List of people from Bath

This article provides a non-exhaustive list of famous people born, educated or prominent in Bath, Somerset, England, or otherwise associated with it. The sections and the names in each section are alphabetical. Bathonian describes a person who comes from Bath.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Beckford's Tower on Lansdown Hill

Acting

The Theatre Royal

• Jennifer Biddall (born 1980) an English actress who played Jessica Harris in Hollyoaks^{[citation needed]}
• Patricia Brake (1942–2022) – actress in Porridge, and Going Straight^[1]
• Adam Campbell (born 1980) – actor in Epic Movie and Date Movie^{[citation needed]}
• Julia Davis (born 1966) an English actress, comedian, director and writer.^{[citation needed]}
• Michael Gwynn (1916–1976) an English actor
• Anthony Head (born 1954) an English actor, singer and performer in musical theatre.^[2]
• Jonathan Hyde (born 1948) an Australian-English actor.^[3]
• Kym Jackson (born 1981) an Australian actress and author.
• Andrew Lincoln (born 1973) an English actor, brought up in Bath.^[4]
• Jonathan Lynn (born 1943) – actor, writer and director^{[citation needed]}
• Angelica Mandy (living) – in Vanity Fair, and in the Harry Potter series as Gabrielle Delacour
• Leo McKern (1920–2002) – Rumpole actor^[5]
• Tom Payne (born 1982) an English actor.^[6]
• Arnold Ridley (1896–1984) an English playwright and actor.^{[citation needed]}
• Sarah Siddons (1755–1831) – actress^[7]
• Benjamin Nottingham Webster (1797–1882) an English actor-manager and dramatist.^[8]
• Indira Varma (born 1973) a British actress.^{[citation needed]}

Architecture

The Palladian Bridge, Prior Park Gardens

• Robert Adam (1728–1792) – architect of Pulteney Bridge, also produced unbuilt designs for the Assembly Rooms and Bathwick estate.^[9]
• Thomas Baldwin (c. 1750–1820) – architect of Great Pulteney Street and Bath Guildhall.^[10]
• Sir Reginald Blomfield (1856–1942) – architect of the Bath War Memorial and extension of the Holbourne Museum.^[11]
• Thomas Fuller (1823–1898) – emigrated to Canada, where he co-designed the Parliament House in Ottawa.^[12]
• Frederick Gibberd (1908–1984) – architect of Bath Technical College.^[13]
• Henry Goodridge (1797–1864) – architect of Beckford's Tower, Cleveland Bridge and The Corridor shopping arcade^[14]
• Sir Thomas Graham Jackson (1835–1924) – architect of the World War I memorial aisle Bath Abbey.^[15]
• Charles Harcourt Masters (born 1759) – active in Bathwick including Sydney Gardens.^[16]
• William Eden Nesfield (1835–1888) – architect, one of the leaders of the Gothic revival in England.^[17]
• John Palmer (c. 1738–1817) – architect of the Pump Room and Lansdown Crescent.^[18]
• Charles J. Phipps (1835–1897) – Theatre Royal, Bath and other theatres around Britain.^[19]
• John Pinch the Elder (1769–1827) – the original Royal United Hospital^[20]
• John Pinch the Younger (1796–1849) – architect
• George Gilbert Scott (1811–1878) – restoration of Bath Abbey, architect of St Andrew's church destroyed by World War II bombing^[21]
• Frederick William Stevens (1847–1900) – architect, emigrated to India.^[22]
• John Wood, the Elder (1704–1754) – architect of Queen Square and the Circus.^[23]
• John Wood, the Younger (1728–1772) – architect of the Royal Crescent.^[24]

