This page makes mention of prominent individuals of

Romanichal Romanichal Travellers ( ; more commonly known as English Gypsies or English Travellers) are a Romani subgroup within the United Kingdom and other parts of the English-speaking world. There are an estimated 200,000 Romani in the United Kingdom; ...

descent. :''listed alphabetically by surname'' *

Adam Ant Stuart Leslie Goddard, better known as Adam Ant (born 3 November 1954), is an English singer, musician, and actor. He gained popularity as the lead singer of new wave group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring 10 UK top ten ...

(born 1954) – English punk/New Wave musician; of Romanichal descent * Jake Bowers (born 1971) – journalist and broadcaster *

James Carver James Bruce Carver (born 15 August 1969) is a British politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the West Midlands region between 2014 and 2019. He was elected in 2014 for the UK Independence Party, second on the lis ...

(born 1969) – British MEP (Member of the European Parliament) *

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...

(1889–1977) - English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer *

Louise Doughty Louise Doughty is the author of nine novels, five plays for radio and a TV mini-series. Her most recent book is ''Platform Seven'' (2019), currently being adapted as a four-part drama. The previous book, ''Black Water'', (2016) was nominated as ...

(born 1963) – English writer *

Freddy Eastwood Freddy Eastwood (born 29 October 1983) is a former professional footballer. He started his career with West Ham United and also played for Southend United, Grays Athletic, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Coventry City. He played eleven times in his ...

(born 1983) – Welsh footballer *

Tracey Emin Tracey Karima Emin, Order of the British Empire, CBE, Associate of the Royal Academy, RA (; born 3 July 1963) is a British artist known for her autobiographical and confessional artwork. Emin produces work in a variety of media including drawi ...

(born 1963) – British artist shortlisted for the

Turner Prize The Turner Prize, named after the English painter J. M. W. Turner, is an annual prize presented to a British visual artist. Between 1991 and 2016, only artists under the age of 50 were eligible (this restriction was removed for the 2017 award) ...

, also known as one of the chief

Young British Artists The Young British Artists, or YBAs—also referred to as Brit artists and Britart—is a loose group of visual artists who first began to exhibit together in London in 1988. Many of the YBA artists graduated from the BA Fine Art course at Goldsm ...

of the late 20th century *

George Bramwell Evens The Rev. George Bramwell Evens (15 February 1884–20 November 1943) was, under the pseudonym Romany (and sometimes The Tramp), a British radio broadcaster and writer on countryside and natural history matters – quite possibly the first to bro ...

(1884–1943) – English journalist and writer * James Squire Farnell (1825–1888) – grandson of James Squire and the first Australian-born

Premier of New South Wales The premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster Parliamentary System, with a Parliament of New South Wales acting as the legislature. ...

Johnny Frankham Johnny Frankham (born 6 June 1948) is an English former professional boxer who was the British light-heavyweight champion in 1975. Frankham is a Romany Gypsy. Frankham won the Amateur Boxing Association England Boxing, known until 2013 as ...

(born 1948) – English light heavyweight boxer who knocked

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

to the floor in an exhibition fight *

Francis Hindes Groome Francis Hindes Groome (30 August 1851 – 24 January 1902), son of Robert Hindes Groome, Archdeacon of Suffolk, was a writer and foremost commentator of his time on the Romani people, their language, life, history, customs, beliefs, and lore. Li ...

(1851–1902) – English writer *

Ian Hancock Ian Francis Hancock (Romani: Yanko le Redžosko; born 29 August 1942) is a linguist, Romani scholar and political advocate. He was born and raised in England and is one of the main contributors in the field of Romani studies. He is director of ...

(born 1942) – Romani scholar and activist, born in the UK, living in the USA, Professor at the University of Texas *

Bob Hoskins Robert William Hoskins (26 October 1942 – 29 April 2014) was an English actor. His work included lead roles in films and television series such as '' Pennies from Heaven'' (1978), ''The Long Good Friday'' (1980), ''Mona Lisa'' (1986), ''Who ...

(1942–2014) – actor; of one-quarter Romanichal descent * Raby Howell (1869 – 1937) – nineteenth-century English footballer (Liverpool, Sheffield United, and Preston North End) * Jentina (born 1984) – British hip hop/R&B singer, rapper, songwriter, and model *

Priscilla Kelly Priscilla Lee Kelly (born June 5, 1997) is an American professional wrestler. She performs under the ring name Gigi Dolin in the NXT brand, and is one-half of the tag team Toxic Attraction with Jacy Jayne, and she is a former record-tying two-ti ...

(born 1997) – professional wrestler *

Denny Laine Denny Laine (born Brian Frederick Hines, 29 October 1944) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter, known as a founder of two major rock bands: the Moody Blues, with whom he played from 1964 to 1966, and Wings, with whom he played from 1 ...

(born 1944) aka Brian Hines – Moody Blues singer and guitarist *

Albert Lee Albert William Lee (born 21 December 1943) is an English guitarist known for his fingerstyle and hybrid picking technique. Lee has worked, both in the studio and on tour, with many famous musicians from a wide range of genres. He has also mai ...

