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The main road through BurnhopePhoto: Robert Graham · CC BY-SA 2.0
Famous people · Burnhope, County Durham

Burnhope is the birthplace of 3 famous people

Most widely known is James Barron, the footballer, with articles in 5 languages. Second and third on the list are Sam Bell and Walter Coates. The nearest list is in Stanley, 3 mi away: 35 names, starting with Lewis Miley. Born in 1909, Sam Bell is the first name on record, and James Barron, born in 1913, the most recent.

Born here
3
notable people
Best known
James Barron
in 5 Wikipedia languages
First
1909
Sam Bell
Youngest
1913
James Barron
Most common field
Sports
3 people
The best known

Born in Burnhope

Ranked by languages covered: James Barron with 5, then Sam Bell with 5 and Walter Coates with 2.

JB#1
Sports

James Barron

1913–1999

Footballer (1913-1999)

5 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
SB#2
Sports

Sam Bell

1909–1982

English footballer (1909-1982)

5 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
WC#3
Sports

Walter Coates

English footballer

2 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Next door

Famous people from the towns next door

Stanley has the longest list next door: 35.

LMStanley · 3 miLewis Miley & 34 moreDora GreenwellLanchester · 2 miDora Greenwell & 14 moreAlun ArmstrongAnnfield Plain · 3 miAlun Armstrong & 10 moreSammy CrooksUshaw Moor and Bearpark · 4 miSammy Crooks & 8 moreAAEsh Winning · 4 miAlf Agar & 7 moreGALangley Park · 2 miGeorge Ardley & 5 moreBobby RobsonSacriston · 3 miBobby Robson & 5 moreJCDipton · 4 miJohn Craggs & 4 more

Questions about famous people from Burnhope

Who is the most famous person from Burnhope?

James Barron (footballer (1913-1999)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 5 languages. Next come Sam Bell and Walter Coates.

How many famous people were born in Burnhope?

3 people born in Burnhope have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace.

What is Burnhope known for?

Among its famous people, athletes: 3 of the 3. That is 100% of the town’s list, against 49% across UK towns.

Who is the earliest-born famous person from Burnhope?

Sam Bell, born in 1909. The youngest on the list was born in 1913.

Who counts as from Burnhope?

People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Burnhope’s 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 (4)

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.