Arts

• Roy Ascott (born 1934) – new media artist
• Daniel A. Baker (living) – artist
• Manolo Blahnik (born 1942) – shoe designer^[25]
• Sir Peter Blake (born 1932) lived in Wellow village, near Bath, in the 1970s.^[26]
• Peter Brown (born 1967) – painter^[27]
• James Buckley-Thorp (living) – founder of Bath clothing brand Rupert and Buckley
• Claire Calvert (born 1988) – first soloist at the Royal Ballet
• Thomas Gainsborough (1727–1788) – painter^[28]
• Heywood Hardy (1842–1933) – painter^[29]
• Thomas Lawrence (1769–1830) – painter^[30]
• Kayleigh Pearson (born 1985) – glamour model

Education

• Marie Bethell Beauclerc (1845–1897) – England's first female shorthand teacher^[31]
• Raymond Carr (1919–2015) – historian^[32]
• Roderick Kedward (born 1937) – historian^[33]
• Edward Vansittart Neale (1810–1892) – an English barrister, cooperator, and Christian socialist.^[34]
• Isaac Pitman (1813–1897) – inventor of shorthand^[35]
• William Harbutt (1844–1921) – headmaster and inventor of plasticine^[36]

Exiles

• Haile Selassie I (1892–1975) – during World War II^[37]
• Louis XVIII (1755–1824) – before ascending the French throne^[38]

Film and TV

• Bill Bailey (born 1965) – comedian, musician, actor, TV and radio presenter and author
• Jesse Honey (born 1977) – BBC Mastermind champion 2010^[39]
• Russell Howard (born 1980) – comedian, TV presenter and actor
• David Lassman (living) – screenwriter^[40]
• Ken Loach (born 1936) – film director^[41]
• Charlotte McDonnell (born 1990) – YouTuber, filmmaker and screenwriter^[42]
• David Robinson (born 1930) – film critic and author, official biographer of Charlie Chaplin, lives in Bath.^[43]

Literature

Looking south from the Pulteney Bridge in Bath

• Jane Austen (1775–1817) – novelist:^[44] Joan Aiken reports that Austen did not love the city: when she learnt her family were moving to Bath "she fainted dead away."^[45]
• Thomas Haynes Bayly (1797–1839) – an English poet, songwriter, dramatist and writer.^[46]
• William Beckford (1760–1844) – wrote Vathek and a series of works on travel.^[47]
• Henrietta Maria Bowdler (1750–1830) – novelist and editor, died in Bath on 25 February 1830.^[48]
• Jane Bowdler (1743–1784) – poet and essayist, was born at Ashley, near Bath, on 14 February 1743 and died there in 1784.^[49]
• John Bowdler (1746–1823) – moral reformer and religious writer, was born in Bath on 18 March 1746.^[50]
• Thomas Bowdler (1754–1825) – physician and expurgator of Shakespeare, was born at Box, near Bath, on 11 July 1754.^[51]
• Angela Carter (1940–1992) – novelist who lived in Bath in the early 1970s. ^[52]
• Charles Dickens (1812–1870) – novelist and frequent visitor to Bath, who set much of the Pickwick Papers there^[53]
• Richard Lovell Edgeworth (1744–1817) – an Anglo-Irish politician, writer and inventor.^[54]
• Henry Fielding (1707–1754) – novelist^[55]
• William Hone (1780–1842) – an English writer, satirist and bookseller.^[56]
• Eliza Humphreys (1850–1938) – known as "Rita", wrote A Grey Life, a novel set in Bath. She lived at Combe Down from about 1923 and is buried in Bath Abbey Cemetery.^[57]
• Morag Joss (born 1955) – novelist^[58]
• David Lassman (living) – novelist born in Bath, co-author of the Regency Detective series
• Robert Montgomery – an English poet and minister.^[59]
• Mary Shelley (1797–1851) – novelist, author of Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.^[60]
• Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751–1816) – playwright^[61]
• Tobias Smollett (1721–1771) – physician, surgeon and novelist, who partly set The Expedition of Humphry Clinker in the city and wrote an essay on the Bath waters.^[62]
• Geoffrey Trease (1909–1998) – children's novelist, author of the Bannermere series^[63]
• Horace Twiss (1787–1849) – English writer and politician.^[64]
• Jacqueline Wilson (born 1945) – children's author born in Bath^[65]

