73 famous people were born in Kendal, more of them ministers and preachers than in most towns
At the top of the list is the British astrophysicist Arthur Eddington, covered in 77 languages. Behind the leader come Ephraim Chambers and Steve Hogarth. In the 20th century, 23 were born, the most of any period. The oldest name on the list belongs to Richard Braithwaite, born in 1588, the newest to James Park-Johnson, born in 1998.
Arthur Eddington (British astrophysicist (1882-1944)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 77 languages. Next come Ephraim Chambers and Steve Hogarth.
How many famous people were born in Kendal?
73 people born in Kendal 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 Kendal known for?
Among its famous people, athletes: 24 of the 73. That is 33% of the town’s list, against 49% across UK towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Kendal?
Richard Braithwaite, born in 1588. The youngest on the list was born in 1998.
Who counts as from Kendal?
People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Kendal’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 (29)
Arthur Eddington: George Grantham Bain Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Joseph Foster Stackhouse: NYH Service the New York Herald newspaper which went out of business in 1924. Many newspapers printed photos of those aboard the ship-those who survived and those who perished. New York Herald photo…, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Thomas Whitwell: William Tomlinson, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons