This is a list of people from Wigan, in

North West England North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the ceremonial counties of England, administrative counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of ...

. The demonym of

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...

is Wiganer; however, this list may include people from the wider

Metropolitan Borough of Wigan The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. It is named after the main settlement of Wigan. It covers the towns of Atherton, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Golborne, Hindley, Ince-in-Mak ...

—from Ashton-in-Makerfield, Hindley,

Ince-in-Makerfield Ince-in-Makerfield or Ince is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. The population of the Ince ward at the 2011 census was 13,486, but a southern part of Ince was also listed under the Abram ward (north o ...

, Atherton,

Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staf ...

Tyldesley Tyldesley () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, it is north of Chat Moss near the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, southeast of Wigan ...

, and other areas in the borough. This list is arranged alphabetically by surname: __NOTOC__

A

* Andy Ainscow (born 1968), former footballer *

James Anderton Sir Cyril James Anderton (24 May 1932 – 5 May 2022) was a British police officer who served as chief constable of Greater Manchester from 1976 to 1991. Early life and career Born and brought up in a coal mining family in Wigan, Lancashire, ...

, former chief constable of

Greater Manchester Police Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England. , Greater Manchester Police employed 6,866 police officers, 3,524 memb ...

Richard Ashcroft Richard Paul Ashcroft (born 11 September 1971) is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and occasional rhythm guitarist of the alternative rock band The Verve from their formation in 1990 until their original split in 1999. So ...

, lead singer of

The Verve The Verve were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Wigan in 1990 by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bass guitarist Simon Jones (musician), Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury. Guitarist and keyboard player Simo ...

, born in Billinge *

Chris Ashton Christopher John Ashton (born 29 March 1987) is an English rugby union and former rugby league player, and one of the few players who have represented England in both rugby codes. A wing or fullback, he joined Leicester Tigers of Premiership ...

, England rugby league and rugby union international, born in Wigan *

Bill Ashurst William Frank Ashurst (12 April 1948 – 14 June 2022) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and coached in the 1980s. He played at representative level for Great Britain and Lancashire, ...

, rugby league footballer of the 1960s and 1970s for Great Britain, Lancashire, Wigan, Penrith Panthers, Wakefield Trinity, and Runcorn Highfield, born in Wigan

B

Alan R. Battersby Sir Alan Rushton Battersby (4 March 1925 – 10 February 2018) was an English organic chemist best known for his work to define the chemical intermediates in the biosynthetic pathway to vitamin B12 and the reaction mechanisms of the enzymes invo ...

, (born 1925) is a FRS and

organic chemist Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain carbon atoms.Clayden, J.; ...

known for his work on the genetic blueprint, structure, and synthetic pathway of

Cyanocobalamin Cyanocobalamin is a form of vitamin used to treat vitamin deficiency except in the presence of cyanide toxicity. The deficiency may occur in pernicious anemia, following surgical removal of the stomach, with fish tapeworm, or due to bowel ...

. *

Tom Billington Thomas Billington (5 December 1958 – 5 December 2018), best known by the ring name the Dynamite Kid, was a British professional wrestler. Trained by former wrestler "Dr Death" Ted Betley, he competed in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) ...

, professional wrestler under the ring name 'Dynamite Kid', one half of tag-team '

The British Bulldogs The British Bulldogs were a professional wrestling tag team consisting of cousins Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid. They competed throughout the 1980s in Britain, North America and Japan and have consistently ranked among the top tag teams in h ...

' with

Davey Boy Smith David Smith (27 November 1962 – 18 May 2002) was an English professional wrestler. Born in Golborne, Lancashire, Smith is best known for his appearances in the United States with the World Wrestling Federation under the ring names Davey Bo ...

