This is a list of people from Calderdale, a

metropolitan borough A metropolitan borough (or metropolitan district) is a type of local government district in England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts within metropolitan ...

of West Yorkshire, England. This list includes people who pre-date the creation of

Calderdale Calderdale is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England, whose population in 2020 was 211,439. It takes its name from the River Calder, and dale, a word for valley. The name Calderdale usually refers to the borough through which the u ...

, from the towns of

Brighouse Brighouse is a town within the metropolitan borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. Historically within the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated on the River Calder, east of Halifax. It is served by Junction 25 of the M62 m ...

, Elland, Halifax, Sowerby Bridge, Hebden Bridge, Todmorden, and the smaller villages that make up the borough. This list is arranged alphabetically by surname: __NOTOC__

A

* Dicken Ashworth, Todmorden-born actor

B

* Tom Bailey (born 1954), singer, songwriter, composer and musician for the band

The Thompson Twins Thompson Twins were a British pop band formed in 1977 in Sheffield. Initially a new wave group, they switched to a more mainstream pop sound and achieved considerable popularity during the mid-1980s, scoring a string of hits in the United Ki ...

was born in Halifax. *

Christopher Paul Baker Christopher P. Baker (born 15 June 1955) is a professional travel writer and photographer, adventure motorcyclist, tour leader, and Cuba expert, and the 2008 Lowell Thomas Award 'Travel Journalist of the Year.' He is a contributor to magazines ...

(born 1955), award-winning travel writer, photographer, and adventure motorcyclist from

; currently living in Palm Springs, California *

Paul Barker (writer) Paul Barker (24 August 1935 – 20 July 2019) was an English journalist and writer. Barker was born in the West Riding of Yorkshire. He grew up in Mytholmroyd and Hebden Bridge. He was educated at local schools in the Calder Valley and won an ...

(1935–2019), journalist and writer, grew up in Mytholmroyd and Hebden Bridge *

Antony Booth Anthony George Booth (9 October 1931 – 25 September 2017) was an English actor, best known for his role as Mike Rawlins in the BBC series ''Till Death Us Do Part''. He was the father-in-law of former Prime Minister Tony Blair and the widower ...

(1931–2017), actor and father of Cherie Blair; married to Stephanie Booth, a politician local to Calderdale; lived in Todmorden

C

Anita Carey Anita Carey (born 16 April 1948) is an English actress, best known for playing Joyce Smedley in '' Coronation Street'' and later for playing Vivien March in '' Doctors''. Carey has appeared in British television programmes since the 1970s. Car ...

(1948–2023), actress, born in Halifax and raised in Brighouse *

Chipps Chippendale Chipps Chippendale (real name William Henry James Chippendale III) is a mountain biking journalist in the UK. After working as a bicycle messenger, his journalistic career started in 1994 with the UK magazine ''MTB Pro'', on which he worked ...

(born 1968),

mountain biking Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...

journalist from Todmorden * Keith Clifford (born 1938), actor, born in Halifax *

Dario Coates Dario Coates (born 25 April 1992, in Hebden Bridge) is an English actor. He is known for portraying Alex Neeson in the television ITV soap '' Coronation Street''. He attended Calder High School and Calderdale Theatre School. He acted in Calde ...

(born 1992), actor from Hebden Bridge * Prof. Sir John Cockcroft (1897–1967), Todmorden-born scientist who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1951 * Hannah Cockroft (born 1992), wheelchair racer, born in Halifax *

Neil Cowie Neil Fraser Cowie (born 16 January 1967) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He played at representative level for Great Britain and Wales, and at club level for Rochdale Hornets and Wigan ...

(born 1967), Rugby League player for Wigan, Wales and Great Britain from Todmorden *

Brian Crabtree Brian W. Crabtree is an English retired professional wrestler, referee and master of ceremonies, known for working alongside his brothers Shirley Crabtree, better known as Big Daddy, and promoter Max Crabtree in the British wrestling business. ...

, wrestler and referee from Halifax *

Max Crabtree Max Gerald Crabtree (born 1933) is an English retired professional wrestler and promoter, known for working alongside his brother Shirley Crabtree, better known as Big Daddy. Career Crabtree got into wrestling after completing his National ...

