The four most famous people from Burnley

Dazzler · Post by **Dazzler** » Wed Mar 08, 2017 7:52 pm

Eloise Laws wrote:Little Albert - Albert Wilkinson, Burnley born and bred, now resides in Blackpool I believe.

I was quite well acquainted with Albert & family who once lived just a few streets away from where I was brought up in fulledge.
My sister is still a close pal of his daughters.
Last spoke to Albert and his eldest daughter last summer in The Burlington on Lytham road in Blackpool.

The Enclosure · Post by **The Enclosure** » Wed Mar 08, 2017 7:57 pm

COBBLE wrote:General Scarlett must be number one. Don't forget my classmate Sir Vincent Fean, star of one the WikiLeaks.

I was going to put Scarlett but according to Wiki he was born in London....

Dazzler · Post by **Dazzler** » Wed Mar 08, 2017 8:03 pm

Married a Burnley girl didn't he ?

karatekid · Post by **karatekid** » Wed Mar 08, 2017 8:07 pm

Charles Townely, used to live in that big house.

COBBLE · Post by **COBBLE** » Wed Mar 08, 2017 8:19 pm

The Enclosure wrote:I was going to put Scarlett but according to Wiki he was born in London....

No doubt you are right I didn't check, but he put Burnley on the map if that will do.

mikeS · Post by **mikeS** » Wed Mar 08, 2017 8:35 pm

Not sure if the Towneleys or Shuttleworths have been mentioned or the De-Lacey's as our royal connections

EarbyClaret · Post by **EarbyClaret** » Wed Mar 08, 2017 8:41 pm

General Scarlett would get my vote too - maybe if Cardigan had seized the moment and taken advantage of the Russian disarray which Scarlett engineered we would never have suffered one of, if not the, most notorious tactical disaster in British military history.

At the other end of the spectrum haven't seen mention of the Notsensibles yet.

mrhungryone · Post by **mrhungryone** » Wed Mar 08, 2017 8:42 pm

I'll give you five dick pump..Walter snake face diver dick..Hawkeye and the white haired count john Moran all potrayed as misfits in the 60s and seventies ....proper characters all sadly gone.

joey13 · Post by **joey13** » Wed Mar 08, 2017 8:43 pm

HelloHiGoodbye wrote:Also - the only (I think!) surviving original Oompa Loompa is from Burnley.

Didn't know Liam Robinson was from Burnley

Healeywoodclaret · Post by **Healeywoodclaret** » Wed Mar 08, 2017 8:46 pm

ClaretCliffofDover wrote:Well of those four only the bottom two are actually 'from' Burnley by virtue of birth, though both moved away in early childhood. I was a bit disappointed the other week watching Ian Mckellen on Who Do You Think You Are, where he mentioned he was born only in 'north Lancashire' ~ so he obviously doesn't hold his town of birth in much high regard! His family moved away with him to Wigan when he was 6 months old and I don't think they had any remaining family ties here, so fair enough I suppose.

My vote would go to Jimmy Anderson ~ Burnley born and raised, and a Claret - no contest!

I watched that knowing quite well he was born in Burnley. He mentioned that he was born in North Lancashire? !! He seemed to have some fondness for Bolton but Burnley wasn't mentioned at all!

Goobs · Post by **Goobs** » Wed Mar 08, 2017 8:50 pm

Eric Knowles the antiques guy?
John Kettley the weatherman?
Jay Rodriguez?
Alistair Campbell?
Roger Bannister?
Alice Nutter?

Dazzler · Post by **Dazzler** » Wed Mar 08, 2017 8:57 pm

Eric Knowles-Nelson
John Kettley-Todmorden
Alistair Campbell-Keighley

TheFamilyCat · Post by **TheFamilyCat** » Wed Mar 08, 2017 8:58 pm

Double Olympic gold medalist Steven Burke.

Dazzler · Post by **Dazzler** » Wed Mar 08, 2017 8:59 pm

Jimmy Anderson is a gooner isn't he ?

ontario claret · Post by **ontario claret** » Wed Mar 08, 2017 9:03 pm

The band leader on the Titanic. Sorry, don't know his name.

Goobs · Post by **Goobs** » Wed Mar 08, 2017 9:04 pm

ontario claret wrote:The band leader on the Titanic. Sorry, don't know his name.

Wallace Hartley. Wasn't he from Colne?

Dazzler · Post by **Dazzler** » Wed Mar 08, 2017 9:07 pm

Wallace Hartley-Born in Colne
The Wetherspoons in Colne is named in his honour.

ontario claret · Post by **ontario claret** » Wed Mar 08, 2017 10:09 pm

Nearer my God to Thee.

Quickenthetempo · Post by **Quickenthetempo** » Wed Mar 08, 2017 11:02 pm

Dazzler wrote:Jimmy Anderson is a gooner isn't he ?

No, although he wore an Arsenal shirt at school.

dsr · Post by **dsr** » Wed Mar 08, 2017 11:03 pm

Wallace Hartley was from Colne. He's top of the list of Colne's most famous, up there with William Pickles Hartley (whose name lives on in his jam) and Kevin Hird. Roger Bannister's family were from Brierfield but I don't think he was.

Claretlad · Post by **Claretlad** » Wed Mar 08, 2017 11:09 pm

Noel Harry Leaver born in Austwick yorkshire but better known as a Burnley artist ....

Claretlad · Post by **Claretlad** » Wed Mar 08, 2017 11:26 pm

also James Spencer Taylor artist ...