, born in Golborne * Margery Booth, opera singer and World War II spy, born in Wigan * Thomas Burke, international operatic tenor; born in Leigh in 1890 and attended St Joseph's School in Leigh; the Leigh Wetherspoon's pub is named after him *

Kay Burley Kay Burley (born Kay McGurrin; 17 December 1960) is a British broadcaster and writer. She is a presenter on Sky News and hosts ''Kay Burley'', the breakfast slot on the channel. She also worked for BBC Local Radio, Tyne Tees Television, and TV- ...

, presenter and newsreader on

Sky News Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel and organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of Comcast. John Ryley is the hea ...

, born in Wigan *

James Burton James Edward Burton (born August 21, 1939, in Dubberly, Louisiana) is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 (his induction speech was given by longtime fan Keith Richards), Burton has also been recognized ...

, built several early

cotton mill A cotton mill is a building that houses spinning (textiles), spinning or weaving machinery for the production of yarn or cloth from cotton, an important product during the Industrial Revolution in the development of the factory system. Althou ...

s in

Hindsford Hindsford is a suburb of Atherton in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. It is situated to the west of the Hindsford Brook, an ancient boundary between the townships of Atherton and Tyldesley cum Shakerley, and east of ...

and

, born in Clitheroe

C

*Duncan Cleworth, born in Leigh and a member of Tyldesley Swimming Club competed in the

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phi ...

in Montreal.

D

Kathleen Mary Drew-Baker Kathleen Mary Drew-Baker (6 November 1901 – 14 September 1957) was a British phycologist, known for her research on the edible seaweed '' Porphyra laciniata'' (nori), which led to a breakthrough for commercial cultivation. Kathleen Drew-Ba ...

(19011957),

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...

, born in Leigh *

Kathryn Drysdale Kathryn Drysdale (born 1 December 1981) is an English actress. She gained prominence through her roles in the BBC sitcom ''Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps'' (2001–2009) and the films '' Vanity Fair'' (2004) and ''St Trinian's'' (200 ...

, actress

E

Edith Edmonds Edith Lilian Edmonds, née Barnish, (1874-1951) was an English artist who, working in oils and watercolours, was known for her still-life and landscape paintings. Biography Born in Wigan, Edmonds studied at the Liverpool School of Art during 1 ...

, artist *

Shaun Edwards Shaun Edwards, OBE (born 17 October 1966) is an English rugby union coach and former rugby league player, who is the defence coach for the France national team. A or , Edwards is the most decorated player in rugby league history, with 37 wi ...

, rugby league player and coach of

London Wasps Wasps Rugby Football Club is a professional rugby union team. They last played in Premiership Rugby, the top division of English rugby until being suspended on 12 October 2022. On 17 October 2022 the club entered administration, resulting in r ...

rugby union coach;

Wales national rugby union team The Wales national rugby union team ( cy, Tîm rygbi'r undeb cenedlaethol Cymru) represents Wales in men's international rugby union. Its governing body, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), was established in 1881, the same year that Wales played thei ...

defence coach * Greg Ellis, actor and voiceover artist *

Edward Entwistle Edward Entwistle, born 24 March 1815 in Tyldesley, Lancashire, was the first driver of a passenger train on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Apprenticed as an engineer at the age of 11, he worked at the Bridgewater Trust works, where ...

, driver of Stephenson's ''Rocket''

F

Georgie Fame Georgie Fame (born Clive Powell; 26 June 1943) is an English R&B and jazz musician. Fame, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still performing, often working with contemporaries such as Alan Price, Van Morrison and Bill Wyman. Fame is the on ...

, real name Clive Powell, R&B singer and keyboard player, born in

Joseph Farington Joseph Farington (21 November 1747 – 30 December 1821) was an 18th-century English landscape painter and diarist. Life and work Born in Leigh, Lancashire, Farington was the second of seven sons of William Farington and Esther Gilbody. His ...

