Below is a list of many well known Nottinghamshire people - our list is not exhaustive - we hope to add more names in the future.

You can find out more about these people and the local places connected to them by visiting the Local Studies Library.

Suggestions for further additions to this list are welcome - please submit names via our Enquiryline service: enquiryline@nottinghamcity.gov.uk   Mark your submission "Nottinghamshire notables"

Please scroll to browse the list or use the alphabetical links below to find a particular Nottinghamshire Notable.

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ABEL SMITH Colonel Richard Francis (1933 - 2004) Farmer & Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire
Born at Kensington Palace, London, Richard Abel Smith was a great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria through her youngest son Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany. After a career in the Army he settled at Blidworth Dale House, Ravenshead where he was a successful farmer.  He was High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire from 1978 to 1979 and was Vice-Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire from 1991-1999. He died in 2004.

ADAM,Ruth nee KING (1907 - 1977) Author and feminist
Ruth Adam nee King was born on the 14th December 1907, the daughter of the Reverend Rupert William King the vicar of Arnold Nottinghamshire. She was educated in Yorkshire and became a teacher in Nottinghamshire. 
In May 1932 she married a journalist on the Manchester Guardian, Kenneth Adam. They had four children, born between 1937 and 1947. Later, Kenneth Adam worked for the BBC, eventually becoming Director of Television.
During the Second World War, Ruth Adam worked for the Ministry of Information and began writing - several novels, scripts for the BBC, broadcasts for BBC Woman's Hour and regular columns for the Church of England newspaper. The family lived communally with other families in a large house outside London.
Ruth Adam wrote twelve novels between 1937 and 1961, all of them concerned with social issues. She also co-authored, with Kitty Muggeridge, a biography of Beatrice Webb - A woman's place.
Ruth Adam died in 1977.

ADAMS Thomas (1807 - 1873) Lace manufacturer
Born in Worksop in 1807, the son of a maltster, Thomas Adams learned the lace trade as an apprentice in London and came to Nottingham in 1830 to start his own business. By the middle of the 19th Century, the Lace Market was expanding rapidly and in 1855 Adams opened his palatial new warehouse - now known as the Adams Building, part of New College Nottingham.  He was a renowned philanthropist, aiding local educational and religious organisations. He died at his home in Lenton on 16 May 1873.
For further information see Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online.

ADLINGTON, Rebecca (1989 - ) Swimmer
Born in Mansfield Rebecca won two gold medals in the 2008 Olympic Games in the 400m and 800m freestyle events. Rebecca Adlington is Britain's first Olympic champion since 1988, the first British swimmer to win two gold medals since 1908 and Great Britain's most successful Olympic swimmer in 100 years.

AFRICANUS, George (c1763 -1834) Negro slave and successful entrepreneur
Born in Sierra Leone, Africa, George arrived in England as a slave at the age of three. He came to Nottingham  as a free man in the 1780s and went on to become a 'freeholder' owning his own home , as well as owning several other properties. he was buried in St Mary's Church, Nottingham and in 2003 a plaque was erected in the churchyard to mark the resting place of Nottingham's first black entrepreneur.

ANDERSON Vivian Alexander (1956 - ) Footballer
Born in Nottingham, Viv Anderson was the first black footballer to represent England in a full International match. He won two  European Cups, 30 international cups and many domestic honours. He played for Nottingham Forest from 1974 - 1984 before transferring to Arsenal. He retired from professional football in 2001.

ARKWRIGHT Richard (1732 - 1792) Inventor & Industrialist
Richard Arkwright is generally considered to be the father of the modern industrial factory system; his inventions were a catalyst for the Industrial Revolution. Born in poverty in Preston in 1732, his first business venture was making wigs from discarded human hair which he travelled around the country to collect.  It was during these travels that he became involved in a project to produce a textile spinning machine.

The result was the Spinning Frame which could produce thread faster and stronger than his rival James Hargreaves, inventor of the Spinning Jenny. He received financial support for his invention from Nottingham banker Ichabod Wright.

Arkwright established many factories throughout the North West and the Midlands. It is estimated that two-thirds of his workforce were children who started in the factories at age 6. When he died, on 3rd August 1792, Arkwright's fortune was reported to be over £500,000.
For further information, click here to visit the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography website or click here to visit The Arkwright Society website.

ASPLEY Lucy see HUTCHINSON Lucy

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BAGULEY Wilf See under ILIFFE Richard

BAINS Sat (1971 - ) Restaurateur
Sat Bains and his wife Amanda run Nottingham's Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms, which in 2003 was awarded the city's first ever Michelin star.  Sat, who comes from a Punjabi family, was born in Derby and moved to Nottingham when he was 21.  In 2007 Sat appeared in the BBC TV programme The Great British Menu.

BALL Captain Albert VC (1896 - 1917) Fighter pilot
Captain Albert Ball was one of the greatest fighter pilots of his time. During the First World War, he shot down 43 enemy aeroplanes and an observation balloon. He was nicknamed the 'English Richthofen' by the Germans after their own hero, the Red Baron.  Son of a wealthy Nottingham property developer, Ball, who grew up in Lenton and The Park, Nottingham, was educated at Nottingham High School, and Trent College, Long Eaton. He joined the Sherwood Foresters in September 1914 and eventually transferred to the Royal Flying Corps. In 1917, following the award of a DSO, he was granted home leave and returned to Nottingham where he was made an Honorary Freeman of the City. He returned to active service in April 1917 and on May 7th he led his formation of 11 planes in search of the enemy.  During a dogfight over German held territory, Ball's plane was seen to fly into a thick cloud, it then crashed.  Albert Ball died shortly after the crash. After his death he was awarded the Victoria Cross.
For further information, click here to visit the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography website.

BECKINSALE Richard (1947 - 1979) Actor
Richard Beckinsale was born in Carlton, Nottingham in 1947.  His acting talent was first noticed at Alderman White Secondary Modern School and was developed at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, London. He enjoyed a meteoric rise to stardom, and is best remembered for his character Lennie Godber in the TV sitcom Porridge. He died of a heart attack in March 1979 at the age of only 31.

BENDIGO See THOMPSON, William Abednego

BIRD John (b. 1936 - ) Satirist and actor
Born in Nottingham, John Bird lived in Basford and was educated at High Pavement School, Nottingham and King's College, Cambridge.  While researching a PhD, Bird decided to concentrate on a career in the arts. He went to London in 1959, joined the Royal Court Theatre as a director and starred at Peter Cook's satirical nightclub The Establishment. He has had a long career on television and is currently best known for his working partnership with fellow actor John Fortune and for their regular slot on Channel 4's Rory Bremner Show.

BIRKIN Richard (1805 - 1870) Lace manufacturer
Richard Birkin was one of a number of pioneers who took William Lee's (q.v.) invention of the framework knitting machine and developed it from a cottage industry to an industrial process. Born in Belper, Derbyshire, he began working in a local mill at the age of six before moving to Nottingham. In 1825 Birkin bought his first lace machine and began manufacturing in a small building in Gladstone Street, New Basford. By the 1850s he was a successful businessman and a prominent Nottingham citizen, being elected mayor of Nottingham on several occasions. He lived at Aspley Hall, Nottingham.
Richard Birkin's son, Thomas, was created 1st Baronet Birkin of Ruddington Grange in 1905.

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BLOWER Tom (1913 - 1955) Long Distance Swimmer
Tom Blower, from Hyson Green, was known as 'Torpedo' in the 1930s and 1940s after a series of long distance swims.  In August 1937 the 23 year old smashed the cross Channel record, swimming from France to England in 13 hours 29 minutes. He was also the first swimmer of the North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland. He died in 1955 aged 42 and is buried in Bulwell Cemetery, Nottingham.

BONINGTON Richard Parkes (1802 - 1828) Artist
Richard Parkes Bonington was a significant Anglo-French artist of the Romantic Movement.  He was born in Arnold in 1802 and moved to France with his family in 1817.  Whilst in France, he painted many fine works - in both oil and watercolour - and exhibited at the Paris Salon and eventually at the Royal Academy in London. He returned to England in 1826 and died two years later at the age of 25 following a long period of ill health. Nottingham Castle Art Gallery has several of Bonington's works. A statue of him was donated to the School of Art in Nottingham by architect Watson Fothergill (q.v.).
For further information, click here to visit Grove Art Online.

BOOT Jesse (1850 - 1931) Retail & manufacturing chemist
Jesse Boot was born in Nottingham the son of a medical herbalist. When Jesse was 10 his father died and he left school to begin working in the family business. He showed an early skill in promoting his products and rapidly expanded the business. In 1883 he opened new premises in Nottingham and began opening branches throughout the country. In 1920 Jesse Boot sold his controlling share of the business to an American, Louis K. Liggett. Following his retirement to Jersey in the Channel Islands, the original home of his wife, Florence, he donated large sums of money to a variety of causes including University College, Nottingham - now the University of Nottingham. He was knighted, in 1929, taking the title of Baron Trent of Nottingham. He died on Jersey in June 1931.
For further information, click here to visit the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography website.

BOOTH, Anthony Clark, VC (1846 - 1899) Soldier
Anthony Clark Booth was born in April, 1846 in Carrington, Nottingham into a family of lace makers.
He joined the Army in 1864 enlisting in the 80th (South Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot.
By 1878, when his regiment landed in South Africa, Anthony Clark Booth had been promoted to the rank of colour sergeant.
In 1879, British forces invaded Zululand. On March 12^th, 1879, troops of the 80th Regiment were camped on the banks of the Intombe River guarding a convoy of supply wagons. As dawn broke the soldiers suffered a surprise attack by thousands of Zulus. Among the first soldiers to fall was the officer in charge.  The remaining senior officer, Lieutenant H.H. Howard, told his men to retire to a nearby farmhouse and rode off to find reinforcements. Command of the remaining troops fell to Sgt Booth. When Lt. Howard returned the attacking Zulu forces fled the scene - leaving only 41 British soldiers out of 154.
As a result of his actions in this battle, Anthony Clark Booth was awarded the Victoria Cross, which was presented to him by Queen Victoria in 1880.
Colour Sergeant Booth retired from the Army in 1898 and died the following year. He was buried, with full military honours at
St Michael's Church, Brierley Hill, Staffordshire.
His VC medal is now held in the South Staffs Regimental museum.

For further information visit: Ron Booth's website 

BOOTH William (1829 - 1912) Founder of the Salvation Army
William Booth was born at number 12, Notintone Place, Sneinton, Nottingham on 10th April 1829. After a difficult childhood he became interested in Methodism and eventually became a lay preacher. Influenced by his wife-to-be, Catherine Mumford, Booth became more radical in his views. Following his marriage he devoted his life to working in deprived inner city areas of the country. Whilst working in a Christian Mission in Whitechapel, London in the late 1870s, he started 'a volunteer army' which soon became known as the Salvation Army. The movement spread rapidly throughout urban areas of Britain and abroad - most notably to the USA and India. In October 1905 he was given the Freedom of London and the following month, he was made a Freeman of Nottingham. He died at his home in Middlesex on 20 August 1912.
For further information, click here to visit the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography website and click here to view The Salvation Army website.

BOWDEN Frank (1848 - 1921) Founder of the Raleigh Bicycle Company
Frank Bowden was born in Bristol in 1848. Ill health forced him to cut short a successful legal career in Hong Kong. He  married American Amelia Frances Houston and then returned to Britain. Advised to take up cycling for health reasons, he went to Nottingham to visit the cycle manufacturer Angois, Woodhead & Ellis whose workshops were in Raleigh Street, Nottingham. Bowden became a financial backer of the company and in 1889 the Raleigh Cycle Company was incorporated - at a time when there was a sharp rise in the popularity of cycling. Bowden gradually increased his share of the business until he became the sole owner. Raleigh remained a private company until 1934. In 1903 Bowden founded the Three-Speed-Gear Syndicate Ltd which became the Sturmey Archer Gear Company in 1908.
A prominent Nottingham figure, Frank Bowden was knighted in 1915. He died at his home, Bestwood Lodge, Nottingham on 25 April 1921.
For further information, click here to visit the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography website.

BROUGH George (1890 - 1970) Motor cycle manufacturer
George Brough was born in Mandalay Street, Basford, Nottingham in 1890. At the end of the First World War he went into partnership with his father, William, in Vernon Road, Basford.  The first Brough Superior motorcycle, produced in 1921, cost £175 to buy.  Following the death of his father in 1934, George took over the Vernon Road works and the entire business moved there in 1935.  George Brough died in 1970, aged 79.

BROWN, Arthur (1851 - 1935) Nottingham Borough Engineer
Born and educated in Nottingham, Arthur Brown joined the Nottingham Borough Engineer's Department from school. He was rapidly promoted and was appointed Nottingham's Borough Engineer in 1880; he retired in 1921.
His obituary in the Nottingham Evening Post on the 15^th April 1935, acknowledges his enormous contribution to Nottingham, with his most famous legacy being the Victoria Embankment. Other achievements included: the redesign of the Market Square, the widening of many city streets and the construction of the Boulevards (Gregory, Lenton and Radford). In addition, it was during his time in office that the electric trams began to run in Nottingham.

BUGG, Jake (1994 -) Singer songwriter
Born Jacob E. Kennedy in Nottingham in 1994, Jake Bugg grew up in the Clifton area of the City. He appeared at the Glastonbury Festival in 2011. He has made many appearances on radio and television shows and his solo album, Jake Bugg reached Number 1 in the UK Album charts in 2012.

BYNG Douglas (1893 - 1987) Entertainer
Douglas Byng, born in Mapperly on March 17 1893, was an entertainer who became one of the country's most celebrated pantomime dames. As a child, he lived in Ebers Road, Nottingham.  During his stage career, which was at its peak in the 1920s and 30s, Byng was a famous female impersonator, writing and performing bawdy songs - many of which were banned by the BBC. He had a long association with Brighton, dying there in August 1987 at the age of 94.

BYRON, George Gordon Noel Byron, 6th Baron  (1788-1824)  Poet
Born in 1788 the son of Captain John Byron and Catherine Gordon, Byron's childhood was reputed to have been scarred by his having a club foot and being maltreated by his mother. He inherited the baronetcy, and Newstead Abbey in Nottinghamshire, in 1798. He was educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge. Although Byron achieved notice with the satire English Bards and Scotch Reviewers (1809) it was the first two cantos of Childe Harold's Pilgrimage (1812) that brought him fame. He married Annabella Milbanke in 1815 and had a daughter Ada, but the marriage ended with a legal separation following rumours of an incestuous liaison between Byron and his half sister Augusta. His romantic image and reputation for dissolute living and numerous sexual affairs vied with his poetic reputation. By 1816 he was a social outcast and went into permanent exile. In 1817 his daughter Allegra was born, her mother was Claire Clairmont. Financial difficulties at this time led to the sale of Newstead Abbey. In exile, Byron wrote Cantos III and IV of Childe Harold (1816, 1818) and Don Juan (1819-24), an epic satire often regarded as his masterpiece. In 1823 he travelled to Greece to fight for Greek independence against the Turks and died of fever at Missolonghi.

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CAHN Julien (1882 - 1944) Businessman & Cricket supporter
Sir Julien Cahn was born on 21st October 1882 in Cardiff. He inherited a fortune from his father who had immigrated to England from Germany and who had built a successful furniture business in Nottingham. Cahn followed on with his father's business interests, but his main preoccupation was cricket.  He acquired Stanford Hall in 1926 and built a cricket pavilion on ground at West Bridgford - his private cricket team was one of the most successful ever; he also supported cricket at Trent Bridge. In addition to his cricketing interests, Cahn was a well-known philanthropist, donating Newstead Abbey to the City of Nottingham, funding hospitals and supporting agricultural research. He was knighted in 1929 and died on 26th September 1944.

CHAPMAN, Frederick (1908 - 1951) Footballer and draper
Born into the Chapman family, well-known owners of the Nottingham company Lord & Chapman, manufacturers of ladies blouses, Fred Chapman was educated at Nottingham High School. As a talented footballer he was selected for the England team and played in the 1908 Olympic gold medal winning football team. Always playing as an amateur, Chapman continued to represent England and also played several games for Nottingham Forest and Oxford City. During World War 1 he was a gunner in the Royal Horse Artillery, serving in Mesopotamia. After the War he retired from football, concentrating on his directorship with the family firm. He died at his home Swincot at Newstead Abbey in 1951.

CLARKE Kenneth Harry (1940 - ) Politician
Kenneth Clarke was born in 1940 and was educated at Nottingham High School and Cambridge University.  He has been   Conservative MP for Rushcliffe since 1970. He was a major figure in the Governments of Margaret Thatcher, holding several important offices of State.

CLARKE William (1798 - 1856) Cricketer & Founder of Trent Bridge Cricket Ground
Born at Bunker's Hill, Nottingham in 1798, William Clarke was originally a bricklayer but soon became landlord of the Bell Inn, Nottingham. In 1837, following the death of his first wife, he married a Mrs Chapman who ran the Trent Bridge Inn. In 1838 Clarke opened Trent Bridge Cricket Ground - a venue now renowned for international cricket. He played cricket for many years, finally retiring at the age of 57. He died in London on 25 August 1856.
For further information see Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club website

CLOUGH Brian Howard (1935 - 2004) Footballer & football manager
Brian Clough was born in 1935 in Middlesborough. He began playing professional football for his home team, transferring to Sunderland in 1961. He retired as a player following a serious knee injury in 1962. His career as a football manager began in 1965. He was appointed manager of Nottingham Forest Football Club in January 1975 where he remained for 18 years. In 1993 he was given the Freedom of the City of Nottingham. He died on 20^th September 2004 in Derby City General Hospital. In 2008 a statue of Brian Clough was erected in Nottingham city centre - just off the Market Square.

COATES Eric (1886 - 1957) Composer
Eric Coates was born in Hucknall in 1886. After studying violin and composition in Nottingham he went on to gain a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London. He played the viola and was in demand as a theatre player. He continued to compose and gained the support of Henry Woods. He was one of the first composers to derive most of his income from recording and radio broadcasting. One of his pieces, By the sleepy lagoon, has achieved fame as the signature tune for Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. He also composed the music for the film, The Dambusters, which has become known as The Dambusters March. Eric Coates died on 21 December 1957.

COUSINS Frank (1904 - 1986) Trade unionist
Frank Cousins was born at 28, Minerva Street, Bulwell in 1904. His family moved to Doncaster whilst Frank was still at school. He began his working life as a miner, but eventually became a truck driver. By 1938 he was a full time section organiser in the Transport and General Workers' Union. He soon became involved with the Union at a national level, becoming leader in September 1969. After retiring from the union, he was a founding member and chairman of the Community Relations Commission. He died in Derbyshire on 11 June 1986.

CRESSWELL Helen (1934 - 2005) Children's author
Nottinghamshire children's writer Helen Cresswell found fame with more than 100 books and wrote several adaptations for television, including the series Lizzie Dripping. Ms Cresswell grew up in Nottingham and started writing at the age of seven. She died at her home in Eakring, north Nottinghamshire in 2005.

CROWTHER Leslie (1933 - 1996) Comedian & entertainer
Leslie Crowther was born in West Bridgford on February 6th 1933. He was educated at Nottingham High School. He was a well known television entertainer, appearing in the children's programme Crackerjack and the quiz show The Price is Right. He was a major fundraiser for local and national charities and a supporter of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. He died in September 1996 following a car accident.

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DEAN Christopher see with TORVILLE Jayne

DEANE John (1679 - 1761) Russian Naval officer and spy
John Deane was born into a wealthy Nottingham family in 1679. After trying several jobs he ran away to sea and led an adventurous life, but contrary to popular belief, he was never an officer in the British Navy. He set sail for America in 1710 on board his own ship, the Nottingham Galley, but was shipwrecked on Boon Island off the coast of Maine in 1711. The aftermath of the shipwreck was notorious, with tales of cannibalism. Deane, whose reputation suffered after the shipwreck, took an opportunity offered to him to join the Russian Navy. Initially successful, his fortunes changed and he was eventually dismissed from the service and arrived back in England penniless in 1722. However, his knowledge of the Russian court meant that he was useful to the British and he was soon sent back to Russia as commercial consul in 1725 - a job which was a cover for spying. His career as a spy lasted several years until he retired to Wilford in 1738 with his wife Sarah. He was made a Freeman of the City of Nottingham. He died in 1761 and is buried in Wilford Church yard.

DERBYSHIRE Bill, Alderman (1913 - 2000) Conservative politician
Bill Derbyshire was one of Nottingham's most influential civic leaders. The son of a Bestwood pit overman, he left school at 13 and worked in a bakery. A few years later he had his own general store in Valley Road. Elected to Nottingham City Council in 1954, he became Conservative leader in 1964, then Lord Mayor and leader again from 1968 to 1972. Later he became an Alderman, giving his name to Alderman Derbyshire School in Hucknall Lane, Nottingham (later known as River Leen School). Retiring first to Skegness, he moved to Spain in 1977; returning to Nottingham in the 1990s. He died at home in Mapperley Park, Nottingham in 2000.

DJANOGLY, Harry, Sir (1938 - ) Industrialist
One of four children Harry Djanogly and his family fled Nazi Germany in 1936 for the safety of England. They settled in Nottinghamshire where the family started in the textile industry, manufacturing stockings and hosiery. The business grew into a multi-million pound empire, which went on to embrace the Nottingham Manufacturing Company, Mansfield Hosiery Mills and Simpson Wright and Lowe. Harry Djanogly was made a CBE in 1983, and knighted in 1993 for services to charity. despite maintaining a low profile, the multi-millionaire has been one of Nottingham's largest benefactors. Amongst his gifts was £1m to fund the City Technology College, which later became the Djanogly City Academy and £750,000 to the University of Nottingham's arts centre at Highfields.

DOUGHTY Nigel (1957 - ) Chairman & backer of Nottingham Forest Football Club
Born in Newark, Nigel Doughty was one of Nottingham Forest's greatest benefactors, coming to the rescue of the football club in 1999 when it faced major financial difficulties. He was educated at the Magnus Church of England School, Newark, between 1968 and 1975.

FENTON Shane see STARDUST Alvin

FOLKES Janet  (1959 - 2012) Scientist and Balloonist
University of Nottingham lecturer in manufacturing engineering and an expert in lasers and high powered water jetting, Janet Folkes held more than 50 records for hot air and gas balloon flying, including, with her co-pilot Dr Ann Webb, a world record for the longest all-female hydrogen gas balloon flight in the 2009 Gordon Bennett race, staying airborne for more than 69 hours. She died of breast cancer in January 2012

FORMAN Thomas JP (1819 - 1888) Printer & Newspaper owner
Thomas Forman was born in Louth, Lincolnshire. He arrived in Nottingham in 1848 and took over the Nottinghamshire Guardian newspaper. The newspaper had been launched in 1846 by a consortium of 70 leading citizens, including the Dukes of Newcastle and Portland. Several other newspapers came and went, but the Nottinghamshire Guardian survived, published from premises in Long Row. In 1861 Forman founded the Nottingham Daily Post and in 1878 the Nottingham Evening Post. In 1871 he built a new office and print house on the corner of Sherwood Street and Forman Street. Ten years after the Evening Post was launched, two rival newspapers were published - The Evening News and the Morning Journal - out of offices on Parliament Street. He died at his home, Castle Grove Nottingham in July 1888.

FOTHERGILL Watson (1841 - 1928) Architect
Watson Fothergill was born in Mansfield in 1841.  Christened Fothergill Watson, he changed his name to Watson Fothergill by deed poll in 1892. Fothergill initially trained with Nottingham Civil Engineer, Surveyor and Architect, Frederick Jackson. He then worked as an architect in Nottingham from 1870 to 1912, designing over 100 buildings including houses, banks, offices, churches and shops, noted for their distinctive Victorian Gothic revival style. Fothergill was a keen cricket supporter and art lover. He died in 1928 and is buried in the Church Cemetery, Mansfield Road, Nottingham. For further information see: www.watsonfothergill.co.uk/

FROCH, Carl (1977 - ) Boxer
As an amateur boxer Carl 'The Cobra' Froch ended his unpaid career by becoming the first ever British boxer to win a medal at a World Championship by winning Silver at the 2001 Worlds. He then signed professional terms and wasted no time in claiming the English and Commonwealth Super Middleweight titles within two years. His relentless progression saw him climb to the top of the Super Middleweight division following a successful win over Jean Pascal in December 2008. Having lost the title in April 2010 to Mikkel Kessler, he regained the World Boxing Council super middleweight champion with a landslide victory over Arthur Abraham in November 2010.

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GARTON Frederick Gibson (1862 - 1942) Inventor of HP sauce
Nottingham pickle and relish manufacturer Frederick Gibson Garton is credited with inventing HP sauce. He lived in Haddon House at the corner of Millicent Road and Musters Road, West Bridgford, and had a shop in Basford. He began to market Garton's HP Sauce in 1903, but after getting into debt he sold the recipe and brand for £150 to a Birmingham based vinegar company. He went on to another successful career as a bacon and stilton merchant, retiring to what is now the Windsor Lodge Hotel in Radcliffe Road, West Bridgford. He died in 1942.

GREEN George (1793 - 1841) Mathematician and miller
George Green was a Nottingham miller's son who became a pioneering mathematician. Largely self taught, he developed a great interest in mathematics and science, particularly physics. In1828 he published a major work: Essay on the Mathematical Analysis of Electricity and Magnetism (1828). In 1833, following the death of his father, Green became a student at Cambridge University where he produced several important scientific papers. He became  a mathematician and physicist of enduring eminence, and his techniques were still being used in the sciences and technology in the late 20th century. He died on May 31, 1841 and is buried in St Stephen's churchyard, Sneinton. His name is commemorated today in Green's Mill, the windmill owned by his family in the early 19th century which is now a science museum. For further information see: www.greensmill.org.uk/

GUNN FAMILY Nottingham cricketing dynasty:

GUNN George (1879 - 1958)
Born at Hucknall in 1879, George Gunn joined the Trent Bridge staff in 1898. His first class cricketing career began in 1902. After a long and successful career he finally retired in 1932. He died at his son's house in Sussex on 29th July 1958.

GUNN John (1876 - 1963)
Born in Hucknall in 1876, John Gunn was the brother of George Gunn q.v. A left handed player, he started playing cricket in 189 and toured Australia in 1901-02. Retiring from playing cricket in 1925, he was then employed by Sir Julien Cahn q.v. He died in Nottingham on 21^st August 1963.

GUNN William (1858 - 1921)
Born in St Ann's, Nottingham in 1858, He was the uncle of cricketing brothers George and John Gunn q.v. When his playing career ended in 1904, he went on to found the Gunn and Moore sports business. He died in Nottingham on 29^th January 1921.

HADDEN, Harvey (1851 - 1931) Businessman & benefactor
Born in Nottingham on September 29, 1851,  a member of the family of J. & H.Hadden & Co. textile manufacturers.
Harvey Hadden's father, Frederick John Hadden, died on 22^nd April 1881, leaving the bulk of his estate to his children, including his son Harvey who took over the running of the family business until about 1904 when he left to live in Vancouver, Canada, where he had developed business interests.
Harvey Hadden married Madalena Violet Galloway of Leamington Spa on the 16^th January 1902, at St Peter's Church South Kensington; they had two children a son and a daughter.
Mr Hadden was a keen golf player and it was this that led to widespread press coverage of Mrs Hadden's application for a judicial separation from her husband in 1919. The application was made citing her husband's cruelty. Contemporary press reports made much of the judge's question at the hearing as to whether "absence on the golf course constitutes legal cruelty".

In 1929, it is reported that Mr Hadden was planning to visit Nottingham to discuss his plans to leave a financial gift to the City in his will. The visit never happened.

Harvey Hadden died at Claridge's Hotel in London on 14 Feb 1931 at the age of 78;he was buried on 19 Feb 1931 at Brompton Cemetery, London.
In his will Mr Hadden  left a sum of about £30,000 to the City of Nottingham "for the benefit ... of the working people, such as playing fields, parks, gymnasiums, or other plans, which will give recreation to as many people as possible..."
For some reason, nothing was done with the money  until the 1950s, when it was used to build the Harvey Hadden Athletics Stadium. The Stadium opened in the early 1960s and it remains a major sporting venue today.

HAMMOND Thomas W. (1853 - 1935) Artist
Thomas Hammond was born in Philadelphia USA where his parents had emigrated from their home in Nottingham in the early 1800s. In 1859 after his parents and eldest brother died, Thomas and his sister Maria returned to England. It was as a lace designer in Nottingham that Hammond's artistic talents began to be noticed. He won several awards for his lace work. In his spare time he was sketching the rapidly changing landscape of Nottingham. He mainly worked in pastels and charcoal. Nottingham City Council owns one of the largest collections of his work. He died on 9^th February 1935 and is buried at Wilford Church.

HARRIS Robert Dennis (1957 - ) Writer
Best selling novelist Robert Harris was born in Sherwood, Nottingham. By the age of 14 he was writing plays and editing his school magazine. In 1987 Harris became political editor of the Observer, then a columnist on the Sunday Times and also the Daily Telegraph. His novels include Fatherland, Enigma and Pompeii.

HARVEY, John (1938 - ) Author
Born in London, John Harvey has been a professional writer since 1975 and now has more than 100 published books to his credit. After a number of years spent writing paperback fiction, he is now principally known as a writer of crime fiction, in particular, for his Nottingham-based Charlie Resnick novels. The first of these, Lonely Hearts, was named by The Times as one of the 100 most notable crime novels of the last century. In July 2009, John Harvey became an honorary Doctor of Letters at the University of Nottingham in recognition of his literary eminence and his associations with both the University and City of Nottingham. After living in Nottingham for a number of years, he has now returned to live in London.

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HAWKSLEY Thomas (1807 - 1893) Civil engineer
Thomas Hawksley was born at Arnold in 1807. In 1830 he designed the waterworks near Trent Bridge for the Trent Waterworks Company which was to provide clean water to the city for nearly 70 years. In 1845 he became engineer to the Nottingham Waterworks Company - a post he held until 1880. Hawksley gained national acclaim through the work of the Health of Towns Inquiry in 1844 when his waterworks scheme was seen as a major influence for good public health practice. A collaboration with Edwin Chadwick led to him becoming engineer in Chadwick's Town Improvement Company. In Nottingham Hawksley fought to build homes outside the city centre in a bid to improve the conditions of factory workers living in slums. He also built Bestwood Pumping Station, Papplewick Reservoir and planned the building of Papplewick Pumping Station. Later in life, he moved to London and died there on 23 September 1893.

HAWKSMOOR, Nicholas (c.1662 - 1736) Architect
Nicholas Hawksmoor was born at East Drayton, Nottinghamshire, the son of Nicholas Hawksmoor, a husbandman. He married in 1696, Hester Wells.
At the age of 18 he entered the service of Christopher Wren and was closely concerned with most of Wren's commissions, especially Winchester Palace and the Chelsea Hospital as well as the building of Wren's City of London churches during the 1680s and St. Paul's Cathedral between 1691 and 1712.
From 1689 until his death he was clerk of works at various important sites including: Kensington Palace, Greenwich Hospital, Whitehall Palace, Westminster Abbey and St. James's Palace. In addition, he was employed by Sir John Vanbrugh at Castle Howard, Yorkshire and later at Blenheim Palace.
Nicholas Hawksmoor died in his house at Millbank, Westminster, on March 25, 1736.

For further information see Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online

HEWSON, Sherrie (b. 1950) Actor and broadcaster
Born Sherrie Hutchinson at Burton Joyce Nottinghamshire to a show business family. Sherrie's career on the stage began at the age of six. She began her adult career in 1970  after graduating from RADA, and has since played many roles on radio, television and film, including: the Carry on films, The Russ Abbot Show, the soap operas Coronation Street, Emmedale and the more recent Benidorm. She is a regular panelist on the daytime television show, Loose women.

