#1Writing & Arts
Lawrence Beesley
1877–1967British Titanic survivor (1877–1967)
14 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Famous people · Wirksworth, Derbyshire
10 famous people from Wirksworth, many of them athletes
Lawrence Beesley, the British Titanic survivor, is the most widely known, written about in 14 languages. In the Victorian era, 9 were born, the most of any period. Over 93 years of births, the list goes from Eliza Fraser (1798) to Herbert Bowmer (1891). Only 20 of the 96 towns in Derbyshire with anyone on record list more.
Born here
10
notable people
Best known
Lawrence Beesley
in 14 Wikipedia languages
First
1798
Eliza Fraser
Youngest
1891
Herbert Bowmer
Most common field
Sports
8 people
What stands out about Wirksworth’s famous people
★ What stands out · Through the years
When Wirksworth’s famous people were born
Births peak in the 1840s, with 4 people born in that decade.
SportsWriting & ArtsNotable
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Known for
What Wirksworth is known for
Wirksworth has 1.6× the usual share of athletes.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.
The best known
Born in Wirksworth
The three are covered in 14, 5 and 5 languages: Lawrence Beesley, George Frost and Henry Blackwell.
#1GF#2
HB#3
Everyone
Everyone else born in Wirksworth
Here are 7 more, born from 1798 to 1891.
No one matches both filters.
Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
Belper has the longest list next door: 28.
Questions about famous people from Wirksworth
Who is the most famous person from Wirksworth?
Lawrence Beesley (British Titanic survivor (1877–1967)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 14 languages. Next come George Frost and Henry Blackwell.
How many famous people were born in Wirksworth?
10 people born in Wirksworth have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace. Wikidata places 12 people here; the rest aren’t listed because their article names somewhere else, or no town.
What is Wirksworth known for?
Among its famous people, athletes: 8 of the 10. That is 80% of the town’s list, against 49% across UK towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Wirksworth?
Eliza Fraser, born in 1798. The youngest on the list was born in 1891.
Who counts as from Wirksworth?
People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Wirksworth’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 (7)
- Lawrence Beesley: Central News And Illustrations Bureau, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Eliza Fraser: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Suzy Kendall: Utente:Vabbè. Original uploader was Vabbè at Italian Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Keith Ellis: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- George Turner: Keene studio, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Nigel Hitchin: Renate Schmid, CC BY-SA 2.0 de, Wikimedia Commons
- Nigel Bond: Benutzer:Bill da Flute, CC BY-SA 3.0, 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.