(1933–2023), wrestler and promoter, born in Halifax * Shirley Crabtree (1930–1997), wrestler, born in Halifax *

Charles Crossland Charles Crossland (3 September 1844 – 9 December 1916) was an English mycologist. Background and career Charles Crossland was born in Halifax, Yorkshire. His parents ran a general store and Charles left school at 13 to help them run the busi ...

(1844–1916), mycologist, born in Halifax * Roy Crossley (1923–2003), footballer, born in Hebden Bridge * Russell Crossley (1927–2018), English footballer, born in Hebden Bridge

D

Divina de Campo Divina de Campo is the stage name of Owen Richard Farrow, an English drag queen, singer, and actor, best known for competing in the RuPaul's Drag Race UK (series 1), first series of ''RuPaul's Drag Race UK'', eventually finishing as runner-up. ...

, a British drag queen and singer best known for appearing on the first 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 ...

, born in Brighouse *

James Draper (settler) James Draper (abt. 1622–1694) was an early settler of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was born and married in Heptonstall, Yorkshire, England, and came with his wife to New England shortly after 1647. He was a weaver by profession, and sett ...

(–1694), colonial Massachusetts settler, born in Heptonstall *

Joe Duttine Joe Duttine, sometimes credited as Jo Duttine (born 30 June 1970), is an English film, theatre and television actor. He currently plays Tim Metcalfe in ''Coronation Street''. He is also known for his role in '' Shameless'' as Cameron Donnelly ...

(born 1970), actor, born in Halifax.

E

* Avril Elgar (1932–2021), actress, born in Halifax. *

Keith Emerson Keith Noel Emerson (2 November 1944 – 11 March 2016) was an English keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer. He played keyboards in a number of bands before finding his first commercial success with the Nice in the late 1960s. He became ...

(1944–2016), pianist, founder and member of The Nice and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, born in Todmorden

F

Jonathan Fairbanks Jonathan Fairbanks (1594 – December 5, 1668) was an English colonist born in Heptonstall, Halifax, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England who immigrated to New England in 1633. Around 1641 Fairbanks built the Fairbanks House in Dedham, ...

(1594–1668), colonist from Heptonstall * Oliver Farnworth (born 1982), actor from Hebden Bridge *

Kenneth Fiddling Kenneth Fiddling (13 October 1917 – 19 June 1992) was a first-class cricketer whose career spanned the 1938 to 1953 seasons. Born in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, England, Fiddling was a professional who played 18 games for Yorkshire from 1938 to ...

(1917–1992), English cricketer born in Hebden Bridge *

John Fielden John Fielden (17 January 1784 – 29 May 1849) was a British industrialist and Radical Member of Parliament for Oldham (1832–1847). He entered Parliament to support William Cobbett, whose election as fellow-MP for Oldham he helped to bring ...

(1784–1849), land and factory owner in Todmorden; Member of Parliament; national leader of the Ten Hours Campaign for

factory reform The Factory Acts were a series of acts passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom to regulate the conditions of industrial employment. The early Acts concentrated on regulating the hours of work and moral welfare of young children employed ...

; scion of the Fielden family * Samuel Fielden, (1847–1922), socialist, anarchist, lay pastor and labour activist who was one of eight convicted in the 1886 Haymarket bombing in Chicago. Born in Todmorden. * Adam Fogerty (born 1969), actor, boxer, and rugby league player, born in Halifax * John Foster (1770–1843), English Baptist minister and essayist born in Halifax

H

* Jessica Harris (born 1981), actress from Hebden Bridge *

Eric Harrison Sir Eric John Harrison, (7 September 1892 – 26 September 1974) was an Australian politician and diplomat. He was the inaugural deputy leader of the Liberal Party (1945–1956), and a government minister under four prime ministers. He was lat ...

(1938–2019), Mytholmroyd-born football coach for the

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

youth team during the reign of

Sir Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football managers of all time ...

* John Helliwell (born 1945), Todmorden-born musician of the band Supertramp *

Dale Hibbert The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to eme ...

, original bass player with The Smiths and author, born in Todmorden *

Ursula Holden-Gill Ursula Holden-Gill is an English Actress and Dramatherapist, best known for her roles as school secretary Carol on Channel 4's comedy drama ''Teachers'' (2001–2004), Alice Dingle on ITV's soap opera ''Emmerdale'' (2004–2006) and Miss Fitzger ...

(born 1974), TV actress ('' Emmerdale'', ''

Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama ''Casualty'', and pr ...

