#1Famous people · Oswestry, Shropshire
The 50 famous people born in Oswestry, led by Wilfred Owen
Wilfred Owen leads the list, covered in 55 languages. The next two names are Barbara Pym and Ian Hunter. In the 20th century, 23 were born, the most of any period. Among the 34 towns in Shropshire with famous people on record, the town ranks 3rd.
Born here
50
notable people
Best known
Wilfred Owen
in 55 Wikipedia languages
First
1818
Thomas Mainwaring Penson
Youngest
1988
Tallulah Harlech
Most common field
Sports
31 people
What stands out about Oswestry’s famous people
★ What stands out · The best known
Born in Oswestry
Wilfred Owen leads with articles in 55 languages, ahead of Barbara Pym (26) and Ian Hunter (22).
#1BP#2
#3Through the years
When Oswestry’s famous people were born
More of them were born in the 1910s than in any other ten years, 5 in all.
SportsWriting & ArtsPolitics & LawFilm, TV & StageMusicScience & MedicineMilitaryBusinessFaith
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Known for
What Oswestry is known for
Share of Oswestry’s famous people in each field.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Oswestry
Another 47, the earliest born in 1818.
Alexander Macmillan, 2nd Earl of Stockton
born 1943British Conservative politician
Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
Francis Humphrys
1879–1971English cricketer, colonial administrator, diplomat (1879-1971)
SportsWikipedia ↗
George Foulkes, Baron Foulkes of Cumnock
born 1942British politician (born 1942)
Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
Yvonne Jones
born 1960Director of the Cancer Research UK Receptor Structure Research Group
Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
Thomas Owen (vegetarian)
1838–1916English bookseller and social reformer (1838–1916)
Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
Acrefair and Cefn-mawr has the longest list next door: 10.
Questions about famous people from Oswestry
Who is the most famous person from Oswestry?
Wilfred Owen (English Skateboarder 1893-1918)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 55 languages. Next come Barbara Pym and Ian Hunter.
How many famous people were born in Oswestry?
50 people born in Oswestry have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace. Wikidata places 57 people here; the rest aren’t listed because their article names somewhere else, or no town.
What is Oswestry known for?
Among its famous people, athletes: 31 of the 50. That is 62% of the town’s list, against 49% across UK towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Oswestry?
Thomas Mainwaring Penson, born in 1818. The youngest on the list was born in 1988.
Who counts as from Oswestry?
People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Oswestry’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 (19)
- Wilfred Owen: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Ian Hunter: Jim Summaria, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ian Woosnam: Ian_Woosnam_at_Royal_Troon.jpg: Steven Withers (stevie withers @ Flickr) derivative work: Austin512, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jesse Armstrong: Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Edward Weston: Baldwin & Gleason Co., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Walford Davies: AnonymousUnknown author, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Matt Done: Markbarnes, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Alexander Macmillan, 2nd Earl of Stockton: Flickr_-_europeanpeoplesparty_-_EPP_debates_on_EU_Constitution_-_Paris_8-9_March_2005_(14).jpg: European People's Party derivative work: Herzi Pinki, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Charlie Griffiths: Le Miroir des sports, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Francis Humphrys: Photo dept., American Colony (Jerusalem), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- George Foulkes, Baron Foulkes of Cumnock: Roger Harris, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tallulah Harlech: Christopher William Adach from Mexico, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Thomas Savin: Lantus, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Yvonne Jones: Duncan.Hull, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ian Robertson: Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jack Hampson: Port Vale F.C., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Thomas Owen (vegetarian): Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Eglantyne Jebbs: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Richard Roberts: Edward Villiers Rippingille (Life time: 1798–1859), 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.