#1Writing & Arts
Robert Fisk
1946–2020English writer and journalist (1946–2020)
56 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Famous people · Maidstone, Kent
From 1592 to 2002, Maidstone was the birthplace of 136 famous people
At the top of the list is the English writer and journalist Robert Fisk, covered in 56 languages. 48 of them were born since 1970, more than in any other period. Robert Fisk was born in 1946. Among the 122 towns in Kent with famous people on record, the town ranks 2nd.
Born here
136
notable people
Best known
Robert Fisk
in 56 Wikipedia languages
First
1592
John Jenkins
Youngest
2002
Ayoub Assal
Most common field
Sports
66 people
What stands out about Maidstone’s famous people
★ What stands out · The best known
Born in Maidstone
Robert Fisk leads with articles in 56 languages, ahead of William Hazlitt (55) and Jojo Moyes (40).
#1
#2Writing & Arts
William Hazlitt
1778–1830English essayist and writer (1778–1830)
55 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
#3Through the years
When Maidstone’s famous people were born
The 1990s saw the most births of any decade: 23.
SportsWriting & ArtsScience & MedicineFilm, TV & StagePolitics & LawMusicMilitaryNotableFaithBusiness
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Known for
What Maidstone is known for
No other field is as far above the usual share as writers and artists, at 1.4 times.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Maidstone
The other 133 span the years 1592 to 2002.
Mackenzie Crook
born 1971English actor, director, comedian and writer (born 1971)
Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
Sir Edmund Walker Head, 8th Baronet
1805–1868British colonial administrator (1805–1868)
Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
Audrey Callaghan, Baroness Callaghan of Cardiff
1915–2005British councillor, wife of James Callaghan
Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
Frank Smythe
1900–1949British mountaineer, botanist, author and photographer (1900-1949)
SportsWikipedia ↗
Julius Brenchley
1816–1873British explorer, naturalist and author (1816-1873)
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Shaun Williamson
born 1965English actor, singer, media personality and occasional presenter
Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
Frederic J. Mouat
1816–1897British physician, and civil servant in India
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Mary-Anne Cotterill
born 1945British swimmer, Olympic athlete, Commonwealth Games silver medallist
SportsWikipedia ↗
John Braddick Monckton
1832–1902British lawyer and civil servant (1832-1902)
Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
Michael Croucher
1930–2006Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
Close by, the fullest list is Larkfield’s, at 6 names.
Larkfield · 4 miBarry Hawkins & 5 more
Wateringbury · 5 miStewart Symes & 4 morePABearsted · 2 miPaul Ashbee & 2 moreGFKings Hill · 5 miGeorge Willoughby Fraser & 2 moreJLCoxheath · 3 miJohn Larking & 1 moreHPBurham · 5 miH. R. PercyJPSutton Valence · 5 miJohn Hastings, 2nd Earl of PembrokeTWYalding · 5 miTony WestonQuestions about famous people from Maidstone
Who is the most famous person from Maidstone?
Robert Fisk (English writer and journalist (1946–2020)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 56 languages. Next come William Hazlitt and Jojo Moyes.
How many famous people were born in Maidstone?
136 people born in Maidstone have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace. Wikidata places 171 people here; the rest aren’t listed because their article names somewhere else, or no town.
What is Maidstone known for?
Among its famous people, athletes: 66 of the 136. That is 49% of the town’s list, against 49% across UK towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Maidstone?
John Jenkins, born in 1592. The youngest on the list was born in 2002.
Who counts as from Maidstone?
People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Maidstone’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 (68)
- Robert Fisk: Alan Liefting, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- William Hazlitt: John Hazlitt, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Jojo Moyes: Thesupermat, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Alessia Russo: James Boyes, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Mackenzie Crook: Elyot Boudart, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- John Gribbin: AlJ1964, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tamsin Greig: Episodes_cast_TCA_2010.jpg: Thomas Atilla Lewis at https://www.flickr.com/people/51761894@N00 derivative work: Electroguv, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tom Riley: S Pakhrin from DC, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- William Robert Brooks: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Andy Townsend: Marion O'Sullivan, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lilian Bland: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Matthew Richardson: Nicola, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Mike Ratledge: Columbia Records, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Bill Ivy: Raimund Kommer, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dave Bright: Waitakere1, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jack Green: User:Citizen59, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Robert Blatchford: Georg Meisenbach, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Benjamin Cavet: Dominic Trewin, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bobby Beale: Unknown authorUnknown author The original uploader was Corwin of Amber at Russian Wikipedia., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- William Alexander: William Alexander, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- William Cooper: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Adam Birchall: ChrisTheDude at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ayoub Assal: Timmy96, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Joe Pigott: Timmy96, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Sir Edmund Walker Head, 8th Baronet: George Theodore Berthon, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Audrey Callaghan, Baroness Callaghan of Cardiff: Unknown photographer, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Doug Loft: EchetusXe, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Frank Sando: Tnsa1611, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Frank Smythe: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Sean McGinty: Andrew Hendo, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Wendy Wood: Tony Fisher, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Albert Goodwin: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Alex Mitchell: Stefano Delfrate, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Amy Brown: Unknown artist, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Felicity Gibbons: joshjdss, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Julius Brenchley: Antoine Samuel Adam-Salomon, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- William Woollett: Gilbert Stuart, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Aaron Sidwell: AnemoneProjectors, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Louise Cook: Stefan Brending (2eight), CC BY-SA 3.0 de, Wikimedia Commons
- Ruben Sammut: James Boyes from UK, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Shaun Williamson: Tom Kitching, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Alan Peach: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Bill Lewis: AnnFran Morris, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Christopher Newman Hall: "Montbard", Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Frederic J. Mouat: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Whichcord: Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Joshua Masters: stevecubbins, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Edward Bishop: Photographer unidentified, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- George Masters: Barcroft Capel Boake, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Mary-Anne Cotterill: Kroon, Ron / Anefo, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Mitchell Dickenson: James Boyes from UK, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Paul Jones: Ben Sutherland from Forest Hill, London, European Union, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Andrew Groves: westminsterfashion, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cameron Corbishley: JoeDooleyD, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Daniel King: Michig, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ebenezer Shoobridge: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- James Jefferys: James Jefferys, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- James Mitchell: Stefano Delfrate, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- John Braddick Monckton: Barnett Samuel Marks, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Noel Laurence: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Sir Frank Green, 1st Baronet: Ellis & Walery (no individual credited), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- William Pope: W. E. Cantelon (died 1950), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Chris Broad: Mccunicano, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Graham Hatfull: Danos2000, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- James Smith: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Robert Billing: MumphingSquirrel, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Barry Hawkins: DerHexer, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Stewart Symes: 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.