#1Famous people · Hoddlesden, Lancashire
Hoddlesden’s famous people span 209 years: 2 births from 1707 to 1916
Articles in 11 languages make the British-Australian physicist Alan Walsh the best known. One more name completes the list: Edward Harwood. Blackburn, 4 mi off, can claim 269 famous people, the best known Ian McShane. The list’s best known name, Alan Walsh, dates from 1916.
Born here
2
notable people
Best known
Alan Walsh
in 11 Wikipedia languages
First
1707
Edward Harwood
Youngest
1916
Alan Walsh
Most common field
Science & Medicine
1 people
The best known
Born in Hoddlesden
#1EH#2
Music
Edward Harwood
1707–1787English composer of hymns, anthems and songs
1 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Known for
What Hoddlesden is known for
The field with the most names is Science & Medicine: 1.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.
Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
Of the towns nearby, 8 have famous names listed.
Blackburn · 4 miIan McShane & 268 more
Accrington · 5 miJon Anderson & 53 more
Darwen · 1 miJohn Cryer & 41 moreWFHaslingden · 4 miWilliam Foster & 26 moreJBOswaldtwistle · 4 miJackie Bray & 16 moreTGRamsbottom · 6 miTim Greaves & 10 moreJSClayton-le-Moors · 6 miJack Simmons & 6 more
Church · 5 miMina Anwar & 5 moreQuestions about famous people from Hoddlesden
Who is the most famous person from Hoddlesden?
Alan Walsh (British-Australian physicist) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 11 languages. Next come Edward Harwood.
How many famous people were born in Hoddlesden?
2 people born in Hoddlesden have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace.
What is Hoddlesden known for?
Among its famous people, scientists and doctors: 1 of the 2. That is 50% of the town’s list, against 7% across UK towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Hoddlesden?
Edward Harwood, born in 1707. The youngest on the list was born in 1916.
Who counts as from Hoddlesden?
People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Hoddlesden’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 (5)
- Alan Walsh: division, CSIRO, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ian McShane: Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jon Anderson: Stéphane Gallay, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- John Cryer: Chris McAndrew, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Mina Anwar: Steve Bowbrick from Radlett, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0, 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.