HINE Thomas Chambers (1813 - 1899) Architect
Thomas Chambers Hine was born in Southampton Street, Covent Garden, London on May 31st 1813. Along with Watson Fothergill, q.v., he was one of Nottingham's most influential Nineteenth Century architects. The Adams Building is his best known building.  It is in the Lace Market and was originally a textile factory, lace warehouse and salesroom built for the lace manufacturers Messrs Adams Page.  It is now known as the The Adams Building and is part of New College Nottingham. T.C. Hine died on February 6th, 1899.

HORNE,Matthew Frazer (1978 - ) Actor and comedian
Born in Burton Joyce, Nottinghamshire, Matthew Horne began his career as a stand up comedian before going on to appear in television shows such as The Catherine Tate Show and The Kylie Show. He is possibly best known for his acting role as Gavin Shipman in the Bafta-winning BBC television sitcom Gavin and Stacy. Going on to perform on stage with the revival of  Entertaining Mr Sloan in 2009 and in films such as Lesbian Vampire Killers.

HOOD, Robin Folk legend
Who was Robin Hood - was he historical fact or a Medieval fiction? Robin is portrayed as an heroic outlaw in English folklore, famous for his gallantry, robbing the rich to feed the poor and fighting against injustice and tyranny. Aided by fellow outlaws known as The Merry Men, stories of Robin Hood have been told and retold for over 600 years. The stories of Robin portray him as a fearless outlaw leading his band of Merry Men against the tyranny of Prince John, The Sheriff of Nottingham and Sir Guy of Gisbourne. A brilliant archer, Robin lived a life of adventure - poaching the King's deer from the outlaws' retreat in Sherwood Forest. 

HOWE Richard, Earl (1726 - 1799) Naval hero
Earl Howe of Langar was one of England's greatest naval heroes. Born in London in 1726 he joined the Royal Navy at 14. He rose rapidly through the ranks. In 1782 he was involved in the campaign to end Spain's three year siege of Gibraltar. In 1794, despite being 70 years of age, he won his greatest victory in the Battle of the Glorious First of June, the first engagement between the British fleet and the French Revolutionary ships. Lord Howe died in London on 5^th August 1799 and is buried in the family vault at Langar Church.

HOWITT John (1817 - 1882) Printer
John Howitt launched his printing business in 1837 from a small shop in Clumber Street, Nottingham. He soon prospered and became an influential member of the community, being elected Mayor of Nottingham in 1874. He died on the 20th April 1882.

HOWITT, Thomas Cecil, OBE (1889 - 1968) Architect
Born at Hucknall, Thomas Howitt is chiefly remembered for designing prominent public buildings such as the Council House and Processional Way in Nottingham, Newport Civic Centre and several Odeon cinemas (such as those at Weston Super Mare and Bristol). Thomas Howitt's chief architectural legacies are however, in his home city of Nottingham. He was Housing Architect for the City Council, designing municipal housing estates which are often considered to be among the finest in terms of planning in the country.

HUMPHREYS, Margaret CBE, OAM (1944 - ) Social worker, author and founder of the Child Migrants Trust.
In 1987 Nottingham social worker Margaret Humphreys exposed the British Government's child migrants scheme - a programme which forcibly relocated British children to a number of Commonwealth countries including Australia and Canada often without their parents' knowledge; many children believed, wrongly, that their parents were dead.
Her investigations led to the establishment of the charity, the Child Migrants Trust, initially financed by Nottinghamshire County Council, and later by the British and Australian governments.
The primary aims of the Trust are to enable child migrants to reclaim their personal identity and reunite them with their parents and relatives.
In 1994, the book Empty Cradles, Margaret Humphreys' account of the formation and early struggles of the Child Migrants Trust, was published. The book was dramatised as the 2011 feature film Oranges and sunshine.
In recognition of her work Margaret Humphreys has received many awards, including the Medal of the Order of Australia in March 1993, honorary degrees from both of Nottingham's universities (the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University) and, in the 2011 New Year's honours list, a CBE for services to disadvantaged people.
Both the Australian and British prime ministers in their public apologies in 2009 and 2010 thanked Margaret Humphreys for her campaigning and contribution to the cause of UK child migrants

HUTCHINSON John, Colonel (c.1615 -1664) English Civil War leader
John Hutchinson was born in Nottinghamshire and baptised at St Mary's Church, Nottingham in 1615. He married Lucy Aspley (q.v.). During the English Civil War he was a Parliamentarian. In 1643 he was appointed Governor of Nottingham Castle and Town. Subsequently elected an MP, he was one of the men who signed the death warrant of King Charles I. In later life, he was dismissed from public office and ended his days in prison at Sandown Castle, Kent. He died there on 11^th September 1664 and is buried at St Margaret's Church, Owthorpe Nottinghamshire.

HUTCHINSON, Lucy (1620 - 1680) Diarist
Much is known of the life of Colonel John Hutchinson thanks to the writings of his wife Lucy (nee Apsley). She wrote her remarkable book 'Memoirs of the life of Colonel Hutchinson' with the intention of ensuring her husband would be remembered as a man of honour. She died in 1680 aged 60. Her work has since provided vital information about life during the English Civil War.

HUTCHINSON, Sherrie SEE HEWSON, Sherrie

ILIFFE Richard (1916 - 1983) Photographer and film maker
Richard (Dick) Iliffe, working with his colleague Wilf Baguley, began a collection of old Nottingham photographs in 1940 and 20 years later set up the Nottingham Historical Film Unit. Their legacy of images from Nottingham in the Victorian and Edwardian eras has been published in a series of books which are available in the Nottingham Local Studies Library. Richard Iliffe died in 1983 at the age of 67.

IRETON Henry (1611 - 1651) English Civil War leader
Henry Ireton was born in Attenborough in 1611. In 1642, at the start of the Civil War, Ireton, who was already involved in the cause of Parliament, was made Captain of the Troop of Horse in Nottingham. He later commanded Cromwell's left wing at the battle of Naseby. In 1646 he married Cromwell's daughter Bridget. He was one of the Commissioners who signed the death warrant of King Charles I and was appointed Lord Deputy of Ireland in 1650. He died of the plague in 1651.

IRONS,Eric, OBE (1921? - 2007) Magistrate and campaigner for equal rights
Born in Spanish Town, Jamaica, Eric Irons came to Britain in 1944 to join the RAF. The following year he moved to Nottingham where he met and married a local girl. It was his lifelong passion for racial equality that inspired him to move into public life. In the 1950s, he challenged and helped to lift a city transport embargo on the employment of black workers and also helped the city council to tackle problems highlighted by the 1958 race riots. He made history in 1962 when he was appointed Britain's first black magistrate; he was to sit on the Nottingham bench for 29 years. A champion for social justice, Eric Irons was awarded an OBE in 1977 in the Queen's New Years Honours list; in 1999, the University of Nottingham awarded him an honorary Master of Arts degree for improving race relations in the City.

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JAYSTON, Michael  Actor
Michael Jayston was born in West Bridgford in the mid 1930s where he attended the Becket School. He then worked in the offices of the National Coal Board, where he was well known as a cricketer - playing for both Gedling Colliery and Bestwood cricket clubs.
His acting career began at the Co-Operative Arts Theatre in Nottingham but he then left to take up a place at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
His acting career has included many stage appearances, films (such as Nicholas & Alexandra and Zulu) as well as TV shows (including Jane Eyre and episodes of Heartbeat).

JEWRY Bernard see STARDUST Alvin

JOHNSON, Laura See KNIGHT, Laura

JONES Professor Stephen (1929 - 2000) Pathologist
Professor Stephen Jones was a well known and respected pathologist. He moved to Nottingham in 1965 and worked at the City Hospital as a consultant pathologist for more than 27 years. He died at his home in Southwell in 2000 aged 71.

KARNO Fred (1866 - 1941) Acrobat and Music Hall star
The name Karno lives on as a byword for organised chaos - but the music hall star Fred Karno was a comic genius who learned his trade in Nottingham. Although born in Exeter, Frederick John Westcott was raised in Nottingham. His root to comedy fame lay in gymnastics; he became an accomplished acrobat at an early age, winning a talent show at the Alhambra Music Hall in St. Mary's Gate, Nottingham. By the 1890s he was a well known performer and had established Karno's Fun Factory in Camberwell, London from where performers - 'Karno's Army' - were sent out to perform throughout Britain. He died in Dorset on 17^th September 1941.

KING, Ruth see ADAM, Ruth

KNIGHT, Harold (1874 - 1961) Artist
Born in Nottingham, Harold Knight was a painter. He married fellow Nottingham-trained artist Dame Laura Knight, q.v., in 1903. He was elected a Royal Academician in 1937. He died on 3^rd October 1961.

KNIGHT Laura nee JOHNSON (1877 - 1970) Artist
Laura Knight was born Laura Johnson in Long Eaton in 1877 and was educated at Brincliffe School in Nottingham. She studied at the Nottingham School of Art and first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1903. In 1936 she married fellow artist Harold Knight, q.v. and was elected a Royal Academician in 1936. She died on July 7th 1970.

LARWOOD Harold (1904 - 1995) Cricketer
Harold Larwood was born in Chapel Street, Nuncargate a village between Annesley and Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire on 14th November 1904. His skills as a fast bowler soon won him a place in the Nottinghamshire County cricket team and eventually in the England team. He is best remembered for his bowling prowess during the infamous 'Bodyline' cricket tour of Australia in 1932-33. He retired from cricket in 1938 and emigrated to Australia in 1950. He died on 22nd July 1995 in Australia.

LAWRENCE David Herbert (1885 - 1930) Author and poet
D.H. Lawrence was born on 11^th September 1885 in Eastwood, the son of a coal miner. He attended Beauvale Board School, Eastwood before winning a scholarship to Nottingham High School. On leaving school, Lawrence worked first as a clerk then as a pupil teacher in Eastwood. He eventually enrolled at University College Nottingham to study for a teaching certificate. Always a keen writer, it was at this time that his work began to be noticed. In 1908, after completing the course, Lawrence took a teaching job in Croydon and continued writing. In 1912 Lawrence met and fell in love with Frieda, the wife of his former professor at University College Nottingham, Ernest Weekley. The pair eloped, causing a major scandal. They spent the rest of their life together travelling extensively in Europe and New Mexico. Lawrence was a prolific writer, but he is probably best known for the novel Lady Chatterley's Lover which caused outrage when it was published in 1928 because of the sexually explicit nature of its language. It was banned in Britain and America until the 1960s. Lawrence had long suffered from tuberculosis, and finally succumbed to its ravages on 1^st March 1930 in Vence, France.

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LEE William (c1564 - c 1615) Inventor of the Stocking Frame
Little is known for certain of William Lee the inventor of the stocking frame, a machine for making silk stockings, although there are many legends surrounding his life. It is most likely that he was born and lived his early life in Calverton, Nottinghamshire. In c.1589 he designed the stocking frame which was still in use in a modified form until the 1870s. Lee took his invention to London and a few years later moved to France. He is thought to have died around 1615 in France.

