Famous People Born In Lincolnshire

One of the most influential and popular scientists of all time, Sir Isaac Newton played a prominent role in our understanding of natural phenomena. He formulated the law of universal gravitation and laws of motion. He also developed the Newtonian telescope among other devices. Apart from science, Newton was also intrigued by religion, occult, and alchemy.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson was a British poet. One of the most famous British poets of all time, Tennyson served as the Poet Laureate during Queen Victoria's reign. His poetry, which is renowned for its powerful visual imagery, served as an important influence on the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a group of English poets and painters.

John Smith was an English explorer, soldier, colonial governor, author, and Admiral of New England. In the early-17th century, Smith played a major role in the establishment of the first indissoluble English settlement in America, which came to be known as the English colony at Jamestown. Apart from helping Jamestown survive various challenges, Smith's leadership also helped the colony flourish.

Joan Plowright is a retired actress who won several prestigious awards, such as a Tony Award and two Golden Globe Awards, during her career which spanned more than 70 years. During the 2004 New Year Honours, Plowright was appointed a Dame Commander for her contribution to the entertainment industry. The Plowright Theatre is named after Joan Plowright in her honor.

Philosopher and author Roger Scruton is best remembered for his work as an editor of The Salisbury Review and for his countless books on topics such as art, sexuality, and political philosophy. He also taught at Boston University and other institutes, and was a skilled pianist and composer, too.

The first British astronaut to perform a space-walk, Michael Foale was also the only NASA astronaut to be on missions aboard both the Mir and the International Space Station. Born to a Royal Air Force pilot father, he was well-traveled. He was the only survivor of a car accident in Yugoslavia.

John Billington was an Englishman best remembered for his voyage to the New World on the famous Mayflower. He was one of the co-creators and signers of the Mayflower Compact. John Billington murdered another white settler named John Newcomen. He was tried by a jury in September 1630 and executed at the age of 40.

English nobleman Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy de Darcy initially had a promising military career under Henry VII. He later rebelled against the Dissolution of the Monasteries and was eventually convicted of treason at Westminster for his involvement in the Pilgrimage of Grace revolt and beheaded.

Nobel Prize-winning English economist Norman Angell had worked in multiple jobs in his early days and had even been a cowboy and a journalist. Best known for his iconic work The Great Illusion, he also designed a unique card game known as The Money Game, which focused on finance and currency.

Noted Elizabethan and Jacobean dramatist Thomas Heywood is best remembered for his iconic tragedy A Woman Killed with Kindness and his prose work An Apology for Actors. Though it is generally believed he was a University of Cambridge alumnus, there are no records of the fact.

Born to the lord of a Lincolnshire manor, Stephen Langton became a well-known scholar of theology in Paris. His election as the archbishop of Canterbury led to a major conflict between the Church and the royalty, eventually leading to the signing of the Magna Carta.