#1Music
Joss Stone
born 1987English singer, songwriter, and actress (born 1987)
50 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Famous people · Dover, Kent
118 famous people were born in Dover, more of them soldiers and sailors than in most towns
With articles in 50 languages, Joss Stone is the most widely known. 50 of them were born in the 20th century, more than in any other period. Births since 1970 account for 18 of the names. The list runs from White Kennett, born in 1660, to James Brown, born in 1998.
Born here
118
notable people
Best known
Joss Stone
in 50 Wikipedia languages
First
1660
White Kennett
Youngest
1998
James Brown
Most common field
Sports
39 people
What stands out about Dover’s famous people
★ What stands out · Known for
What Dover is known for
The field furthest above the usual share is soldiers and sailors, at 3.2 times.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.
The best known
Born in Dover
Languages with an article: 50 for Joss Stone, 32 for M. R. James, 22 for Albert Frederick Mummery.
#1
#2Writing & Arts
M. R. James
1862–193620th century British author, medievalist scholar and provost (1862–1936)
32 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
#3Sports
Albert Frederick Mummery
1855–1895English mountaineer and author (1855–1895)
22 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Through the years
When Dover’s famous people were born
More of them were born in the 1950s than in any other ten years, 15 in all.
SportsWriting & ArtsMilitaryScience & MedicinePolitics & LawFilm, TV & StageMusicFaithNotableBusiness
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Dover
Still to come: 115 more, from 1660 to 1998.
Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke
1690–1764English lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chancellor (1690-1764)
Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
James Thomas Humberstone
1850–1939English chemical engineer, who invented the Shanks system to make sodium carbonate (1850–1939)
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Alexander Wilson
1893–1963English writer, spy, MI6 officer, hospital porter and serial polygamist (1893-1963)
Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
Marcus Sarjeant
born 1964British man who attempted to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II
Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
Gary Barnacle
born 1959English saxophonist, flautist, brass instrument arranger, composer and producer
MusicWikipedia ↗
Edward Betts
1815–1872English civil engineering contractor who was mainly involved in the building of railways
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Francis Newton Parsons
1875–1900English and South African military officer (1875–1900); recipient of the Victoria Cross
MilitaryWikipedia ↗
Arthur Honywood Vachell
1864–1933English artist who lived in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
Emily McWilliam
1840–1899First woman to be granted a divorce under New Zealand domestic law
NotableWikipedia ↗
Sir Alfred Dyer
1865–1947British journalist, politician, and chief executive
Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
C. A. J. Armstrong
1909–1994English historian of the middle ages (1909-1994)
Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
Walter Baynham
1876–1936Marine superintendent of the Orient Steam Navigation Company
MilitaryWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
Folkestone has the longest list next door: 71.
Questions about famous people from Dover
Who is the most famous person from Dover?
Joss Stone (English singer, songwriter, and actress (born 1987)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 50 languages. Next come M. R. James and Albert Frederick Mummery.
How many famous people were born in Dover?
118 people born in Dover have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace. Wikidata places 138 people here; the rest aren’t listed because their article names somewhere else, or no town.
What is Dover known for?
Among its famous people, athletes: 39 of the 118. That is 33% of the town’s list, against 49% across UK towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Dover?
White Kennett, born in 1660. The youngest on the list was born in 1998.
Who counts as from Dover?
People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Dover’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 (43)
- Joss Stone: Ice Boy Tell, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- M. R. James: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Albert Frederick Mummery: Martin Jacolette phot., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Donald Lynden-Bell: Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge – Amanda Smith, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth: James Northcote, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke: William Hoare, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Wally Hammond: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Cuthbert Ottaway: The original uploader was Mikedash at English Wikipedia., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Bob Bolder: Timmy96, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jake Dixon: Darren Garlick, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- John Redwood: Chris McAndrew, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tammy Beaumont: Bahnfrend, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Verrier Elwin: Shilpa ks 75, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Colin Greenland: Patrick Nielsen Hayden from Brooklyn, NY, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- John Lloyd: Amnesty International UK, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Charlotte Bellamy: Ian Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- James Thomas Humberstone: Desconocido. En Manual práctico de los trabajos en la Pampa Salitrera 1930 / H. Macuer Llaña. Valparaiso : Talls. Gráficos Salesianos, 1930, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Karen Stupples: Wojciech Migda (wmigda), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jim Leverton: Helena, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Gary Barnacle: Ilovemymosie, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Howard Mowll: Uncertain. Sutton credits photos to "many old friends of St. John's, especially Mr. W. C. Wilkinson", Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Keith Rayner: R4tran, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Richard Reginald Goulden: Richard Reginald Goulden (1876-1932), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Dorothy Stanton Wise: [unknown], Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Fanny Fitzwilliam: John Prescott Knight, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Francis Newton Parsons: CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- John Brown: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Rhys Lloyd: Flickr user wackyland: Instagram, Twitter, email, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- White Kennett: John Faber Junior, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Arthur Honywood Vachell: Bertha Newberry, 1874-1934, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Bernard Nicholls: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Emily McWilliam: Photograph taken by the studio of William James Harding, Whanganui., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Gilbert Nicholls: Unknown photographer (Life time: circa 1950), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Henry Polak: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Robert Alexander Conrad Smith: Unknown photographer, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Sir Alfred Dyer: Lafayette, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Christopher Skaife: Edwardx, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Edward Parnell: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Bazely: Sir W. Laird (William Laird) Clowes, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Sammy Lunn: Alfred Searcy (Life time: 1854–1925), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Walter Tunbridge: Contributor(s): The Queenslander, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- William Harvey: After Daniël Mijtens, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Elizabeth Carter: John Fayram, 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.