'', '' Teachers'', '' The Bill'') * William Holt (1897–1977), Todmorden-born writer, painter, political activist, journalist and traveller * Ted Hughes (1930–1998), Poet Laureate, born in Mytholmroyd *

Neil Hurst Neil Hurst (born 5 June 1982) is an actor and presenter born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England best known for his television and stage theatre career. Adopted by Hull panto audience's Film and television career Hurst first came prominenc ...

(born 1982), actor and comedian from Halifax

I

Barrie Ingham Barrie Stanton Ingham (10 February 1932 – 23 January 2015) was an English actor, performing on stage and "in a handful of films." He was perhaps most widely known as "a prolific television actor". His notable work includes ''A Challenge for ...

(1932–2023), actor, born in Halifax * Sir Bernard Ingham (1932–2023), journalist and civil servant, born in Halifax *

Innes Ireland Lieutenant Robert McGregor Innes Ireland (12 June 1930 – 22 October 1993), was a British military officer, engineer, and motor racing driver, with 1 Championship and 8 non-Championship Formula 1 race victories, and several sports car wins inclu ...

(1930–1993), Formula One racing driver (1960s and 1970s), born in Mytholmroyd

J

Jollyboat The jolly boat was a type of ship's boat in use during the 18th and 19th centuries. Used mainly to ferry personnel to and from the ship, or for other small-scale activities, it was, by the 18th century, one of several types of ship's boat. The de ...

, musical comedy double-act, of Todmorden brothers Tommy and Ed Croft *

Wilfred Judson Wilfred Judson, (July 20, 1902 – June 15, 1980) was a Canadian lawyer and Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. Born in Todmorden, England, the son of John and Agnes Judson, he received a BA in 1922 and an MA in 1923 from the Un ...

(1902–1980), former Justice of the

Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the Supreme court, highest court in the Court system of Canada, judicial system of Canada. It comprises List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, nine justices, wh ...

, born in Todmorden

K

* Jason Kay, singer from the band Jamiroquai, owns a 'country retreat' (actually a small terraced house) in Todmorden *

John Kettley John Graham Kettley (born 11 July 1952 in Halifax, West Yorkshire) is an English freelance weather forecaster. Early life He was educated at Todmorden Grammar School, he played cricket for Burnley and Todmorden. A geography teacher at his school ...

(born 1952), BBC weatherman, from Todmorden * Julie Kirkbride (born 1960), Member of Parliament for Bromsgrove from 1997 to 2010

L

* Paula Lane (born 1986), actress born in Hebden Bridge *

Fred Lawless Fred Lawless is a British playwright from Liverpool who writes mainly for the stage, but also for television and radio. Biography Fred Lawless was born in Dingle, Liverpool. He attended St Patrick's School in Toxteth before his family moved to ...

, Liverpool born theatre playwright, has a house in Todmorden; was a writer for the BBC 1 TV series ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'' and other TV and radio programmes *

Peter Lever Peter Lever (born 17 September 1940) is a former English cricketer, who played in seventeen Tests and ten ODIs for England from 1970 to 1975. A fast-medium opening bowler, he took 41 wickets, and was a handy lower-order batsman with a top score ...

(born 1940), England test cricketer, from Todmorden * Anne Lister (born 1791), diarist * John Lister (born 1847), politician *

Walter Livsey Walter Herbert Livsey (23 September 1893 – 12 September 1978) was an English first-class cricketer for Hampshire from 1913 until 1929. A wicket-keeper, Livsey played 320 matches and was considered one of the greatest keepers of the 1920s wit ...

(1884–1978) Todmorden-born Hampshire wicketkeeper *

Adrian Love Adrian Love (3 August 1944 – 10 March 1999) was a British radio presenter, remembered for his ''Love in the Afternoon'' programme on BBC Radio 2. Early life Adrian Love was born in York on 3 August 1944 to Cicely Joyce (née Peters) and music ...

(1944–1999), World Service, Capital Radio and Radio 2 DJ *

Geoff Love Geoffrey Love (4 September 1917 – 8 July 1991) was a prolific British arranger and composer of easy listening and pop versions of film themes. He became famous in the late 1950s, playing under the pseudonym of Manuel and The Music of The Mou ...

(1917–1991), big band leader, born in Todmorden *

Jane Lumb Jane Katherine Lumb (23 November 1942 – 8 February 2008) was an English fashion model and actress in the 1960s. She appeared in a series of advertisements for Fry's Turkish Delight. Background Lumb was born in Mytholmroyd, near Hebden Bridge, ...

