#1Of the 11 famous people born in Corsham, an unusual share are writers and artists
The best known is the English actor Felix Aylmer, with articles in 12 languages. Richard Blackmore is second and Jim Smith third. More than half were born in the 20th century, 6 in all. The list comes to 10.1 for every 10,000 residents, against 4.4 in the typical town in Wiltshire.
What stands out about Corsham’s famous people
What Corsham is known for
Writers and artists stand out most, at 3.1 times the usual share.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.
Born in Corsham
First, Felix Aylmer (12 languages), then Richard Blackmore (12) and Jim Smith (7).
#1
#2When Corsham’s famous people were born
More were born in the 1930s than in any other decade: 3.
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Everyone else born in Corsham
8 more, 3 of them writers and artists.

Winifred Lily Boys-Smith
1865–1939British born New Zealand botanical artist and educator
Janet Backhouse
1938–2004British curator of English manuscripts at the British Museum (1938–2004)
Paul Ayshford Methuen, 4th Baron Methuen
1886–1974British painter, zoologist and landowner (1886-1974)
Robert Methuen, 7th Baron Methuen
1931–2014British Liberal Democrat peer (1931-2014)

No one matches both filters.
Famous people from the towns next door
The best known from each town within 12 miles of Corsham, with how many people each has.
Questions about famous people from Corsham
Who is the most famous person from Corsham?
Felix Aylmer (English actor (1889-1979)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 12 languages. Next come Richard Blackmore and Jim Smith.
How many famous people were born in Corsham?
11 people born in Corsham have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace. Wikidata places 15 people here; the rest aren’t listed because their article names somewhere else, or no town.
What is Corsham known for?
Among its famous people, writers and artists: 4 of the 11. That is 36% of the town’s list, against 12% across UK towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Corsham?
Richard Blackmore, born in 1654. The youngest on the list was born in 1949.
Who counts as from Corsham?
People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Corsham’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 (9)
- Felix Aylmer: Allan warren, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Richard Blackmore: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Winifred Lily Boys-Smith: Unknown photographer for Otago Witness, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Brian J. Ford: GaryAKent, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jeremy Corbyn: Jessica Taylor, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Sidney Leslie Goodwin: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Jack MacBryan: unknown employee of "Sports and General" photography agency, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- George Montague Harper: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- William Grocyn: 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.




