#1Writing & Arts
Elizabeth Wallwork
1883–1969New Zealand artist and teacher (1883–1969)
5 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Famous people · Broughton, Lancashire
7 famous people call Broughton their birthplace
Elizabeth Wallwork, the New Zealand artist and teacher, is the most widely known, written about in 5 languages. Second and third on the list are Frederic Newton Gisborne and Laura McLaren, Baroness Aberconway. 6 of them were born in the Victorian era, more than in any other period. Over 73 years of births, the list goes from Frederic Newton Gisborne (1824) to James Towers (1897).
Born here
7
notable people
Best known
Elizabeth Wallwork
in 5 Wikipedia languages
First
1824
Frederic Newton Gisborne
Youngest
1897
James Towers
Most common field
Writing & Arts
3 people
The best known
Born in Broughton
Ranked by languages covered: Elizabeth Wallwork with 5, then Frederic Newton Gisborne with 5 and Laura McLaren, Baroness Aberconway with 5.
#1
#2Science & Medicine
Frederic Newton Gisborne
1824–1892Canadian engineer (1824–1892)
5 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
#3Writing & Arts
Laura McLaren, Baroness Aberconway
1854–1933British suffragist, editor (1854-1933)
5 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Through the years
When Broughton’s famous people were born
The 1860s top the chart, with 2 births in the decade.
Writing & ArtsMilitaryScience & MedicineSports
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Known for
What Broughton is known for
Compared with the usual town, writers and artists are the most over-represented field, at 3.7 times.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Broughton
4 more, from 1860 to 1897.
James Towers
1897–1977English soldier (1897–1977); recipient of the Victoria Cross
MilitaryWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
Close by, the fullest list is Preston’s, at 346 names.
Questions about famous people from Broughton
Who is the most famous person from Broughton?
Elizabeth Wallwork (New Zealand artist and teacher (1883–1969)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 5 languages. Next come Frederic Newton Gisborne and Laura McLaren, Baroness Aberconway.
How many famous people were born in Broughton?
7 people born in Broughton have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace.
What is Broughton known for?
Among its famous people, writers and artists: 3 of the 7. That is 43% of the town’s list, against 12% across UK towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Broughton?
Frederic Newton Gisborne, born in 1824. The youngest on the list was born in 1897.
Who counts as from Broughton?
People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Broughton’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 (8)
- Elizabeth Wallwork: Published in Supplement to the Auckland Weekly News, 7 March 1934, p.33; photographic studio Green and Hahn, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Frederic Newton Gisborne: Canadian Illustrated News, vol.VIII, no. 7, 101. Reproduced from Library and Archives Canada's website Images in the News: Canadian Illustrated News., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Laura McLaren, Baroness Aberconway: James Tissot, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Phil Jones: Matt Janzer from Missoula, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Will Hayhurst: biddleofnowhere, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Wade Barrett: Shamsuddin Muhammad from Fort Hood, TX, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Thomas Speight: Oscar Albert Leopold Sacks, Manningham Lane, Bradford, UK, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Kathleen Ferrier: Polygoon Hollands Nieuws, CC BY-SA 3.0 nl, 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.