AC#1
Famous people · Ilfracombe, Devon
From 1751 to 1962, Ilfracombe was the birthplace of 9 famous people
At the top of the list is the British actor Arthur Cleave, covered in 5 languages. Close behind are Coulson Kernahan and Geoffrey Sumner. Only 18 of the 83 towns in Devon with anyone on record list more. The list comes to 9.8 for every 10,000 residents, against 4.7 in the typical town in Devon.
Born here
9
notable people
Best known
Arthur Cleave
in 5 Wikipedia languages
First
1751
James Bowen
Youngest
1962
Ian Leigh
Most common field
Military
3 people
What stands out about Ilfracombe’s famous people
★ What stands out · Through the years
When Ilfracombe’s famous people were born
Births peak in the 1880s, with 1 people born in that decade.
MilitaryFilm, TV & StageWriting & ArtsSportsScience & MedicinePolitics & Law
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
The best known
Born in Ilfracombe
First, Arthur Cleave (5 languages), then Coulson Kernahan (5) and Geoffrey Sumner (3).
CK#2
GS#3
Known for
What Ilfracombe is known for
Soldiers and sailors stand out most, at 9.1 times the usual share.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Ilfracombe
The rest number 6, with 3 soldiers and sailors among them.
James Bowen
1751–1835Royal Navy officer during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars.
MilitaryWikipedia ↗
Peter Venables
1923–2017British psychologist and schizophrenia researcher (1923–2017)
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
Of the towns nearby, 3 have famous names listed.
Questions about famous people from Ilfracombe
Who is the most famous person from Ilfracombe?
Arthur Cleave (British actor (1884-1939)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 5 languages. Next come Coulson Kernahan and Geoffrey Sumner.
How many famous people were born in Ilfracombe?
9 people born in Ilfracombe have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace. Wikidata places 15 people here; the rest aren’t listed because their article names somewhere else, or no town.
What is Ilfracombe known for?
Among its famous people, soldiers and sailors: 3 of the 9. That is 33% of the town’s list, against 4% across UK towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Ilfracombe?
James Bowen, born in 1751. The youngest on the list was born in 1962.
Who counts as from Ilfracombe?
People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Ilfracombe’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 (6)
- James Bowen: British school of the 19th century, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Richards Lapenotière: geni James Leakey, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Peter Venables: Department of Psychology, University of York, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Richard Bowen: H. R. Cook, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Gay: Godfrey Kneller, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Edward Calvert: Edward Calvert, 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.