(17471821), watercolour artist, diarist and

Royal Academician The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

was born in Leigh where his father was the vicar. * Andrew Farrell, former international rugby player of both codes, born and raised in Wigan and current head coach of the Ireland rugby union team *

Brian Finch Brian Finch (25 July 1936 – 27 June 2007) was a British television scriptwriter and dramatist. His longest relationship was with the ITV1 soap opera, ''Coronation Street'', for which he wrote 150 scripts between 1970 and 1989. He also helped th ...

, Wigan-born script-writer who contributed 151 episodes of ''Coronation Street'' over a period of 12 years * Henry Finch (16331704), Presbyterian minister ejected from

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

, born in Standish *

George Formby, Jr. George Formby, (born George Hoy Booth; 26 May 1904 – 6 March 1961) was an English actor, singer-songwriter and comedian who became known to a worldwide audience through his films of the 1930s and 1940s. On stage, screen and record he s ...

, comedian,

ukulele The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrumen ...

player and actor * Joe Gormley, former president of the National Union of Mineworkers *

Andy Gregory Andrew Gregory (born 10 August 1961) is an English former professional rugby league footballer. A Great Britain international representative , he is an inductee of the Wigan Hall of Fame. He was the first player to win five Challenge Cup Final ...

, former Wigan rugby league player, born in Ince in Makerfield, now lives in Ashton in Makerfield. *

Mike Gregory Michael Keith Gregory (20 May 1964 – 19 November 2007) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, and coached in the 1990s and 2000s. He played for Warrington from 1982 to 1994, and won 20 caps fo ...

, former

Great Britain national rugby league team The Great Britain national rugby league team represents Great Britain in rugby league. Administered by the Rugby Football League (RFL), the team is nicknamed The Lions. For most of the 20th century, the Great Britain team toured overseas, ...

and

Warrington Wolves The Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league club based in Warrington, England, that competes in the Super League. They play rugby at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2004. Founded as Warrington Z ...

captain, former

Wigan Warriors The Wigan Warriors are a professional rugby league club in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the Super League. Formed in 1872 as Wigan Football Club, Wigan was a founding member of the Rugby Football League, Northern Rugby ...

coach, born in Wigan *

John Elisha Grimshaw Lieutenant-Colonel John Elisha Grimshaw VC (20 January 1893 – 20 July 1980) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Com ...

, recipient of the Victoria Cross, of "6 VCs before breakfast" fame

H

Roger Hampson Roger Hampson (1925–1996) was born in Tyldesley, Lancashire, England. He was a teacher, painter and printmaker, taking inspiration from everyday surroundings, people and the industries prevalent in the area where he lived and worked. Backgr ...

(19251996), artist, printmaker and teacher, born in

* Keith Harris, music industry consultant & artist manager (Stevie Wonder), former chair of UK Music's Diversity & Equality Taskforce, grew up in Wigan. *

Thomas Highs Thomas Highs (1718–1803), of Leigh, Lancashire, was a reed-maker and manufacturer of cotton carding and spinning engines in the 1780s, during the Industrial Revolution. He is known for claiming patents on a spinning jenny (invented by James ...

(17181803), inventor of cotton spinning machinery, born in Leigh * James Hilton, author of ''Goodbye, Mr Chips'', born in Leigh *

Arthur John Hope Arthur John Hope, known as “AJ” (1875–1960) was an architect and president of the Manchester Society of Architects (1924). Hope was born on 2 October 1875 Atherton in the historic county of Lancashire. He attended Wigan Grammar School and ...

(18751960), architect and partner in

Bradshaw Gass & Hope Bradshaw Gass & Hope is an English architectural practice founded in 1862 by Jonas James Bradshaw (–1912). The style "Bradshaw Gass & Hope" was adopted after his death referring to the remaining partners John Bradshaw Gass and Arthur John Hope ...

, was born and lived in Atherton

I

James Lawrence Isherwood James Lawrence Isherwood (1917–1989) was an English artist, born in Wigan, Lancashire. He often painted subject and images (landscapes, seascapes, and portraits) from the Wigan area in a style that became known as 'Wigan style'. His style has b ...

