#1Politics & Law
Richard Grenville
1542–1591English politician, soldier and explorer (1542-1591)
14 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Famous people · Bideford, Devon
Soldiers and sailors stand out among the 29 famous people born in Bideford
Best known of all is Richard Grenville, written about in 14 languages. David Shepherd and David Downing follow. The largest group, 10, was born in the 20th century. 3 were born in 1970 or later.
Born here
29
notable people
Best known
Richard Grenville
in 14 Wikipedia languages
First
1421
John Arundell
Youngest
1993
Jimmy Mullen
Most common field
Politics & Law
8 people
What stands out about Bideford’s famous people
★ What stands out · Known for
What Bideford is known for
Set against the usual town, soldiers and sailors come out 3.8 times as common.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.
The best known
Born in Bideford
Athletes take two of the three places.
#1DS#2
DD#3
Sports
David Downing
born 1969English association football player (born 1969)
6 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Through the years
When Bideford’s famous people were born
The 1940s saw the most births of any decade: 3.
Politics & LawSportsMilitaryWriting & ArtsFilm, TV & StageMusicFaithNotableScience & Medicine
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Bideford
Still to come: 26 more, from 1421 to 1993.
Graham James
born 1951Bishop of Norwich; Bishop of St Germans; British Anglican bishop (born 1951)
FaithWikipedia ↗
John Shebbeare
1709–1788British satirist; author of the 'Four letters to the people of England'
Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
John Christmas
1757–1822English-born Danish sea captain and general trader (1757–1822)
MilitaryWikipedia ↗
Richard Vines
1585–1651English colonial explorer of northern New England
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
Of the towns nearby, 6 have famous names listed.
Questions about famous people from Bideford
Who is the most famous person from Bideford?
Richard Grenville (English politician, soldier and explorer (1542-1591)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 14 languages. Next come David Shepherd and David Downing.
How many famous people were born in Bideford?
29 people born in Bideford have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace. Wikidata places 38 people here; the rest aren’t listed because their article names somewhere else, or no town.
What is Bideford known for?
Among its famous people, leaders: 8 of the 29. That is 28% of the town’s list, against 9% across UK towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Bideford?
John Arundell, born in 1421. The youngest on the list was born in 1993.
Who counts as from Bideford?
People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Bideford’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 (14)
- Richard Grenville: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Bedford Pim: Unknown photographer, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Edgar Dewdney: Topley Studio / Library and Archives Canada / PA-027070, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Graham James: Chris McAndrew, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- John Percy Vyvian Dacre Balsdon: Lafayette Ltd, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Shebbeare: Bromley, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Elizabeth Pepys: James Thomson / After John Hayls, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Christmas: Friedrich Carl Gröger, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Cory: AnonymousUnknown author, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Judith Ackland: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- George Braund: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Gay: Godfrey Kneller, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- William Johnson Cory: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Edward Calvert: Edward Calvert, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
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