Military

• Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (1758–1805) – admiral, freeman of Bath.^[66]
• William Edward Parry (1790–1855) – rear-admiral and Arctic explorer.^{[67] [68]}
• Harry Patch (1898–2009) – supercentenarian and last trench veteran of World War I, lived in Combe Down.^[69]
• George Wade (1673–1748) – field marshal and MP for Bath 1722^[70]
• James Wolfe (1727–1759) – major general^[71]

Music

Street performance near Bath Abbey

• Gabrielle Aplin (born 1992) – singer-songwriter^[72]
• Danny Byrd (born 1979) – drum and bass producer with Hospital Records^[73]
• Eddie Cochran (1938–1960) – rock and roll musician who died in Bath^[74]
• The Family Rain – an English blues rock band, formed in Bath in 2011
• Fred V & Grafix – drum and bass production duo educated at Bath Spa University
• Peter Gabriel (born 1950) – musician^[75]
• Interview – New wave band
• Alison Goldfrapp (born 1966) – singer of Goldfrapp^[76]
• Peter Hammill (born 1948) – singer-songwriter
• Raymond Leppard (1927–2019) – conductor, educated Beechen Cliff School^[77]
• Naked Eyes – musical group^[78]
• Thomas Linley (1733–1795) – musician^[79]
• Propellerheads – an English electronic music duo, formed in 1995 in Bath
• Peter Salisbury (born 1971) – drummer and percussionist of The Verve
• Alberto Semprini (1908–1990) – pianist^[80]
• Innes Sibun (born 1968) – blues singer, guitarist and songwriter^[81]
• Frank Tapp (1883-1953), composer, pianist and conductor
• Tears for Fears – musical group^[82]
• Midge Ure (born 1953)
• PinkPantheress (born 2001)^[83]

Public service

The Parade Gardens

• Ralph Allen (1693–1764) – postal reformer, quarrier and mayor, who set up the first nationwide cross-country postal network^[84]
• Sir Henry Cole (1808–1882) – civil servant.^{[85] [86]}
• Don Foster (born 1947) – MP for Bath, 1992–2015^[87]
• Beau Nash (1674–1761) – master of ceremonies in Georgian Bath^[88]
• John Palmer (1742–1818) – inventor of a lightweight mail coach^[89]
• Chris Patten – MP for Bath 1979–1992, then Governor of Hong Kong 1992–1997^[90]
• William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham (1708–1788) – Prime Minister and MP for Bath, 1757–1766^[91]
• William Pitt the Younger (1759–1806) – Prime Minister^[92]
• Sir William Tite (1798–1873) – architect and MP for Bath, 1855–1873^[93]

Science

• Benjamin Baker (1840–1907) an eminent English civil engineer. ^[94]
• Adelard of Bath (c. 1080 – c. 1152) – astronomer, philosopher and mathematician^[95]
• Adela Breton (1849–1923) – artist and archaeologist, primarily known for recording Mexican frescoes in the 1890s.^[96]
• Mike Cowlishaw (living) – computer scientist and engineer^[97]
• Richard Lovell Edgeworth (1744–1817) – writer and inventor^[98]
• David Hartley (the Younger) (1732–1813) – philosopher and inventor^[99]
• Caroline Herschel (1750–1848) – astronomer who discovered several comets.
• William Herschel (1738–1822) – astronomer, discoverer of Uranus and musician^[100]
• William Lonsdale (1794–1871) – English geologist and palaeontologist.^[101]
• Thomas Robert Malthus (1866–1934) – philosopher and economist^[102]
• Dr William Oliver (1695–1764) – a founder of the Royal Mineral Water Hospital and inventor of the Bath Oliver savoury biscuit.^[103]
• Percy Pilcher (1867–1899) – inventor and aviation pioneer^[104]
• Richard J. Roberts (born 1943) – Nobel Prize-winning biochemist^{[citation needed]}
• Benjamin Robins (1707–1751) – a British scientist, Newtonian mathematician and military engineer.^[105]

