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List of people from Sussex facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Sussex is a historic county in southern England. It's known for its beautiful coastline, rolling hills, and charming towns. Many famous people have lived, grown up, or were born in Sussex. This list introduces you to some of these notable individuals. They have made a mark in various fields, from acting and music to science and sports.

Arts

Actors

Leslie Manville (cropped)
Lesley Manville

Sussex has been home to many talented actors who have appeared in films, TV shows, and plays.

Artists

Aubrey Beardsley by Frederick Hollyer, 1893
Aubrey Beardsley
Alison Lapper
Alison Lapper

Many creative artists have connections to Sussex, working in various styles and forms.

  • Helen Cordelia Angell (1847-1884), a watercolour painter
  • Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898), a famous illustrator
  • Raymond Briggs (1934-2022), an illustrator, cartoonist, and graphic novelist
  • Edward Burra (1905-1976), a painter
  • Russell Drysdale (1912-1981), an Australian artist born in Sussex
  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985), a printmaker, painter, and designer
  • Ralph Ellis (1885-1963), a painter and designer of inn signs
  • Eric Gill (1882-1940), a sculptor, typeface designer, and printmaker
  • Gluck (1895—1978), a painter
  • Patricia Goldsmith (1929—2017), a painter and printmaker
  • Captain Thomas Honywood (1819-1888), a photographer
  • Jamie Hewlett (born 1968), a comic creator, animator, and designer
  • Edward Johnston (1872-1944), a craftsman and calligrapher born in Uruguay
  • Alison Lapper (born 1965), an artist
  • Raoul Millais (1901-1999), a portrait and equestrian artist
  • Lee Miller (1907—1977), an American-born photographer
  • Marianne North (1830-1890), a botanical artist
  • Paul Pagk (born 1962), a painter
  • Roland Penrose (1900—1984), an artist and collector of modern art
  • Eric Ravilious (1903—1942), a painter, designer, book illustrator, and wood-engraver
  • George Smith (1713/14-1776), a landscape painter
  • Hilary Stratton (1906-1985), a sculptor
  • Paddy Summerfield (born 1929), an artist
  • Paul Tanqueray (1905-1991), a photographer
  • Alan Thornhill (1921-2020), a sculptor
  • Alfred Tidey (1808-1892), a miniature-painter

Broadcasters

Many well-known TV and radio presenters have ties to Sussex.

  • Zoe Ball (born 1970), a television and radio presenter
  • Hermione Cockburn (born 1973), a television and radio presenter
  • Simon Fuller (born 1960), a television producer
  • Sarah Kennedy (born 1950), a television and radio presenter
  • Des Lynam (born 1942), a television presenter
  • Piers Morgan (born 1965), a broadcaster and journalist
  • Richard Osman (born 1970), a television presenter
  • Jon Snow (born 1947), a television presenter and journalist
  • Jamie Theakston (born 1970), a television and radio presenter
  • Dan Walker (born 1977), a television presenter, journalist, and newsreader
  • Holly Willoughby (born 1981), a television presenter

Comedians

Romesh Ranganathan in 2013 (cropped)
Romesh Ranganathan

Sussex has produced many funny comedians and writers.

  • James Bachman (born 1972), a comedian
  • Jo Brand (born 1957), a comedian
  • Harry Enfield (born 1961), a comedian
  • Stephen Grant (born 1973), a comedian
  • Tony Hawks (born 1960), a comedian
  • Alex Horne (born 1978), a comedian
  • Zoe Lyons (born 1971), a comedian
  • Max Miller (1894-1963), a comedian
  • Simon Nye (born 1958), a comic television writer
  • Paul Putner (born 1966), a comedian
  • Romesh Ranganathan (born 1978), a comedian

Dancers

Talented ballet dancers have also come from Sussex.

  • Francesca Hayward (born 1992), a ballet dancer
  • Nancy Osbaldeston (born 1989), a ballet dancer

Fashion designers

Sussex has connections to the world of fashion.

Filmmakers

Many people involved in making movies, from directors to screenwriters, have lived in Sussex.