LOWE Stephen (1952 - ) Playwright and Television scriptwriter
Stephen Lowe was born in Sneinton, Nottingham. He joined Nottingham's Co-op Arts Theatre youth group aged nine. His big break came at Nottingham Playhouse where his first stage play Touched was staged by Richard Eyre. Today he is known as a scriptwriter for TV, including the soap Coronation Street and detective series Dalziel and Pasco. He is chairman of the Arts Council in the East Midlands and a member of the Council of the Governors at the Arts Council England. For more information, click here to view the Stephen Lowe website. 

MANSFIELD Professor Sir Peter (1933 - ) Physicist
Peter Mansfield left school at 15 with no qualifications and began work at a publishing house. After completing a BSc at Queen Mary College, London in 1959 he began his academic career. In 1964 he became a lecturer at the University of Nottingham where he is Emeritus Professor of Physics. Knighted in 1993, in 2003 he became the first Nottingham scientist to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine.

MCCARTHY Dennis (1934 - 1996) Broadcaster
Dennis McCarthy lived on Edwin Street Nottingham and attended Edwin Street School until he was 11 and then went to Huntingdon Street School, Nottingham. He was the well-known broadcaster The Voice of Nottingham.  He died on 10th January 1996 aged 62.

MATTHEWS, Lester (1900 - 1975) Actor
Born in Nottingham on December 3^rd 1900. As a child Lester Matthews lived in Ebers Road Nottingham - the same road as another Nottinghamshire Notable, Douglas Byng (q.v.).
Matthews began his career in England, and in the course of his career he appeared in almost 200 films and television programmes.He relocated to Hollywood in the 1930s when he was signed to Universal Studios. He made his big screen debut in the  film "The Limping Man" (1931). A versatile performer, he was cast in a wide range of films including adventures, horror, dramas and crime thriller films. His credits include "The Werewolf of London" (1935), "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938), and Mary Poppins. His television, performances included appearances in "The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show",  "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "The Lucy Show". He died on the 6^th June 1975 in Los Angeles, California; he was cremated and his ashes scattered at sea.

MEE Arthur Henry (1875 - 1943) Writer
Arthur Mee was born in Stapleford and later moved with his family to Nottingham. After leaving school, he became a reporter on the Nottingham Daily Express. In 1895 he was appointed editor of the Nottingham Evening News. Mee later moved to London where he joined the Daily Mail. He began writing for children, compiling his vast Children's Encyclopaedia and founding the Children's newspaper. He also published the series The King's England a survey of 10,000 town and villages, which ran to 41 volumes but which remained unfinished at his death. He died during an operation on 27^th May 1943.

MIDDLETON Stanley (1919 - ) Author
Stanley Middleton was born in Bulwell and now lives in Sherwood. He was an English teacher at High Pavement School Nottingham. His first novel, A Short Answer, was published while he was Head of English at High Pavement in 1958. In 1974 his novel Holiday was awarded the Booker prize. A prolific author, Stanley Middleton has published over 40 novels to date.

MORTON Samantha (1977 - ) Actor and director
Samantha Morton was born in Nottingham in 1977. She attended West Bridgford Comprehensive School and began her career as a child actor, joining the Central Junior Television Workshop at the age of 13. She has appeared in numerous television dramas and films. She has twice been nominated for an Oscar - in 1999 in Woody Allen's Sweet & Lowdown and in 2002 in Neil Jordan's America. In 2007 she received an Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Moors murderer Myra Hindley. Her directorial debut, the semi-autobiographical Channel 4 drama The Unloved, written in collaboration with Tony Grisoni, won her a Bafta in 2010 for her direction. 

MUNDELLA Anthony John (1825 - 1897) Hosiery manufacturer & MP
Born in Leicester in 1825, Anthony Mundella was the son of an Italian political refugee. He was interested in radical politics from an early age and participated in the Chartist movement. He became involved in the hosiery business in which he prospered. In 1848 he moved to Nottingham and became a partner in the hosiery company Jonathan Hine & Sons. In 1853 he was elected sheriff of Nottingham and became a leading public figure supporting education and improved conditions for workers. He entered national politics, becoming MP for Sheffield (1868-85) and for Sheffield Brightside (1885-97). As an MP his main concerns were for trade union reform and he was involved in the introduction of the Factory Acts which led to improved health and safety for workers. He died on 21^st July 1897 in London. He is buried in the Rock Cemetery on Mansfield Road, Nottingham. His name is commemorated in street and school names in Nottingham.

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NEVILLE John (1925-) Actor
Born in Willesden in the London borough of Brent on 2^nd May 1925, John Neville was a well known theatre actor from the 1950s through to the 1970s. He has also appeared in several films, including The fifth element (1997) and Separate Lies (2005). In 1963 he became artistic director, manager as well as an actor at the then new Nottingham Playhouse and is remembered in Nottingham for establishing the Playhouse as a premier provincial theatre. He resigned from the Playhouse in 1967 in a row over funding.

NICHOLLS Harry (1918-1975) Soldier
Born in Nottingham 21^st April 1918, Harry Nicholls was a lance corporal in the Grenedier Guards during World War 2. He won the Victoria Cross when he was 22 years old for action at the river Escaut, Belgium. After the action he was taken prisoner. He was awarded the VC posthumously as it was believed that he had been killed in action, and was presented with VC ribbon by the German commandant while he was a prisoner of war in Poland. His medals, including the Victoria Cross, are held by the Grenadier Guards who also presented a special plaque to Bosworth Road Schools, Nottingham, where he was educated. He died on 11^th September 1975 in Leeds.

OGDEN John Andrew Howard (1937-1989) Pianist & composer
John Ogden was born in Mansfield Woodhouse, the son of a Mansfield teacher. He studied music at the Royal Manchester College of Music from 1945 and made his London concert debut at 21 playing Busoni's monumental piano concerto. In 1962 he became the first Briton to win the toughest of all piano competitions - Moscow's five-week Tchaikovsky Competition, sharing the first prize with the Russian virtuoso Vladimir Ashkenazy. He was reputedly the only pianist capable of performing Soragbi's Opus Claricembalisticum, which lasts nearly five hours. He also mastered the two piano repertoire with Brenda Lucas, whom he married in 1960. He died in 1989 of bronco-pneumonia, aged 52. A charitable foundation was set up in his name in 1993 to promote his work and provide scholarships for people learning music. In 2002 a bust of Ogdon was unveiled at the Palace Theatre in Mansfield. For more information, click here to view the John Ogden website.

PETTIT Sir Dennis (1925-2011) Trade unionist & local politician
Dennis Pettit was born in Birmingham on 21 August 1925. He served with the Warwickshire Regiment during the war and began his political life in the trade union movement and as a member of the Labour Party. In 1973 he moved, as manager of Express Lifts, to Nottingham. He was elected to Broxtowe Borough Council the same year and became leader of the Labour group. In 1976 he was elected to Nottinghamshire County Council and by 1979 he became Labour group leader. When the Labour group took power in 1981 he became Leader of the County Council. He retired from local politics in 2000.

PLAYER family

PLAYER John (1839-1884) Tobacco manufacturer
John Player was born in Saffron Walden, Essex on 11^th July 1839. He was the son John Dane Player, a solicitor, and Sophia Clare, a school teacher. He arrived in Nottingham about 1860. By 1862 he had a shop on Beastmarket Hill as an agent for lace thread and artificial manures. He married Ann Whitely, nee Goodacre, who ran the shop next door, on 16^th August 1862 and they had 2 sons. After some time he added tobacco to his range of stock and this soon became his main business.  In 1877 he became a tobacco manufacturer when he took over William Wright's tobacco factory in Broad Marsh. John Player had the idea of selling pre-packaged branded tobacco and his branding and marketing was so successful that by 1881 he needed new factories which led to his purchase of land in Radford and the building of the famous Players factories. He died in Bournemouth of liver cancer in 1884 aged 45. Until 1893 the business was continued by family friends and senior employees, while his sons, the heirs (see below), were groomed to carry on the business.

Player John Dane (1864-1950) Tobacco manufacturer

Player William Goodacre (1866-1959) Tobacco manufacturer
John Dane Player was born 29^th November 1864; his brother William Goodacre Player on 23^rd January 1866, the sons of John Player (q.v.) and Ann Whitely (nee Goodacre). They were educated at Nottingham High School. The brothers inherited their father's business in 1893 and in 1895 they became joint managing directors. John Dane married Margaret Page, and they lived at Fernleigh, in Alexandra Park, Nottingham. William  married Mabel Askley, they had four sons, two of whom entered the firm, and four daughters. William bought Lenton Hurst, in Nottingham, which later became part of the University of Nottingham. He later acquired Whatton Manor, Whatton.

They were both made honorary freemen of the city of Nottingham in 1934. John Dane was also made a deputy lieutenant for Nottinghamshire in 1934, having served as a JP since 1905. He was a benefactor of the Nottingham children's hospital, to which he gave £50,000 for its rebuilding programme. The Players had the reputation of being enlightened employers. They began paying every employee an annual bonus on earnings in 1910, and holidays with pay were started in 1922. Sports clubs associated with the firm started in the early 1900s and led to a comprehensive welfare and sports organization with well-equipped grounds. The firm became noted for its high wages and excellent working conditions. John Player & Sons, as it became known, continued to grow with the increasing demand for cigarettes. Under the leadership of the two brothers the workforce grew to a thousand by 1898, to 2500 by 1914, and to 5000 by 1928.John Dane died on 6 April 1950. William, died on 27 June 1959. Both were extremely wealthy at the time of their deaths: with John Dane's estate exceeding £2.5 million.

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PLEASENCE Donald (1919-1995) Actor
Donald Pleasence was born at 62 Potter Street, Worksop on 5^th October 1919, the son of Thomas Stanley Pleasence, a railway clerk, and later a station master, and his wife, Alice. When he left school he unsuccessfully applied for a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. However, in 1939 he found a job as assistant stage manager at the Playhouse, Jersey, where he made his first professional stage appearance as Hareton in Wuthering Heights. Three years later he made his London début as Curio in Twelfth Night, at the Arts Theatre Club. He joined the Royal Air Force during World War 2 as a wireless operator and was shot down and in 1944 and taken prisoner. He was demobilized in 1946. He was a prolific actor, both on stage and in films and won best supporting actor of 1957 for his performance in The Restless Hear'. His films include The Great Escape, The Eagle has Landed and Halloween. He was appointed an OBE in 1994 for his services to theatre and film. He died in France on 2 February 1995 aged 75.