Sport

• Xavier Amaechi (born 2001) – professional footballer.^[106]
• George Attfield (1826–1925) – county cricketer active in the 1840s and 1850s.^[107]
• Roger Bannister (1929–2018) – athlete, first man to run sub-four-minute mile^[108]
• Olly Barkley (born 1981) – England international rugby player^[109]
• Ashley Barnes (born 1989) – professional football player playing for Burnley F.C.
• Tony Book (born 1934) – football player, Manchester City captain and manager, one of a Bath-based Book footballing dynasty^[110]
• Jamie Chadwick (born 1998) – racing driver
• Jason Dodd (born 1970) – footballer, Southampton captain holding a record for most premiership appearances by an English player without being named in an England squad^[111]
• Jason Gardener (born 1975) – athlete, 4 × 100 m Olympic gold medallist^[112]
• Matt Green (born 1987) – professional footballer^[113]
• Mike Gregory (born 1987) – darts player, runner up at 1992 World Professional Darts Championship^[114]
• Jeremy Guscott (born 1965) – England and Bath rugby player^[115]
• Ed McKeever (born 1983) – kayak world champion (K1 200m)^[116]
• Tyrone Mings (born 1993) – professional footballer for Aston Villa F.C.
• Siobhan-Marie O'Connor (born 1995) – swimmer, silver medallist at the 2016 Olympic Games
• Andy Robinson (born 1964) – rugby coach, former England international team coach and Bath Rugby team coach^[117]
• Jack Rowell (born 1964) – Bath Rugby director, former England international team coach and Bath Rugby team coach^[118]
• Ben Rushgrove (born 1988) – paralympic athlete^[119]
• Anya Shrubsole (born 1991) – England cricketer
• Scott Sinclair (born 1989) – Bristol Rovers F.C. player^[120]
• Talan Skeels-Piggins (born 1970) – Paralympic alpine skier^[121]
• Corey Walkes (born 2001) – trampoline gymnast^[122]
• Amy Williams (born 1982) – winter Olympic gold medallist^[123]
• Clive Woodward (born 1956) – British Olympic Committee Director of Elite Performance, England international team coach and Bath Rugby team coach^[124]

Religion

Holy Trinity Church, Combe Down

• Louisa Daniell (1809–1871) – evangelical philanthropist and missionary^[125]
• John Hales (1584–1656) – an English cleric, theologian and writer.^{[126] [127]}
• William Jay (1769–1853) – preacher^[128]
• Oliver King (c. 1432–1503) – Bishop of Bath and Wells, set up rebuilding of Bath Abbey^[129]
• Abraham Marchant (1816–1881) – early Mormon leader, settler of Kamas, Utah^[130]

Royalty

• Queen Anne (1665–1714) – visited for treatment of gout.^{[citation needed]}
• Princess Claire of Belgium (born 1974) – born in Bath
• Edgar of England (c. 943–975) – crowned king of England in Bath Abbey in 973^[131]
• Queen Elizabeth I (1533–1603) – on a visit, ordered the restoration of Bath Abbey^[132]
• Mary of Modena (1658–1718) – came for treatment for infertility. After Prince James Francis Edward Stuart was born, she paid for a cross to be raised in what became Cross Baths.^[133]
• Queen Victoria (1819–1901) – still a princess, stayed and opened Royal Victoria Park.^[134]

Freedom of the City

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the City of Bath.

Individuals

• Prince George, Duke of Cambridge: 1897^[135]
• Donald Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal: 13 July 1911^[136]
• Marquess of Bath: 20 June 1929^[137]
• Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie: 18 October 1954^[138]
• Amy Williams: 5 June 2010^[139]
• Mary Berry: 7 June 2014^{[140][141][142]}

Military units

• 21st Signal Regiment (Air Support): November 2011^[143]