, prolific

impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

painter *

Robert Isherwood Robert Isherwood (1845 - 1905) was a miner's agent, local councillor and the first treasurer of the Lancashire and Cheshire Miners' Federation. Robert Isherwood was the son of a handloom weaver in Tyldesley. He started pit work at the age of nine. ...

, born in

in 1845, was the local miners' agent and treasurer of the

Lancashire and Cheshire Miners' Federation The Lancashire and Cheshire Miners' Federation (LCMF) was a trade union that operated on the Lancashire Coalfield in North West England from 1881 until it became the Lancashire area of the National Union of Mineworkers in 1945. Background Colli ...

between 1881 and his death in1905.

K

Shaun Keaveny Shaun William Keaveny (born 14 June 1972) is a British broadcaster who presented the Breakfast Show on radio station BBC Radio 6 Music for 11 years, and the afternoon show for a further 3 years. Education and early life Keaveny grew up on the ...

, born in Leigh, broadcast his

BBC 6 Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available onl ...

breakfast show live from Leigh Library on 11 February 2011 *

Thomas Kershaw Thomas Kershaw (1819–1898) was a leading British pioneer of marbleizing, the creation of imitation marble finishes. He was born in Standish, Lancashire and from the age of 12 served his time as an apprentice to John Platt, a Bolton painter ...

(18191898), pioneer in creating imitation marble, born in Standish *

Roy Kinnear Roy Mitchell Kinnear (8 January 1934 – 20 September 1988) was a British character actor. He was known for his roles in films such as The Beatles' ''Help!'' (1965), Clapper in ''How I Won the War'' (1967) and Planchet in ''The Three Musketeers ...

(19341988), comedy actor, born in Wigan * Victoria Knowles (born 1976), author of bestselling book ''The PA''

L

* Eric Roberts Laithwaite (19211997), engineer, known for his development of the

linear induction motor A linear induction motor (LIM) is an alternating current (AC), asynchronous linear motor that works by the same general principles as other induction motors but is typically designed to directly produce motion in a straight line. Characteristic ...

and

Maglev Maglev (derived from '' magnetic levitation''), is a system of train transportation that uses two sets of electromagnets: one set to repel and push the train up off the track, and another set to move the elevated train ahead, taking advantage ...

rail system *

John Lennard-Jones Sir John Edward Lennard-Jones (27 October 1894 – 1 November 1954) was a British mathematician and professor of theoretical physics at the University of Bristol, and then of theoretical science at the University of Cambridge. He was an imp ...

(18941954), born in Leigh and attended Leigh Grammar School. He was a physicist and Fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

. *

Limahl Christopher Hamill (born 19 December 1958), known professionally as Limahl (an anagram of Hamill), is an English pop singer. He was the lead singer of the pop group Kajagoogoo beginning in 1981, before embarking on a brief solo career, garnering ...

, real name Christopher Hamill, pop rock/dance vocalist, lead singer of

Kajagoogoo Kajagoogoo were a British new wave band, best known for their 1983 hit single "Too Shy", which reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart, and the Top 10 in numerous other countries. History Beginnings (1978–1982) Formed in Leighton Buzza ...

James Lindsay, 24th Earl of Crawford James Lindsay, 24th Earl of Crawford and 7th Earl of Balcarres (24 April 1783 – 15 December 1869) was an Earl in the Peerage of Scotland. Biography James Lindsay was born on 24 April 1783 at Balcarres House in Fife, the son of Alexander ...

(17831869), Earl of Balcarres, built

Haigh Hall Haigh Hall is a historic country house in Haigh, Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. Built between 1827 and 1840 for James Lindsay, 7th Earl of Balcarres, it replaced an ancient manor house and was a Lindsay family home until 1947, when it was ...

* Luke Lowe (1889?), Wigan-born football player. He briefly played in the

Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third ti ...