POLLARD Su (Susan Georgina) (1949-) Actor
Su Pollard was born in Radford, Nottingham on 7^th November 1949, daughter of Don and Hilda Pollard. She learned acting at the Co-operative Arts Theatre in George Street, Hockley - now the Nottingham Arts Theatre. Her television break came in 1974 on the television programme Opportunity Knocks singing 'I'm just a girl who can't say no'. She made her name as the slightly simple maid in televisions' holiday camp romp Hi-De-Hi, and as the maid in You Rang, M'Lord. For more information see: www.supollard.co.uk/biog

PURI Nat (c1940-) Businessman
Nat Puri is one of the richest people in Nottinghamshire: he owns companies with total sales of £750 million and employs over 4,500 people. He came to Nottingham from India in his mid 20s with a background in engineering. His first job was with local firm F. G. Skerritt which he bought 15 years later. Mr. Puri is also a philanthropist, and has donated millions of pounds to support a number of projects both here and in his homeland of India, particularly in the fields of education and scientific research.

RANDALL, Derek (1951 - ) Cricketer
Born in Retford, Derek Randall was a world class cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire and England in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Because of his speed on the field he was affectionately known to cricket fans as Arkle - after the famous racehorse, but always Rags to himself. He was Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1980. In Randall's Nottinghamshire career, which lasted from 1972 to 1983, he hit 1,000 runs in a season eight times and scored two double centuries. His highest score of 209 against Middlesex in 1979 was accompanied by 146 in the same game. Even at the ripe old age of 49, he was turning out for Suffolk in the 2000 season and played in the NatWest Trophy. he finally retired in 2001.

REDDISH Tim (1957-) Athlete
Tim Reddish was a competitive swimmer from an early age. In 1988, when he was 31, he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, an hereditary degenerative condition which affected his sight. The following year, 1989, he took part in his first major international event, the European Championships, scooping two gold, five silver and four bronze medals. During his 13-year international career he attended three Paralympic Games, three World Championships and five European Championships, where he has collected a total of 22 gold, 11 silver and 10 bronze medals. He later helped develop Paralympic swimming worldwide. In December 2006 as director of British Disability Swimming he led the team in the World Championships, where they won 24 gold, 14 silver and 14 bronze medals. He is a Freeman of the City of Nottingham and an MBE.

RICHARDSON Gordon William Humphreys (1915-) Lawyer and Banker
Born 25^th November 1915, Gordon Richardson attended Nottingham High School, where he was Head Boy; he lived on Edwards Lane in Nottingham. His father was connected with the grocer's shop Joseph Burton & Sons, of Smithy Row, Nottingham. Gordon Richardson trained as a lawyer at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He started his career by specialising in company law and moved into finance in the mid 1950s when he joined Lord Piercy's Industrial and Commercial Finance Corporation. He became a director of J.Henry Shroder and Co. in 1957, deputy chairman in 1960 and chairman of J. Henry Shroder Wagg and Co. in 1962. He became Governor of the Bank of England from 1973 to 1983. In 1983 he was created Baron Richardson of Duntisborne, with a seat in the House of Lords. In January 2001 he was appointed a Privy Counsellor in the New Year's Honours List.

RIMINGTON Stella (1935-) Director General of MI5 and author
Born in Nottingham in 1935, Stella Rimington attended Nottingham Girl's High School and Edinburgh and Liverpool Universities. In 1959 she started work in Worcestershire County Archives, and moved to the India Office Library in London in 1962. She joined the Security Service part time in 1965. She made history when she became the first female Director General of MI5, as well as the first Director General to be publicly named. She retired from the security service in 1996. She was made a Dame Commander of the Bath (DCB) in 1996. She has written an autobiography, Open Secret, and is a best selling fiction author.

ROBERTS Cecil (1892-1976) Editor and author
Cecil Roberts was born on 18^th May 1892 in Nottingham. He worked as Literary Editor at the Liverpool Post. During World War 1, he was their Naval Correspondent,Grand Fleet, and War Correspondent for the Western Front and the Rhine. He became editor of the Nottingham Journal at the age of 28 and in 1922 he was elected Liberal MP for Nottingham. In 1923 the first of his many novels, Scissors, was published. None of his books are now in print. Much of his later life was spent in Italy, though he regularly returned to Nottingham and in 1965 was made a Freeman of Nottingham City. He is remembered in the Cecil Roberts Room at the Central Library, Angel Row. He died in Rome December 20^th, 1976 aged 84.

ROBINSON Tony (Anthony Fonesca) (1921 -2002) Politician & Sheriff of Nottingham
Tony Robinson was born in Manchester, Jamaica and came to Britain in 1960. He worked as a bus driver for Nottingham City Transport and during this time he was an active member of the Transport and General Workers' Union. After retiring in 1985 he was elected Labour city councillor for Bestwood Park in May 1987. He became the first black Sheriff of Nottingham in 1989 and held the office twice more, in 1993/94 and 1997/98, becoming the first man to be Sheriff of Nottingham three times. He was also vice-chairman of the Nottingham Community Race Relations Council. He died in 2002 at the age of 81.

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ROLLESTON Sir Lancelot (1847-1941) Soldier and Public Servant
Lancelot Rolleston lived at Watnall Hall, Nottinghamshire. He became a soldier in the South Nottinghamshire Yeomanry Cavalry in 1868 and rose through the ranks to become honorary colonel by 1896, commanding the South Notts Hussars during the Boer War. He was created K.C.B. in 1911. Once out of the army he held many local public offices including that of Deputy Lord Lieutenant and High Sheriff; he was chairman of Nottinghamshire County Council and Nottinghamshire Quarter Sessions. He was also County Commissioner for Boy Scouts for 31 years. He died at his home, Watnall Hall, in 1941 aged 93.

SCOTT Doug (1941-) Mountaineer and teacher
Doug Scott, born in 1941, went to Mundella School, Nottingham and later became a geography teacher at Cottesmore School. In 1975 he and the late Dougal Haston became the first Britons to scale Mount Everest. He was made a Freeman of Nottingham in 1976. He went on to make history again in 1979 when, with Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker, he made the first ascent of Kangchenjunga's North ridge in lightweight style without oxygen. Kangchenjunga is the third highest mountain in the world, spanning both India and Nepal. In 1994 he was presented with a CBE for services to mountaineering.

SHACKLOCK Constance Bertha (1913-1999) Opera singer
Constance Shacklock was born on 16^th April 1913 at 79 Port Arthur Road, Nottingham, the daughter of Frederick Randolph Shacklock, a farmer, and his wife Hilda Louise. She was a contralto opera singer who made her first public appearance at the age of 13 singing in the choir at the Methodist Church in Broomhill Road, Bulwell. Her final concert was held down the road at St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. She won several local prizes, including the Nottingham Music Drama Festival in 1936 when she won a top award with her rendition of the Carl Bohm song Still As The Night.  In 1939 she won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London and won all prizes possible for a contralto. She met her future husband, the musician Eric George Mitchell, at Covent Garden. From 1968 she was a professor at the Royal Academy of Music. She retired from the concert stage in 1967 and was appointed OBE in 1971 for services to music. She died in 1999 aged 86.

SHAW Charles Frederick (1878 - 1959) Photographer
Charles Shaw was the first press photographer to be employed by the Nottingham Guardian in the early part of the 20^th Century. He was a pioneer of photography, claiming that he had taken the first ever aerial photograph in 1907 and an aerial picture of the Trent in 1910. He and his wife Hessie (nee Gamble) lived in Park Ravine, The Park. In 1930 he left the Nottingham Guardian and wrote the Newsman's Notebook in the Nottingham Evening News under the pen name of The Scribe.He died in August 1959.

SHIPMAN  Harold Frederick (1946-2004) Doctor & Mass Murderer
Harold Shipman was born on 14 January 1946 on Edwards Lane, Nottingham, the son of Harold  Shipman, a lorry driver, and his wife, Vera. He attended Whitemoor junior school and High Pavement Grammar School, Nottingham His mother died from lung cancer when he was seventeen and this made a deep impression on him, influencing him to study medicine. He trained at Leeds University medical school. Shipman married Primrose May Oxtoby on 5 November 1966. From 1970 to 1974 Shipman worked as a junior houseman at Pontefract General Infirmary. He left Pontefract in 1974 to work as a general practitioner at Todmorden. On 17 March 1975 he murdered his first known victim, (see the Shipman Inquiry, 1st Report, July 2002). Later that year he was forced to resign from the Todmorden practice and undergo voluntary treatment for pethidine addiction at a psychiatric unit at York.He then worked at Hyde in Cheshire from October 1977. In his fourteen years here he is known to have killed seventy-one patients, probably using morphine, and thirty further suspicious deaths were identified: not all his victims were terminally ill. In 1992 he opened a one-man practice in Market Street, Hyde. Between 1992 and 1998 he murdered at least 143 patients. Eventually the high level of mortality among his patients was noticed and the police investigated, but he was cleared in April 1998. Shipman went on to murder another patient in May, and two in June of 1998, one of whom was Kathleen Grundy. Shortly before he killed Mrs Grundy, Shipman typed a forged will which left all her property to him. This attempted fraud renewed police interest in him and he was arrested on 7 September 1998. After further investigations he was tried for the murder of fifteen women and for the forgery of Mrs Grundy's will.  His trial began on 5 October 1999 at Preston crown court and lasted for fifty-seven days. He testified in his own defence, denying all the accusations. The evidence against him was overwhelming and he was convicted on 31 January 2000, and sentenced to fifteen life sentences. In order to protect his wife's financial situation, he hanged himself on 13 January 2004 in Wakefield prison. An official public inquiry (2001-5) attributed 215 murders to him and listed 45 other suspicious deaths.

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SHERBROOKE, Robert ("Rupert") St Vincent (1901 - 1972) Naval hero.
Born 8^th January 1901 at Oxton Hall, Nottinghamshire. Joined the Royal Navy in 1913.
During World War II he served as a Captain. He was awarded a V.C. for his actions during the Battle of the Barents Sea when, on 31^st December 1942, in spite of severe injuries, he continued to command ships under his control to protect a vital Russian-bound Allied convoy until it was out of danger from enemy attack.
He retired from the Royal Navy in 1954 and returned to live at Oxton.
He was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire in 1968. He died at Oxton on 13th June 1972.

SILLITOE Alan (1928 - 2010) Author
Alan Sillitoe was born 4 March 1928 at 5 Beaconsfield Terrace, Radford, the son of a tannery labourer. He left school at the age of 14 and worked in a bicycle factory before joining the Royal Air Force in 1946. His first published work, No shot in the dark, appeared in the Nottinghamshire Guardian on August 20^th 1950. He is the author of many acclaimed novels, including Saturday Night, Sunday Morning, which is set in the old streets of Radford. The loneliness of the long distance runner, published in 1959, won the Hawthornden Prize. In 1959 he married Ruth Fainlight, an American poet. In 1990, he was awarded an honorary degree from Nottingham Trent University.

