#1Science & Medicine
Charles Glover Barkla
1877–1944English physicist (1877-1944)
81 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Famous people · Widnes, Cheshire
Charles Glover Barkla leads the 80 famous people born in Widnes
81 languages have an article about the English physicist Charles Glover Barkla. The largest group, 36, was born in the 20th century. The list has 1.6 times the usual share of athletes, 62 in all. Per head, the list is long: 13.3 for every 10,000 residents, where the typical town in Cheshire has 5.4.
Born here
80
notable people
Best known
Charles Glover Barkla
in 81 Wikipedia languages
First
1460
William Smyth
Youngest
2000
Ben Davies
Most common field
Sports
62 people
What stands out about Widnes’ famous people
Known worldwideRead in 81 languages, Charles Glover Barkla is known far beyond the town.Still making names44 were born since 1950, the youngest in 2000.A town of athletes62 of the 80 people born here are athletes, 1.6× the usual share.80 notable peopleWith 80 notable people, the list is longer than most towns’.
★ What stands out · The best known
Born in Widnes
Three names lead: Charles Glover Barkla (81 languages), David Dawson (13) and Michael Kenna (12).
#1
#2
#3Writing & Arts
Michael Kenna
born 1953British photographer (born 1953)
12 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Through the years
When Widnes’s famous people were born
Count by decade and the 1990s come out on top, with 12 births.
SportsPolitics & LawScience & MedicineMilitaryWriting & ArtsNotableFilm, TV & StageFaithBusiness
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Known for
What Widnes is known for
No other field is as far above the usual share as athletes, at 1.6 times.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Widnes
77 more names, born between 1460 and 2000.
Alfred Young
1873–1940British mathematician and rector of Birdbrook (1873–1940)
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Michael Hastings, Baron Hastings of Scarisbrick
born 1958British peer (born 1958)
Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
Thomas Mottershead
1892–1917British pilot, recipient of the Victoria Cross (1892-1917)
MilitaryWikipedia ↗
Thomas Wilkinson
1898–1942English recipient of the Victoria Cross, died 1942 (1898–1942)
MilitaryWikipedia ↗
George Perry-Smith
1922–2003NotableWikipedia ↗
William Dickson
1893–1966Accountant, newspaper manager and politician in New South Wales, Australia
BusinessWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
8 towns around it have someone on record.
Warrington · 6 miTim Curry & 253 more
St Helens · 5 miDavid Yates & 223 more
Huyton with Roby · 6 miRex Harrison & 44 more
Prescot · 4 miSteven Gerrard & 39 more
Runcorn · 3 miHall Caine & 35 more
Newton-le-Willows · 7 miRick Astley & 24 more
Frodsham · 5 miGary Barlow & 6 more
Winwick · 7 miGeoffrey Hornby & 3 moreQuestions about famous people from Widnes
Who is the most famous person from Widnes?
Charles Glover Barkla (English physicist (1877-1944)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 81 languages. Next come David Dawson and Michael Kenna.
How many famous people were born in Widnes?
80 people born in Widnes have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace. Wikidata places 91 people here; the rest aren’t listed because their article names somewhere else, or no town.
What is Widnes known for?
Among its famous people, athletes: 62 of the 80. That is 78% of the town’s list, against 49% across UK towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Widnes?
William Smyth, born in 1460. The youngest on the list was born in 2000.
Who counts as from Widnes?
People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Widnes’ built-up area (the ONS 2022 boundary), a hospital or district within it included, whose English Wikipedia article agrees. People who only lived here, adult performers and people known mainly for crimes aren’t listed.
Why is someone missing?
Their Wikidata birthplace may be a bigger area (“London”), another town, or missing, or their article may give no birthplace. We only list people both sources agree on; editing Wikidata or Wikipedia changes this page at the next refresh.
From Wikidata (CC0: birthplaces, descriptions, years, occupations) and English Wikipedia (each person’s article confirms the birthplace; linked, not quoted). Birthplaces are placed in the town by the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary (Office for National Statistics, Open Government Licence v3.0). Ranked by how many Wikipedia languages cover each person. Fields are read from Wikidata’s description and occupations. “The usual town”: everyone listed across UK towns. Portraits: each person’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (37)
- Charles Glover Barkla: George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- David Dawson: Doubleshiny, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Michael Kenna: © Matteo Colla, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Paul Sherwen: YellowMonkey/Blnguyen, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Alfred Young: As per email correspondence with www.royalsociety.org on 26-Jan-2026 (with [email protected], Picture Curator, The Royal Society) - this image "... is not an official Royal Society…, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Robert Mond: Anonymous, the Faraday Society, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Derek Twigg: Chris McAndrew, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- William Smyth: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- James Caton: Jols08, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Stephen Myler: Bob Bob, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Michael Hastings, Baron Hastings of Scarisbrick: World Economic Forum on Flickr / Eric Miller, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bobbie Goulding: Gerard Barrau, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Thomas Wilkinson: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Danny Richardson: Fleets, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Harry Smith: Fleets, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Mark Percival: http://picasaweb.google.com/barrau.gerard, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Matty Fozard: Adam Foz, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Paul O'Neill: Cs-wolves, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Shane Grady: https://www.flickr.com/photos/26298797@N07/2598029674/, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Terry O'Connor: paddynapper, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Arthur Johnson: Photo: Steve Fox at en.wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Chris Atkin: Fleets, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- David Mills: Gerard Barrau, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Gary Middlehurst: Fleets, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jack Owens: Fleets, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Joe Lyons: Fleets, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Mary Dennett: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Paul Noone: https://www.flickr.com/photos/26298797@N07/, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- William Dickson: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Tim Curry: Alan Light, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- David Yates: Joella Marano, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Rex Harrison: Allan warren, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Steven Gerrard: Эдгар Брещанов, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Hall Caine: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Rick Astley: Wjack12, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Gary Barlow: vagueonthehow from Tadcaster, York, England, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Geoffrey Hornby: Russell (photographic company ), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.