Dazzler · Post by **Dazzler** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 12:48 am

Jeez! Kevin Hird..how could I forget ???
Top bloke..married my cousins husbands sister.
Not seen him for a while.
First time I met him he was a b@$t@rd

Mala591 · Post by **Mala591** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 12:57 am

For me, the most important and influential person who lived / worked in Burnley was Noel (Nobby) Stokes. Headmaster of Burnley Grammar School.

His strong traditional character, leadership and influence made me a better person and I will never forget him.

He was there every Saturday morning supporting all the football teams from different years 'Come on the school'.

If anyone made a film tribute to him then the title would have to be:

'To serve them all my days'

Wile E Coyote · Post by **Wile E Coyote** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 1:17 am

Butch cassidys grandad.

looking at the above list, we dont have many, some cricketer who hates football, and mckellan, who has not the slightest interest in the town.

Vino blanco · Post by **Vino blanco** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 1:20 am

Nobby Stokes? The head master, who came to bgs, and ignored what was a great school football team and insisted the school should play rugby instead. I should know I played in the first 15 and we got beat week in week out against teams, who had a history of rugby.
Sorry, he was an academic snob.

Wile E Coyote · Post by **Wile E Coyote** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 1:24 am

not one scientist, inventor, artist, second div theatre bods, ...that's your lot.
I would have assumed with being king cotton, there'd have been a few revolving steam loom inovators or summat,,,but no.

Vino blanco · Post by **Vino blanco** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 1:29 am

On the real point of this thread, I would say, without doubt, Jimmy Anderson, followed by two Walters: Wandering Walter, a local comedian, who played all the local men's clubs and docker picker Walt, an old tramp, who used hang around the center picking up fag end and smoking them on the streets. Perhaps in fourth place, my uncle Johnny Guitar, who used sing in all the town center pubs to earn a living.

Dazzler · Post by **Dazzler** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 1:42 am

Not Burnley born but a certain uncle and nephew left their mark in the town in the shape of Thompson park and the late Thompson leisure centre.

The Enclosure · Post by **The Enclosure** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 1:46 am

What about countryman and tv presentee Eric Halsall of one man and his dog fame.Born and died in Burnley.

The Enclosure · Post by **The Enclosure** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 1:54 am

Sam Hannah.-Film maker

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Vino blanco · Post by **Vino blanco** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 1:56 am

Sam Hannah taught me woodwork at bgs.

longhair · Post by **longhair** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 5:52 am

David Fishwick van sales banker auther and tv star worth a shout

longhair · Post by **longhair** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 5:58 am

The four members of the not sensibles ime in love with margaret thatcher featured in a film about maggie

cutsy123 · Post by **cutsy123** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 7:48 am

bfccrazy wrote:Cutsy Snr deserves an honorable mention - one of the funniest blokes I know haha.

Haha our fred is a loony

Chobulous · Post by **Chobulous** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 8:32 am

Alex Carlile although not born in Burnley was brought up from an early age on Scott Park Road and is a life long Burnley fan.

Pepperclaret · Post by **Pepperclaret** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 9:22 am

Person you see on BBC TV, especially breakfast tv...... Ben Thompson

COBBLE · Post by **COBBLE** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 3:33 pm

A few others worth a mention.

Tattersall the racehorse man.
Sir Willis Jackson FRS engineer.
The Scot Sir James Mackenzie, a GP in Burnley for many years did pioneering work in cardiology.

HuncoatClaret · Post by **HuncoatClaret** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 3:47 pm

The bloke who does the financial news on BBC Breakfast.

HuncoatClaret · Post by **HuncoatClaret** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 3:49 pm

Ben Thompson, I've just remembered.

bfccrazy · Post by **bfccrazy** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 3:51 pm

Surely Steve has to be in this?

Brilliant chap who lived down the street from me growing up and was always pleasant.

Quickenthetempo · Post by **Quickenthetempo** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 3:57 pm

Don't know if we are cladding Hapton in this but I have just been reading the Simpson family had an electrician firm and were responsible for some before their time electric stuff. Giving Hapton electric street lights and being the first village in the country to have them.

They have had a street named after them.

minnieclaret · Post by **minnieclaret** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 4:31 pm

HelloHiGoodbye wrote:For its size, surprising how many actors come from Burnley and the surrounding areas. Off the top of my head, Lee Ingleby (Inspector George Gently, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Street, Life on Mars, Early Doors) is probably the most successful - albeit not mega, mega famous. I wouldn't class Sir Ian McKellen as a Burnley boy because he doesn't himself.

Also - John Simm, if we're including the slightly wider Burnley area. Went to Edge End although he moved around quite a bit as a kid, similarly to McKellen.

and John Nightingale, Tom Seaton in When The Boat Comes In, died tragically young.
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ashtonlongsider · Post by **ashtonlongsider** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 5:01 pm

Funny know ones mentioned Jay Rod.

hampsteadclaret · Post by **hampsteadclaret** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 5:27 pm

That is a thin thin list.

Dazzler · Post by **Dazzler** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 6:09 pm

Anthony Sagar still seen quite regularly on tv.especially in carry on films.

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IanMcL · Post by **IanMcL** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 7:31 pm

Bertie Bee?

Harrythomsonscap · Post by **Harrythomsonscap** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 8:35 pm

It's got to be Thomas Whitham V C
Jonas Moore ( Higham) founder of the Greenwich Observatory
Pendle Witches
Haffners pies

cloughyclaret · Post by **cloughyclaret** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 8:41 pm

There was an antique expert too - I cant remember his name at the mo

Bertiebeehead · Post by **Bertiebeehead** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 8:47 pm

Eric Knocker Knowles.