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Famous people · Witham, Essex

Witham counts 15 famous people, first among them Olly Murs

The best known is the British singer Olly Murs, with articles in 41 languages. Stafford Allen (1806) and Cody McDonald (1986) mark the two ends of the list. Athletes make up the largest group, 7 of them. 5 of them were born since 1970, more than in any other period.

#1 best knownOlly MursMusic · born 1984
+11more
Born here
15
notable people
Best known
Olly Murs
in 41 Wikipedia languages
First
1806
Stafford Allen
Youngest
1986
Cody McDonald
Most common field
Sports
7 people

What stands out about Witham’s famous people

★ What stands out · Through the years

When Witham’s famous people were born

The 1980s saw the most births of any decade: 3.

GeorgianVictorianThe 20th centuryToday18001850190019502000Olly MursBarry Daines
SportsWriting & ArtsMilitaryPolitics & LawMusicBusiness

Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.

The best known

Born in Witham

By how many languages cover them, Olly Murs comes first (41), then Graham Hedman (8) and James Winslow (8).

Olly Murs#1
Music

Olly Murs

born 1984

British singer (born 1984)

41 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
GH#2
Sports

Graham Hedman

born 1979

British sprinter

8 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
James Winslow#3
Sports

James Winslow

born 1983

British racing car driver

8 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Known for

What Witham is known for

The field with the most names is Sports: 7.

The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.

Everyone

Everyone else born in Witham

Another 12, 5 of them athletes.

BD

Barry Daines

born 1951

English footballer (born 1951)

CM

Cody McDonald

born 1986

English footballer (born 1986)

RS

Richard Stone

born 1951

British painter (born 1951)

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
JB

John Bawtree

1873–1938

Cricketer (1873-1938)

John Richard Robinson

John Richard Robinson

1828–1903

English journalist

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
DH

David Hawkes

1822–1858

Recipient of the Victoria Cross

JS

John Stoneham

1892–1950

Association football player (1892-1950)

William Henry Rodes Green

William Henry Rodes Green

1823–1912

British Indian Army officer

AC

Audley Coote

1839–1915

(1839-1915) politician and concessionaire

Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
SH

Samuel Hawkes

1845–1937

Tasmanian politician (1845-1937)

Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
Stafford Allen

Stafford Allen

1806–1889

British industrialist, abolitionist and philanthropist (1806-1889)

Next door

Famous people from the towns next door

Of the towns nearby, Maldon lists the most people: 25.

Questions about famous people from Witham

Who is the most famous person from Witham?

Olly Murs (British singer (born 1984)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 41 languages. Next come Graham Hedman and James Winslow.

How many famous people were born in Witham?

15 people born in Witham have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace. Wikidata places 17 people here; the rest aren’t listed because their article names somewhere else, or no town.

What is Witham known for?

Among its famous people, athletes: 7 of the 15. That is 47% of the town’s list, against 49% across UK towns.

Who is the earliest-born famous person from Witham?

Stafford Allen, born in 1806. The youngest on the list was born in 1986.

Who counts as from Witham?

People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Witham’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 (10)

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.