RP#1
Famous people · Haslemere, Surrey
Scientists and doctors stand out among the 28 famous people born in Haslemere
Most widely known is Rachel Portman, the British composer, with articles in 22 languages. More than half were born in the 20th century, 20 in all. Per head, the list is long: 23.5 for every 10,000 residents, where the typical town in Surrey has 2.3. 3 of them were born since 1970.
Born here
28
notable people
Best known
Rachel Portman
in 22 Wikipedia languages
First
1828
John Penfold
Youngest
1980
Lucy Prebble
Most common field
Sports
10 people
What stands out about Haslemere’s famous people
★ What stands out · Known for
What Haslemere is known for
No other field is as far above the usual share as scientists and doctors, at 1.9 times.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.
Through the years
When Haslemere’s famous people were born
Births peak in the 1960s, with 7 people born in that decade.
SportsWriting & ArtsScience & MedicineFilm, TV & StageMusicMilitaryNotablePolitics & Law
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
The best known
Born in Haslemere
Rachel Portman has articles in 22 languages, Grace Chisholm Young in 16 and Charles Edwards in 15.
#2Science & Medicine
Grace Chisholm Young
1868–1944English mathematician (1878–1944)
16 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
#3Everyone
Everyone else born in Haslemere
25 more, best known first.
Robin Phillips
1942–2015English-Canadian film and stage director (1942-2015)
Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
François Dolmetsch
born 1940(1940-), Photographer; son of Carl and Mary Dolmetsch
Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
Nick Talbot
born 1965Molecular geneticist and professor at the University of Exeter
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
Close by, the fullest list is Hindhead’s, at 9 names.
Hindhead · 3 miColin Firth & 8 more
Midhurst · 7 miHelen Joseph & 4 moreHMMilford and Witley · 6 miHerbert Lewis Mellersh & 3 more
Bordon · 6 miTony Rolt & 3 morePWLiphook · 4 miPete Wingfield & 2 more
Headley Down and Headley · 4 miJessica Hawkins & 2 more
Chiddingfold · 4 miDavid Fleming & 1 moreRBEasebourne · 6 miRobert Benedict BourdillonQuestions about famous people from Haslemere
Who is the most famous person from Haslemere?
Rachel Portman (British composer) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 22 languages. Next come Grace Chisholm Young and Charles Edwards.
How many famous people were born in Haslemere?
28 people born in Haslemere have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace. Wikidata places 30 people here; the rest aren’t listed because their article names somewhere else, or no town.
What is Haslemere known for?
Among its famous people, athletes: 10 of the 28. That is 36% of the town’s list, against 49% across UK towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Haslemere?
John Penfold, born in 1828. The youngest on the list was born in 1980.
Who counts as from Haslemere?
People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Haslemere’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 (16)
- Grace Chisholm Young: Alice B. Woodward design, book written by Grace Chisholm Young, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Charles Edwards: Margaret Gardiner, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lucy Prebble: Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Benjamin Bathurst: Katie Chan, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Guy Farley: Manfred Werner (Tsui), CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Paul Goble: Temp07, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Glenn Ralph: Pvt pauline, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Nick Job: Pvt pauline, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Alice Mary Buckton: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Penfold: DavidCane, CC BY-SA 2.0 uk, Wikimedia Commons
- Nick Talbot: Royal Society uploader, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Colin Firth: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Helen Joseph: AnonymousUnknown author, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Tony Rolt: Daan Noske / Anefo, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jessica Hawkins: Mitchea99, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- David Fleming: Blackheathbugle, 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.