M

* Paul Mason (born 1960), journalist and broadcaster, born in Leigh. * Jennifer Moss (1942-2006), actress best known for playing

Lucille Hewitt Lucille Hewitt is a fictional character from the British soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by Jennifer Moss. Created by Tony Warren as one of ''Coronation Street's'' original characters, at eleven years old Lucille was the show's only chi ...

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...

N

* Walter Napier (1875?), English professional footballer *

Fred Norris Eric Fred Norris (born Fred Leo Nukis; July 9, 1955) is an American radio personality and the longest-tenured staff member of ''The Howard Stern Show'', aside from Howard Stern, Stern himself. He first met Howard Stern while working at WCCC (FM ...

(19212006) who worked underground at

Cleworth Hall Colliery Cleworth Hall Colliery was a coal mine operating on the Manchester Coalfield after 1874 in Tyldesley, Greater Manchester, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England. Geology Cleworth Hall Colliery exploited the Middle Coal Measures of t ...

competed in the 1952 Helsinki and

1956 Melbourne Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...

O

Edward Ormerod Edward Ormerod (2 May 1834 – 26 May 1894) was an English mining engineer. Edward Ormerod (sometimes Ormrod) was born on 2 May 1834 in the village of Church, near Accrington, in Lancashire, England. He worked as a mining engineer at Fletcher ...

, mining engineer at

Gibfield Colliery Gibfield Colliery was a coal mine owned by Fletcher, Burrows and Company in Atherton, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England. A shaft was sunk at Gibfield to the Trencherbone mine in 1829 by John Fletcher next to the Bolton and Lei ...

; invented the Ormerod detaching hook, an important mining safety device

P

Mary Pownall Mary Pownall, later Mary Bromet, (1862–1937) was a British sculptor. She was active from 1890 until 1937 and was particularly associated with Watford. Biography Pownall was born in Leigh, Greater Manchester, Leigh in Lancashire in 1862. In the ...

(18621937), sculptor, was the daughter of James Pownall the silk manufacturer. She was born and raised in Leigh. * James Caldwell Prestwich (18521940), architect, born in Atherton, who designed many of Leigh's buildings including the

town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

R

Frank Randle Frank Randle (born Arthur Hughes, also known as Arthur McEvoy or Arthur Twist; 30 January 1901 – 7 July 1957) was an English comedian. A contemporary of fellow Lancastrians George Formby and Gracie Fields, he was regarded as more subv ...

, comedian, born in Aspull * Ted Ray, comedian * John Roby, folklorist

S

Pete Shelley Pete Shelley (born Peter Campbell McNeish; 17 April 1955 – 6 December 2018) was an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. He formed early punk band Buzzcocks with Howard Devoto in 1976, and became the lead singer and guitarist in 1977 whe ...

(19552018), born Peter Campbell McNeish in Leigh, singer, songwriter and guitarist with the

Buzzcocks Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton, England in 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto. They are regarded as a seminal influence on the Manchester music scene, the independen ...

. *

Nigel Short Nigel David Short (born 1 June 1965) is an English chess grandmaster, columnist, coach, and commentator, who is the vice-president of FIDE since October 2018. Short earned the Grandmaster title at the age of 19, and was ranked third in the w ...

, chess grandmaster, grew up in Atherton and attended St Philip's School *

, professional wrestler for the WWF and

WCW World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nationa ...

as The British Bulldog * Danny Sonner, Wigan-born association football player who has represented

Northern Ireland national football team The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. From 1882 to 1920, all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team (1882–1950), Ireland natio ...

John Stopford, Baron Stopford of Fallowfield John Sebastian Bach Stopford, Baron Stopford of Fallowfield KBE FRCS FRCP FRS (25 June 1888 – 6 March 1961) was a British peer, a physician and anatomist, and a Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manchester. Lord Stopford was describe ...