SKELTON, Roy (1931 - 2011) Actor
Roy Skelton was born in the Meadows area of Nottingham in 1931 where his parents ran a sweet shop. He attended the Mundella Grammar School and began acting at the Meadows Boys Club. Whilst there, he also took up boxing and became a flyweight champion for boys' clubs in England.
At 14 he joined a travelling theatre, returning to Nottingham after two years away to attend college. This was followed by National Service in the RAF. Roy's acting career continued with appearances in the films Zulu and Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy but it was as the voice of the Dalek's in television's Dr Who and as the voices of Zippy and George in the children's Television series Rainbow that he is best remembered. A lifelong Forest football supporter Roy returned regularly to Nottingham from his home in Brighton.

SIMPSON Tommy (1937-1967) Racing cyclist
Tommy Simpson was born on 30th November 1937 at Station Street, Haswell, county Durham, son of Thomas Simpson, a conveyor worker in a coal mine who became a glassworker and later a storekeeper, and his wife, Alice. He was bought up in Harworth, Nottinghamshire, where he attended Harworth village school and later Worksop Technical College. In 1954 was apprenticed as a draughtsman at an engineering company in Retford. He won a bronze medal in the team pursuit at the Melbourne Olympics (1956) and silver in the individual pursuit at the Cardiff British Commonwealth and Empire games (1958). On 3 January 1961 he married Helen Margaret Sherburn. He was world professional road race champion in 1965 and was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year. In 1967, during the thirteenth stage of the Tour de France, Simpson collapsed in high temperatures half a mile from the summit of Mont Ventoux. Attempts at resuscitation failed and he died on 13 July 1967. His was the first known drugs-related death of a British sportsperson: although the official cause of death was dehydration and exhaustion, it was later acknowledged that Simpson, like many other cyclists of the time, had been using amphetamines.

SMITH Paul (1946-) Fashion designer
Sir Paul Smith was born in Beeston on 5 July 1946 to Irene and Harold Smith, a draper and amateur photographer. In 1961 he left school with no qualifications. His father, Harold Smith, took him to a Nottingham clothing warehouse and forced him to take a job there as an errand boy. Originally, he wanted to be a racing cyclist, but an accident in 1963  ended that dream. Paul Smith became interested in art and fashion through making displays for the clothing warehouse and taking charge of menswear buying. He opened his first, tiny shop Paul Smith Vêtement Pour Homme on Byard Lane, Nottingham in 1970 and has gone on to become a world famous fashion designer. He received an Honorary Master of Design degree from Nottingham Polytechnic on November 16^th, 1991 and was awarded a CBE in January 1994. He married Pauline Denyer in 2000, on the same day that he was knighted in the Birthdays Honours List. He is also a Freeman of Nottingham.

SMITH Thomas (1631-1699) Banker
Thomas Smith was born in 1631 in Cropwell Bishop, Nottinghamshire. In 1658 he bought premises at the corner of Peck Lane, where he was a mercer (cloth merchant). Sometime after this he began to offer banking services to his customers. It was the first private bank outside London and is the origin of the oldest country Banking House in England. The precise date of the establishment of Smith's Bank is not clear, but it was about 1688. Twelve years after the foundation of the bank Thomas Smith died. He married twice, first to Mary, daughter of John Hooper, of Somerset; and secondly to the daughter of Lawrence Collin of Nottingham. During his lifetime he amassed a large fortune, and he died in 1699 in possession of much landed property. His eldest son, Thomas, succeeded him in the banking business. A plaque outside the Natwest Bank branch on the east side of South Parade, Nottingham announces that Smith's bank stood near this site. The Smith family quit the business in 1902 when a merger formed the Union of London and Smith's bank. This then became the National Provincial Bank in 1918, and then the National Westminster Bank in 1969.

SPENCER, June (c1920 - ) Actor
June Spencer plays the character Peggy Woolley in the long-running Radio 4 drama The Archers. She is the only current cast member to have been in the pilot episode in 1950 and the first national episode broadcast on 1 January 1951.
Born in Nottingham c.1920, her stage debut came at the age of three when she played the King of the Land of Nod at a local drama school.
By the age of 12, June was writing plays and producing them in her back garden before a paying audience. When she was slightly older, June began to write and perform comedy sketches as an after-dinner entertainer, and eventually became a professional. Her parents, who were keen supporters of the theatre, encouraged her when she got her first job in the theatre. A successful career in the theatre and radio followed.
In 1950 June discovered that she had been cast in a new Radio series - The Archers - even before she had been asked if she would like the part.
June was married for many years to her late husband Roger. Together they adopted and raised two children - a son and daughter.
June's work, which has covered many different kinds of radio drama, including Children's Hour, Dick Barton and Mrs. Dale's Diary. She has played real life characters such as Mary Queen of Scots, Lady Jane Grey and Florence Nightingale. She was also interviewed in her Menorca home by the late Sir Harry Secombe for BBC ONE's Songs of Praise. In 1991 she was made an OBE.
For further information see: www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/archers/whos_who/actors/actor_june_spencer.shtml

SQUIRE Rosemary  (1956 - ) Theatre manager
Rosemary Squire was born in Nottingham and attended Nottingham Girl's High School. She is executive director of the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG). Her first paid job in entertainment was as an usherette at the Odeon Cinema in Angel Row, Nottingham in the early 1970s. She gained a first class degree in Modern Languages at Southamption University and won a postgraduate scholarship to Brown University, USA. On her return to the UK in 1980, she worked for Ian Albery at the Maybox Group, becoming General Manager at the age of just 28. In 1988 she became General Manager of the Turnstyle Group, co-producing the award-winning musical Carmen Jones, in addition to many plays and musicals in London and the regions.
In 1992, she co-founded ATG with Howard Panter (her husband). She is responsible for the company's core business and new projects and as Executive Director she has spearheaded its growth from two venues to a current total of twenty-four (including eleven in London's West End). ATG is also one of the most prolific producers in London theatre, co-producing up to 20 plays and musicals in any year and is behind productions such as Guys & Dolls starring Ewan McGregor.

STAPLETON Cyril (1914-1974) Violinist and band leader
Cyril Stapleton was born on Woodborough Road, Mapperley on 31^st December 1914. He began learning the violin at the age of 7 and made his first broadcast at age 12 on 5NG, the local radio station. In 1930 the Nottingham Education Committee granted him £25 and lent him the same amount so that he could travel to Czechoslovakia to study violin under Sevcik. At age 17 he won a scholarship to Trinity College of Music, London. It was while he was there that he auditioned for Henry Halls Dance Band. Although he did perform with them for a while, Hall decided that he was too young to continue and so he returned to Nottingham where he formed his own band playing at local cinemas. One of his first jobs was in the pit of Nottingham's Parliament Street Picture House, playing in a small orchestra that accompanied silent films. His band went on to play in London restaurants. During the war he conducted RAF bands around the world. In 1952, when the BBC Dance Orchestra was changed to the BBC Show Band he was appointed conductor. He died on 25th February 1974, aged 59.

STARDUST Alvin (1942-) Singer and actor
Bernard Jewry was born in London but raised in Mansfield and attended Southwell Minster School. His first steps onto the stage were in local pantomime, and his singing ability was spotted at Mansfield's Palais de Danse. He has been a star for more than 40 years - first as Shane Fenton with the Fentones, and then, more successfully, as Alvin Stardust, having hits with Jealous Mind, My Coo Cacho', and Red Dress. His first wife was Iris Cauldwell, with whom he had a son. His second wife was the actress Liza Goddard, with whom he had a daughter in 1974, and his present wife is another actress, Julie Paton. His career as an actor continues and in 2005 he starred as the child catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium.

Swanwick, Peter [Walter] (1922 - 14 Nov 1968) Actor
Originally named Walter, Peter Swanwick was born in Nottingham in 1922. He attended the Manvers School, Nottingham. 
During World War II he was in the South Notts. Hussars and later served as a radar operator. In 1944, he was one of the first troops into Normandy on D-Day. He was badly wounded and spent months in hospital.
His first job after the war was as stage manager, and occasional actor, at the Little Theatre the forerunner to the Playhouse - in Goldsmith Street, Nottingham. He then spent two years with the Argosy Players at the Palace Theatre, Mansfield.
He married his wife, Nellie, in 1950 and moved to London. As well as appearing in many popular films (including The African Queen), he became a well-known face on British TV appearing in a number of popular programmes such as The Avengers and Danger Man  where he first worked with Prisoner star,  Patrick McGoohan. He later played the part of the "Supervisor" (sometimes called the 'Controller') in the TV series,  The Prisoner. He was also a regular on the West End stage.
Peter Swanwick died at the early age of 46 in 1968.

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TARBOTTON Marriott Ogle (1834-1887) Engineer
Marriott Ogle Tarbotton was born in Leeds 6^th December 1834. On 8 September 1857 he married Emma Maria Stanfield. He was appointed borough surveyor for the Nottingham Corporation in 1859 at age 25. He arrived in Nottingham at an important time, when the Nottingham Corporation was beginning to tackle the unsanitary and overcrowded conditions which had been severely criticised and he followed on from the earlier work undertaken by Thomas Hawksley (q.v.) Tarbotton found that the use of the river Leen by the towns north of Nottingham for industry and as a sewer caused health problems when the river entered Nottingham. Other activities during his period included: drawing up plans and specifications for a university college; serving as gas engineer; and setting out plans for what eventually became the Nottingham and District Sewerage Act of 1872. Tarbotton designed a new bridge over the River Trent and built it within four years, completing the project at £1,000 below the estimated cost of £31,000. The bridge was opened on July 25, 1871. He resigned as borough engineer in 1880 and was appointed engineer to the Water, Gas, and Sewage Disposal Committees where he supervised the building of a new water pumping station at Papplewick. He was taken ill at a meeting of the committee and died two days later at his home, Castledene, The Park, Nottingham, on 6 March 1887 and was buried in Nottingham.

THOMPSON William [Bendigo] (1811-1880) Pugilist
William Thompson was reputedly one of triplets, the youngest of 21 children of Benjamin Thompson, a mechanic in the lace industry, and his wife, Mary. The triplets became known in early 19^th century Nottingham as Abednego, Mesach and Shadrach, (reflecting the Biblical trio who were thrown into the fiery furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar). The record of his baptism at St Mary's, Nottingham, on 16 October 1811, however, records him as the younger of twins. He learned the trade of iron turning but also became a boxer in his youth. In 1832 he beat Bill Faulker, notorious at the time in Nottingham, and in the following year he defeated Charles Martin. In his first challenge reported in Bell's Life in London in 1835, he named himself Abednego of Nottingham, and from that date he was known as Bendigo. It was his intense rivalry with Hucknall fighter Benjamin Caunt that captured the imagination of fight fans of the time. Their first important fight was on 21 July 1835, near Appleby House, about 30 miles from Nottingham. In the twenty-third round Caunt, wearied with Bendigo's continually hitting him and then dropping to make any retaliation 'foul', struck him a blow while he was on his second's knee; this foul blow lost Caunt the fight. On 24 May 1836, 9 miles from Sheffield, he defeated John Leechman, known as Brassey, in fifty-two rounds after a severe contest. On 12^th February 1939, in the presence of 15,000 people, he fought Deaf Burke at Heather, Leicestershire. This was the first fight under the new London rules and when in the tenth round Burke butted him twice, the referee gave a decision that the blows were 'foul' and Bendigo won. On 23 March 1840, while somersaulting Bendigo hurt his kneecap and was laid up for two years. His last appearance in the ring took place on 15 June 1850, aged 38, at Mildenhall, Suffolk, when, for £200 a side, he fought Tom Paddock.

