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Famous people · Read, Lancashire

From 1507 to 1947, Read was the birthplace of 2 famous people

Articles in 4 languages make the English theologian and clergyman Alexander Nowell the best known. The other is Richard Catlow, the British chemist. A short trip away, Accrington (4 mi) counts 54 famous people, Jon Anderson among them. The list’s best known name, Alexander Nowell, dates from 1507.

#1 best knownAlexander NowellFaith · 1507–1602
Born here
2
notable people
Best known
Alexander Nowell
in 4 Wikipedia languages
First
1507
Alexander Nowell
Youngest
1947
Richard Catlow
Most common field
Faith
1 people
The best known

Born in Read

Alexander Nowell#1
Faith

Alexander Nowell

1507–1602

English theologian and clergyman  (1517–1602)

4 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
RC#2
Science & Medicine

Richard Catlow

born 1947

British chemist

1 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Known for

What Read is known for

The largest field is Faith, with 1 people.

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

Around it, Accrington has the most people on record, 54 of them.

Questions about famous people from Read

Who is the most famous person from Read?

Alexander Nowell (English theologian and clergyman  (1517–1602)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 4 languages. Next come Richard Catlow.

How many famous people were born in Read?

2 people born in Read have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace.

What is Read known for?

Among its famous people, ministers and preachers: 1 of the 2. That is 50% of the town’s list, against 2% across UK towns.

Who is the earliest-born famous person from Read?

Alexander Nowell, born in 1507. The youngest on the list was born in 1947.

Who counts as from Read?

People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Read’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)

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.