, physician and anatomist, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manchester

T

* George Taylor, born in Wigan, footballer *

Georgia Taylor Georgia Taylor (born Claire Jackson; 26 February 1980) is an English actress. Her TV roles include Toyah Battersby in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' (1997–2003, 2016–present), Ruth Winters in the BBC One medical drama series ' ...

, actress best known for playing

Toyah Battersby Toyah Habeeb (also Battersby) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Georgia Taylor. Toyah and her family were introduced to the serial by executive producer Brian Park in a bid to increase falling ...

* Addin Tyldesley who was born in

and a member of the town's swimming and water polo club, competed in the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were ori ...

in London. *

Elizabeth Tyldesley Elizabeth Tyldesley (or Clare Mary Ann, OSC) (1585–1654) was a 17th-century abbess at the Poor Clare Convent at Gravelines. Life Elizabeth Tyldesley born in 1585, was the daughter of Thomas Tyldesley of Morleys Hall, Astley and Myerscough Hall ...

, (15851654) the daughter of Thomas Tyldesley of

Morleys Hall Morleys Hall, a moated hall converted to two houses, is situated at on Morleys Lane, on the edge of Astley Moss in Astley in the historic county of Lancashire and the ceremonial county of Greater Manchester, England. It was largely rebuilt in ...

, Astley, was a 17th-century abbess at the Poor Clare Convent at Gravelines. *

Thomas Tyldesley Sir Thomas Tyldesley (1612 – 25 August 1651) was a supporter of Charles I and a Royalist commander during the English Civil War. Life Thomas Tyldesley was born on 3 September 1612 at Woodplumpton, the eldest of the six children of Edward Tylde ...

, died in the

Battle of Wigan Lane The Battle of Wigan Lane was fought on 25 August 1651 during the Third English Civil War, between a Royalist army led by the Earl of Derby and forces loyal to the Commonwealth of England under Colonel Robert Lilburne. The Royalists were defeat ...

W

Charles Walmesley Charles Walmesley, OSB (best known by the pseudonyms Signor Pastorino or Pastorini; 13 January 1722 – 25 November 1797) was the Roman Catholic Titular Bishop of Rama and Vicar Apostolic of the Western District of England. He was known, especi ...

(17221797), Roman Catholic Titular Bishop of Rama; born in Langtree *

Dave Whelan David Whelan (born 24 November 1936) is an English businessman and former footballer. During his football career, he played for Blackburn Rovers and Crewe Alexandra. Whelan is the former owner of club Wigan Athletic, having also been the chai ...

, businessman nicknamed "Mr Wigan", founder of JJB Sports, former owner of Wigan Athletic, and former owner of Wigan Warriors * Danny Wilson, Wigan-born association football player and manager *

Gerrard Winstanley Gerrard Winstanley (19 October 1609 – 10 September 1676) was an English Protestant religious reformer, political philosopher, and activist during the period of the Commonwealth of England. Winstanley was the leader and one of the founde ...

, founder of the 17th-century

Diggers The Diggers were a group of religious and political dissidents in England, associated with agrarian socialism. Gerrard Winstanley and William Everard, amongst many others, were known as True Levellers in 1649, in reference to their split from ...

, born in Wigan. * James Wood (16721759), Presbyterian minister of the first Atherton and Chowbent Chapels, led a force that successfully defended the bridge over the

River Ribble The River Ribble runs through North Yorkshire and Lancashire in Northern England. It starts close to the Ribblehead Viaduct in North Yorkshire, and is one of the few that start in the Yorkshire Dales and flow westwards towards the Irish Sea (t ...

at Walton le Dale in the Battle of Preston in 1715. * Thomas Woodcock, recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, born in Wigan * Caleb Wright (18101898), Member of Parliament and mill owner who built

Barnfield Mills Barnfield Mills was a complex of cotton mills that operated in Tyldesley, Greater Manchester, England from the middle of the 19th century. History Barnfield Mills was a complex of six Cotton mill, cotton spinning mills on either side of Union Stre ...

References

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{{refend Wiganers

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