 1960), Member of Parliament for Bromsgrove from 1997 to 2010[15]

L

• Fred Lawless, Liverpool born theatre playwright, has a house in Todmorden; was a writer for the BBC 1 TV series EastEnders and other TV and radio programmes
• Peter Lever (born 1940), England test cricketer, from Todmorden[16]
• Anne Lister (born 1791), diarist[17]
• John Lister (born 1847), politician[18]
• Walter Livsey (1884–1978) Todmorden-born Hampshire wicketkeeper[19]
• Adrian Love (1944–1999), World Service, Capital Radio and Radio 2 DJ
• Geoff Love (1917–1991), big band leader, born in Todmorden[20]
• Jane Lumb, 1942–2008, actress and fashion model of the 1960s, born in Mytholmroyd

N

• John Mitchell Nuttall (1890–1958), Todmorden-born physicist remembered for the Geiger–Nuttall law[21]

P

• Wes Paul, Liverpool singer, musician and compere/stage manager of Sounds of the Sixties Cavern Showcase
• Wilfred Pickles (1904–1978), radio personality, born in Halifax
• Eric Portman (1901–1969), film and television actor, born in Ackroydon [22]

R

• John Ramsbottom (1814–1897), mechanical engineer and inventor from Todmorden[23]

S

• Derek Shackleton (born 1924), England test cricketer, from Todmorden[24]
• Miles Balmford Sharp (1897–1973), artist
• Percy Shaw (1890–1976), inventor of the cat's eye[25]
• Ed Sheeran, born in Hebden Bridge
• Harold Shipman (1946–2004), serial killer, took up his first GP's position at the Abraham Ormerod Centre in Todmorden[26]
• Oliver Smithies (born 1925), U.S. geneticist and Nobel prizewinner, born in Halifax

T

• Rebecca Taylor, Liberal Democrat MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber, born in Todmorden
• Grenville Turner (born 1936), a pioneer of cosmochemistry, from Todmorden

W

• Sally Wainwright, screenwriter. Wrote several episodes of Coronation Street before going on to create At Home with the Braithwaites, Scott & Bailey and Happy Valley (TV series). Raised in Sowerby Bridge
• Prof. Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson (1921–1996), won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1973, from Todmorden[27]
• David Wilson, footballer who began his career at Manchester United (1980s)

See also

• List of people from West Yorkshire

References

1. "Dicken Ashworth". corrie.net. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
2. Kelly, Sarah (19 February 2009). "Tony Booth's wife hit with 'fake' parking fine: Officials probe her £60 ticket". Halifax Evening Courier. Johnston Press Digital Publishing. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
3. "Cyclo-cross: Cycle stars brave icy Centre Vale". Todmorden News. Johnston Press Digital Publishing. 7 January 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
4. "John Cockcroft – The Nobel Prize in Physics 1951". Nobelprize.org. The Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 11 February 2010. From Nobel Lectures, Physics 1942–1962, Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam, 1964
5. Allibone, T E (September 2004). "Cockcroft, Sir John Douglas (1897–1967)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 11 February 2010. (subscription required)
6. "Talent galore for Hornets". Rochdale Observer. Guardian Media Group. 15 January 2003. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
7. Blow, John. "RuPaul's Drag Race UK reveals West Yorkshire drag queen Divina De Campo as contestant". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
8. "Keith Emerson". vh1.com. MTV Networks. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
9. Weaver, Stewart A (2004). "Fielden, John (1784–1849)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 11 February 2010. (subscription required)
10. "actress to attend". Todmorden News. Johnston Press Digital Publishing. 9 November 2006. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
11. Lee, Philip (11 December 2008). "William Holt's literary legacy". Todmorden News. Johnston Press Digital Publishing. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
12. Ted Hughes biography
13. "The Honourable Mr. Justice Wilfred Judson". Supreme Court of Canada. 4 September 2008. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
14. Marshal, Tyrone. "Todmorden forecaster John Kettley tells of stormy weather in autobiography". Lancashire Telegraph. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
15. Julie Kirkbride Official Website Archived 3 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine
16. "Peter Lever". CricInfo. ESPN EMEA Ltd. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
17. Baigent, Elizabeth (September 2004). "Lister, Anne (1791–1840)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/45743. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
18. Hargreaves, John A. (September 2004). "Lister, John (1847–1933)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/45743. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
19. "Walter Livsey". Cricinfo. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
20. Wilmer, Val (September 2004). "Love, Geoffrey [Geoff] (1917–1991)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 11 February 2010. (subscription required)
21. Andraos, John. "Named Equations And Laws In Chemistry (L–P)" (PDF). Department of Chemistry, York University, Canada. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
22. Eric Portman on IMDb
23. Carpenter, George W (2004). "Ramsbottom, John (1814–1897)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 11 February 2010. (subscription required)
24. "Derek Shackleton". TimesOnline. Times Newspapers Ltd. 1 October 2007. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
25. Halifax Today article on Percy Shaw Archived 12 March 2004 at the Wayback Machine
26. "Harold Shipman: The killer doctor". BBC News Online. BBC. 13 January 2004. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
27. Griffith, Bill (September 2004). "Wilkinson, Sir Geoffrey (1921–1996)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 11 February 2010. (subscription required)