After his retirement from the ring, Bendigo took to drink, and was confined in the Nottingham house of correction twenty-eight times. But after attending a revivalist meeting in 1872, which was addressed by Richard Weaver the collier evangelist, he 'saw the light', took the teetotal pledge and became an evangelist preacher in Nottingham and elsewhere. Bendigo died at Beeston, Nottingham, on 23 August 1880, after a fall downstairs broke his ribs which then punctured a lung. He was buried in St Mary's cemetery, St Ann's Well Road. In 1955 he was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame.

THOROTON Robert (1623-1678) Doctor, historian and author
Robert Thoroton was born at Morin Hall, Car Colston on 4 October  1623, son of Robert Thoroton and his wife, Anne Chambers of Stapleford. His family had long been small landowners in Nottinghamshire and the family owed its name to the hamlet of Thoroton, formerly Thurveton, near Newark. He went to Christ College, Cambridge in 1639 to study medicine, and in 1646 was granted a licence to practice medicine. He married Anne Boun the daughter of Gilbert Boun, serjeant-at-law, recorder of Newark, and MP, on 27 October 1645. They settled at Car Colston where Thoroton practiced medicine and followed the pursuits of a country gentleman. He began The Antiquities of Nottinghamshire, Extracted out of Records, Original Evidences, Leiger Books, other Manuscripts, and Authentick Authorities in 1667 in which he tried to trace the manorial history of each parish back to Domesday. For his researches he employed assistants paid at his own expense, who delved into family archives, registers (some now lost), estate papers, church monuments, and epitaphs. He died at Car Colston on 21 November 1678 aged 55 and was buried on 23 November. The Thoroton Society, Nottinghamshire's local historical society, is named after him.

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TORVILL Jayne (1957-) & DEAN Christopher (1958 - ) Ice dance champions
Jayne Torvill was born 7 October 1957 and Christopher Dean on 27 July 1958, both in Nottingham. In 1975, when they became an ice dancing team, Jayne Torvill was an insurance clerk and Christopher Dean was in the police force. They won their first competition in 1976 and were taken on by international coach Betty Callway who steered them to Olympic and World Championship glory with help from musical star Michael Crawford. After coming 5^th in the 1980 Olympics they both gave up their jobs to concentrate on ice dancing. They won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo, with perfect scores from all 9 judges for their dance to the music of Ravel's Bolero. They retired from competition in 1984 and went on to produce their own ice show. Torvill and Dean returned to competitive skating in 1993 and won the gold medal in the 1994 European championships and the bronze in the 1994 Olympics. They were awarded the OBE in 2000. In 2006, they were back on ice together as they trained celebrities in ice dancing in the ITV show Dancing On Ice.

TREASE (Robert) Geoffrey (1909-1998) Author
Geoffrey Trease was born 11 August 1909, son of George Albert Trease, a wine merchant, and his wife, Florence Dale, a doctor's daughter. He won a scholarship to Nottingham High School and then one to Oxford University to study classics, which he attended for only a year. For two years he did literary work in London, and then became a private school teacher. Here he met Marian Haselden Granger Boyer, a fellow teacher and they married on 11 August 1933.  Trease initially struggled as a writer , but broke through as a children's author in 1934 with the publication of Bows Against the Baron, a Robin Hood story meant to show the seamy side of Merrie England, with Robin as a champion of the poor. The book sold around the world and he wrote over 100 more books, both fiction and non-fiction, including biographies of DH Lawrence and Byron. He was the first chairman of the Society of Authors children's writers group and in 1979 he became a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He died at the age of 88 on 27 January 1998.

WESTWOOD Lee (1973-) Golfer
Lee Westwood was born in Worksop, 24 April 1973. He became a professional golfer in 1993, and the he first tasted victory in Sweden. For more information, click here to visit the Lee Westwood website.

WHEATCROFT Harry (1898-1977) Horticulturist
Harry Wheatcroft was born on 24 August 1898 at 23 Handel Street, Sneinton, son of George Alfred Wheatcroft, a journeyman stonemason and builder, and Sarah Elizabeth Wood. He was educated in Nottingham and France. After working in a lace factory and a motor firm he was conscripted in 1916 despite being a registered conscientious objector. He was court-martialled for disobedience and sentenced to two years' imprisonment in Wormwood Scrubs. After serving a year he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and released to convalesce at a Quaker health home. In 1919 Harry and his brother Alfred established the horticultural firm of Wheatcroft Brothers, with a bicycle as the only means of transport, and in 1920 roses, for which he would become famous, became a speciality of the firm. On 15 June 1929 he married Dorothy, known as Doss, the daughter of John Averill, a wealthy Tamworth farmer. They lived at the nursery in Gedling, Nottingham, in a custom-built gypsy caravan. The royal Horticultural Society honoured him in 1972 with the Victoria medal of honour, and in 1973 he was awarded the Royal National Rose Society's Dean Hole medal. He died in 1977.

WHETTON John (1941-) Athlete
John Whetton was born on 6 September 1941 in Sutton-in-Ashfield. He was a middle distance runner - 1500m and the mile - and won six consecutive national AAA indoor Mile/1500m titles between 1963 and 1968. He won a gold medal for the 1500m in the European championships of 1969 in Athens when nearing the end of his running career. He was not among the favourites but the tactical knowledge he had built over years of competing carried him to victory, charging off the last bend to hold off all his challengers. That gold medal, added to triumphs at the World University Games and Olympic finals in 1964 and 1968, put him among the county's sporting heroes.

*WHITBY, Henry Seely (1869-?) Councillor, JP*
Born in Plantagenet Street in 1869, he attended the Wesley School in Arkwright Street. He became interested in politics when he was 14, and was a Liberal. He won a seat on the city council in 1924 and went on to be one of the most influential of Nottingham's Lord Mayors in 1933. He was co-founder of the city and county branch of the Crimean Veterans Association and was secretary for more than 30 years.

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WILLOUGHBY Sir Francis (1546/7-1596) Coal owner, industrialist
Francis Willoughby was probably born at Woodlands, Dorset, son of Henry Willoughby, and his wife, Anne, daughter of Thomas Grey, the marquess of Dorset. Henry Willoughby had inherited the family wealth from Wollaton, Nottinghamshire, including its lucrative coal pit.  Francis succeeded his brother, Thomas, after the latter's death in August 1559.  He married Elizabeth, the daughter of Mr Littleton of Franklen, Worcestershire and they had several children. He was knighted in 1575 at Kenilworth.

Sir Francis Willoughby built the Wollaton Hall people know today, although it has a history stretching back to the Middle Ages. He chose a high position for the new manor so it dominated the countryside all around. The architect was Robert Smythson, who was later to build Hardwick Hall, but Willoughby played an important part in the design and the result was an eclectic, eye-catching building. In 1580 his only son died, leaving six surviving daughters. By this time Willoughby and his wife had separated, and in 1582 the Queen formalized the separation by an order allowing Lady Willoughby £200 a year for her maintenance. Willoughby's  eldest daughter, Bridget, was married in 1583 to Percival Willoughby, of Kent, in the hope that she would provide an heir. Anne died in 1595, and Francis remarried in 1595. However, after being married for fifteen months, he died in London on 16 November 1596.

WILSON Dennis 'Tug' (?-1991) Police constable
Police Constable Dennis 'Tug' Wilson, who stood 6ft 8in tall - 7ft 2in with his helmet on - became a familiar figure in and around the Old Market Square Nottingham, distinguished not only by his height, but also his magnificent handlebar moustache. He was an Ex-Grenadier Guard who retired from the police force in 1983 and died in 1991.

WOLFIT Donald (1902-1968) Actor and theatre manager
Donald Wolfit was born in Balderton on 20 April 1902, son of William Pearce Woolfitt, a brewer's clerk, and Emma Tomlinson. He was educated at the Mount School in Newark before gaining a scholarship to Magnus Grammar School. He was obsessed with the theatre from an early age but his parents were opposed to acting as a career wanted him to be a teacher instead. He agreed but used teaching as a way to leave Newark and his parents' influence by finding employment at a small private boarding-school in Eastbourne. In 1920 when Charles Doran's touring Shakespearian company visited Eastbourne, Wolfit was employed as assistant stage manager, walk-on, and understudy. When an actor fell ill, his chance came to step in and act. He made his London debut in 1924 under Matheson Lang who engaged him to play small parts in a season that included The Wandering Jew at the New Theatre. There followed several years of touring and repertory engagements. Wolfit's opportunity to make a real impression came when Lilian Baylis engaged him to play at the Old Vic during 1929-30. He was highly praised, especially as the King in Hamlet. In 1934 he persuaded Newark council to guarantee his expenses so that he could present a week-long festival of drama in the town. He produced Arms and the Man, Twelfth Night, and The Master Builder with a company which included John Clements and Margaret Rutherford. In 1936 and 1937, Wolfit at last won national recognition for his performances at Stratford upon Avon, under the direction of Ben Iden Payne. Wolfit was praised for his Kent in King Lear and for his Hamlet. His success encouraged him to become a full-time actor-management. In autumn 1937 he recruited a company of actors, and toured six plays by Shakespeare and Every Man in his Humour in which he played Bobadil. He continued to be an actor-manager for the next twenty-six years, presenting plays by Shakespeare and other dramatists, mostly on tour but with occasionally in London.He also gave acclaimed performances in such films as Pickwick Papers, Room at the Top, and as Svengali.In 1950 he was appointed CBE and was knighted in 1957. He died in the Royal Masonic Hospital, London, on 17 February 1968.

YATES Anne (c1913-2006) Councillor
Anne Yates was a Conservative member of Nottinghamshire County Council, and when she was elected to Nottinghamshire County Council in 1955 she was its youngest ever member. In 1968 she became the authority's first woman Chairman. She helped establish the international water sports centre at Holme Pierrepont in 1973 and was awarded a CBE in 1972 for public service. Anne Yates lived in West Bridgford for many years before moving to Rolleston. She retired in 1999 aged 86, after nearly 40 years in politics. Her final years were spent in a nursing home in Bleasby before she died at Newark Hospital in February 2006 aged 93.

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