(1942–2008), actress and fashion model of the 1960s, born in Mytholmroyd

M

Andrew Harwood Mills Andrew Harwood Mills (born 5 January 1980 in Halifax, West Yorkshire) is an English actor. Biography Early life Andrew Harwood Mills was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire. He grew up in the village of Heptonstall, famous for Ted Hughes, Sylvia ...

(born 1980), actor, born in Halifax * Harry Mortimer (1902–1992), composer and conductor, born in Hebden Bridge

N

* James Needham (1849–1913) mycologist and iron moulder from Hebden Bridge *

John Mitchell Nuttall John Mitchell Nuttall (21 July 1890 – 28 January 1958) was an English physicist, born in Todmorden. He is best remembered for his work with the physicist Hans Geiger, which resulted in the Geiger–Nuttall law of radioactive decay. Nuttall gra ...

(1890–1958), Todmorden-born physicist remembered for the Geiger–Nuttall law

O

* Katie Ormerod, Olympic snowboarder from Brighouse

P

* Wes Paul, Liverpool singer, musician and compere/stage manager of Sounds of the Sixties Cavern Showcase *

Wilfred Pickles Wilfred Pickles, OBE (13 October 1904 – 27 March 1978) was an English actor and radio presenter. Early life and personal life Pickles was born in Halifax in the West Riding of Yorkshire. He moved to Southport, Lancashire, with his family i ...

(1904–1978), radio personality, born in Halifax. * Eric Portman (1901–1969), film and television actor, born in Ackroydon

R

* John Ramsbottom (1814–1897), mechanical engineer and inventor from Todmorden

S

* Lavena Saltonstall (1881–1957), English suffragette and writer, from Hebden Bridge *

Derek Shackleton Derek Shackleton (12 August 1924 – 28 September 2007) was a Hampshire County Cricket Club, Hampshire and England cricket team, England bowler (cricket), bowler. He took over 100 wickets in 20 consecutive seasons of first-class cricket, but onl ...

(born 1924), England test cricketer, from Todmorden * Miles Balmford Sharp (1897–1973), artist *

Percy Shaw Percy Shaw, (15 April 1890 – 1 September 1976) was an English inventor and businessman. He patented the reflective road stud or "cat's eye (road), cat's eye" in 1934, and set up a company to manufacture his invention in 1935. Biography Perc ...

(1890–1976), inventor of the cat's eye * Ed Sheeran (born 1991), born in Hebden Bridge * Harold Shipman (1946–2004), serial killer, took up his first GP's position at the Abraham Ormerod Centre in Todmorden *

Oliver Smithies Oliver Smithies (23 June 1925 – 10 January 2017) was a British-American geneticist and physical biochemist. He is known for introducing starch as a medium for gel electrophoresis in 1955, and for the discovery, simultaneously with Mario Capec ...

(born 1925), U.S. geneticist and Nobel prizewinner, born in Halifax

T

Rebecca Taylor Rebecca Taylor (born September 5, 1969) is a New Zealand-born fashion designer based in New York City, United States. Her retail outlets include boutiques in Japan. Her company was reported in 2003 as having a US$12 million turnover. Taylor's g ...

, Liberal Democrat

MEP MEP may refer to: Organisations and politics * Mahajana Eksath Peramuna, a political party in Sri Lanka * Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (1956), a former political alliance in Sri Lanka * Maison européenne de la photographie, a photography centre ...

for Yorkshire and the Humber, born in Todmorden * Grenville Turner (born 1936), a pioneer of cosmochemistry, from Todmorden

W

* Sally Wainwright, screenwriter. Wrote several episodes of

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 ...

before going on to create

At Home with the Braithwaites ''At Home with the Braithwaites'' is a British comedy-drama television series, created and written by Sally Wainwright (except for the final four episodes). The storyline follows a suburban family in Leeds, whose life is turned upside down when ...

, Scott & Bailey and Happy Valley (TV series). Raised in Sowerby Bridge * Prof. Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson (1921–1996), won the Nobel Prize for

Chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

in 1973, from Todmorden * David Wilson, footballer who began his career at

(1980s)

Y

* Barbara Young (1931–2023), actress, born in Brighouse

References

{{Reflist Calderdale, List of people from People from Calderdale

A

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See also

References