(born 1943) – English guitarist.Derek Watts, ''Country Boy: A Biography of Albert Lee'', Jefferson, NC; McFarland & Co., pp.6–9. *

Jackie Leven Jackie Leven (18 June 1950 – 14 November 2011) was a Scottish songwriter and folk musician. After starting his career as a folk musician in the late 1960s, he first found success with new wave band Doll by Doll. He later recorded as a sol ...

(1950–2011) – Scottish songwriter and folk musician *

Cher Lloyd Cher Lloyd (born 28 July 1993) is an English singer. She finished fourth place in the seventh series of ''The X Factor'' in 2010. Following the seventh series finale, Lloyd was signed to Syco Music. Her debut single, " Swagger Jagger", was r ...

(born 1993) – English singer and rapper, whose mother is Romanichal *

Joe Longthorne Joseph Patrick Daniel Longthorne (31 May 1955 – 3 August 2019) was an English singer and impressionist. He performed on stage and television, and released three platinum albums. Longthorne started his TV career at the age of fourteen when ...

(born 1955) – English singer and impressionist * David Morley (born 1964) – British poet, critic, anthologist, editor, and scientist *

Róisín Mullins Róisín Mullins (born 6 July 1982) is a TV presenter, TV talent show judge, professional Irish dancer, singer, stage show owner and choreographer. Biography Róisín was born in West Sussex, England, and is of English Romany and Irish Ro ...

(born 1982) – English & Irish TV presenter, TV talent show judge, professional Irish dancer, stage show owner, and choreographer *

Xavier Petulengro Xavier Petulengro (8 July 1878 - 16 June 1957), more often known as Gipsy Petulengro, was a British Romanichal horse trader, violinist, businessman, writer and broadcaster, known as the "King of the Gypsies". He frequently broadcast on BBC radio i ...

(1859-1957) – writer and broadcaster, who frequently broadcast on BBC radio in the 1930s and 1940s *

Robert Plant Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the English rock band Led Zeppelin for all of its existence from 1968 until 1980, when the band broke up following the ...

(born 1948) – English singer and songwriter (former vocalist of

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

); his mother is of Romanichal origin *

Billy Joe Saunders Billy Joe Saunders (born 30 August 1989) is a British professional boxer. He is the first fighter from the Travelling community to win world championships in two weight classes, including the WBO middleweight title from 2015 to 2018 and the W ...

(born 1989) – English boxer who won silver and became the first Romani boxer to represent

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

at the

2008 Olympic Games The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

* Lady Eleanor Furneaux Smith (1902–1945) – English writer of popular novels often romanticized historical and Romani settings; she believed her paternal great-grandmother to have been Romanichal * Rodney Smith (1860–1947) – British evangelist who conducted evangelistic campaigns in the United States and the UK *

James Squire James Squire, alternatively known as James Squires, (18 December 1754 – 16 May 1822) was a First Fleet convict transported to Australia. Squire is credited with the first successful cultivation of hops in Australia around the start of the 19t ...

(1754–1822) – on the First Fleet to Australia; founder of the Australian brewing industry in 1798 *

Randolph Turpin Randolph Adolphus Turpin (7 June 1928 – 17 May 1966), better known as Randy Turpin, was a British boxer in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1951 he became world middleweight champion when he defeated Sugar Ray Robinson. He was inducted into the Intern ...

(1928–1966) - English boxer who won the

world middleweight championship In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

by defeating

Sugar Ray Robinson Walker Smith Jr. (May 3, 1921 – April 12, 1989), better known as Sugar Ray Robinson, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1940 to 1965. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. He is often regarded ...

; his mother was of Romanichal origin *

Dick Turpin Richard Turpin (bapt. 21 September 1705 – 7 April 1739) was an English highwayman whose exploits were romanticised following his execution in York for horse theft. Turpin may have followed his father's trade as a butcher ear ...

(1920–1990) - English boxer who was the first black fighter to win a British boxing title; his mother was of Romanichal origin * Jackie Turpin (1925-2010) - English boxer; his mother was of Romanichal origin *

Cherry Valentine George Ward (30 November 1993 – 18 September 2022), better known by the stage name Cherry Valentine, was an English drag queen and mental health nurse who is best known for competing in the second series of the television show ''RuPaul's Dra ...

(1993-2022) - English drag queen and contestant on the second season of

RuPaul's Drag Race UK ''RuPaul's Drag Race UK'' is a British reality competition television series based on the American television series of the same name. The television series, a collaboration between the BBC and World of Wonder, premiered on 3 October 2019. T ...

Henry Wharton Henry Wharton (9 November 1664 – 5 March 1695) was an English writer and librarian. Life Wharton was descended from Thomas, 2nd Baron Wharton (1520–1572), being a son of the Rev. Edmund Wharton, vicar of Worstead, Norfolk. Born at Worstead, ...

(born 1967) – English middleweight boxing champion.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Romanichals Romani-related lists

See also

References