  • Beryl Armstrong (born 1928), a film director, screenwriter, producer, and author
  • Adrian Brunel (1892-1958), a film director and screenwriter
  • Charles Bennett (1899-1995), a film director and screenwriter
  • Don Chaffey (1917-1990), a film director, screenwriter, and producer
  • Matt Charman (born 1979), a screenwriter and producer
  • Jack Clayton (1921-1995), a film director and producer
  • Graham Cutts (1884-1958), a film director
  • Brian Eastman (born 1949), a film producer
  • Sean Ellis (born 1970), a film director, screenwriter, and producer
  • Robert Fox (born 1952), a film producer
  • Charles Frend (1909-1977), a film director
  • Manning Haynes (1889-1957), a film director
  • Adam Stephen Kelly (born 1990), a film director, screenwriter, and producer
  • Pete Walker (born 1939), a film director, screenwriter, and producer

Musicians

Sussex has a rich musical history, with many singers, songwriters, and composers.

  • Charlesia Alexis (1934—2012), a Chagossian singer
  • Anohni (born 1971), a singer
  • Brett Anderson (born 1967), singer for Suede and The Tears
  • Florence Aylward (1862-1950), a composer
  • Tony Banks (born 1950), a keyboardist
  • Natasha Bedingfield (born 1981), a singer-songwriter
  • Wilfred Brown (1921-1971), a tenor
  • Henry Burstow (1826-1916), a folk singer and bellringer
  • Clara Butt (1872-1936), a contralto singer
  • Nick Cave (born 1957), an Australian-born singer and songwriter
  • Celeste (born 1994), a singer and songwriter
  • Tom Chaplin (born 1979), singer-songwriter and musician for Keane
  • Shirley Collins (born 1935), a folk singer
  • Ms. Dynamite (born 1981), a singer
  • Keith Emerson (1944-2016), a keyboardist, songwriter, and composer
  • Gary Farr (born 1944), a folk/blues singer
  • Ruth Gipps (1921-1999), a composer
  • Dominic Glynn (born 1960), an electronic composer
  • Harry Gregson-Williams (born 1961), a composer
  • Mike Hazlewood (1941-2001), a singer, composer, and songwriter
  • Nigel Kennedy (born 1956), a violinist and violist
  • William Henry Kerridge (1881—1940), an organist
  • Pete Kirtley (born 1972), a songwriter
  • Vera Lynn (1917-2020), a famous singer and songwriter
  • Conor Maynard (born 1992), a singer-songwriter
  • James McCartney (born 1977), a musician and songwriter
  • Paul McCartney (born 1942), a singer-songwriter who has lived near Rye since the late 1970s
  • Isolde Menges (1893-1976), a violinist
  • Tom Odell (born 1990), a singer-songwriter
  • Ray Noble (1903-1978), a bandleader
  • Passenger (born 1984), a singer-songwriter and musician
  • Maisie Peters (born 2000), a singer-songwriter
  • Luke Pritchard (born 1985), lead-singer of The Kooks
  • Rag'n'Bone Man (born 1985), a singer and songwriter
  • Leslie Rands (1900-1972), an opera singer
  • Tim Rice-Oxley (born 1976), a musician and singer for Keane
  • Leo Sayer (born 1948), a singer-songwriter
  • Robert Smith (born 1959), singer, songwriter, and musician for The Cure
  • Spider Stacy (born 1958), musician, singer, and songwriter for The Pogues
  • Suggs (born 1961), singer-songwriter and musician for Madness
  • Nick Van Eede (born 1958), a musician, producer, and songwriter
  • Thomas Weelkes (1576-1623), a composer and organist
  • Bruce Welch (born 1941), a guitarist
  • Wreckless Eric (born 1954), a singer-songwriter
  • Nicholas Yonge (c.1560-1619), a singer

Writers

Percy Bysshe Shelley by Alfred Clint
Percy Bysshe Shelley
George Charles Beresford - Virginia Woolf in 1902 - Restoration
Virginia Woolf

Sussex has inspired and been home to many famous writers, poets, and novelists.

  • Conrad Aiken (1889-1973), an American-born writer and poet
  • Joan Aiken (1924-2004), a novelist
  • Jane Aiken Hodge (1917-2009), an American-born writer
  • John Agard (born 1949), a Guyanese-born poet
  • Vivien Alcock (1924—2003), a writer of children's books
  • Val Andrews (1926—2006), a writer on magic
  • Attila the Stockbroker (born 1957), a punk poet
  • David Bangs, a writer and conservationist
  • Elizabeth Bartlett (1924-2008), a poet
  • Viola Bayley (1911-1997), a children's author
  • Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898), an author
  • Archibald Stansfield Belaney (1888-1938), also known as Grey Owl
  • Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953), a poet and writer
  • Marie Belloc Lowndes (1868-1947), a novelist
  • E.F. Benson (1867-1940), a writer
  • Clementina Black (1853-1922), a writer
  • William Blake (1757-1827), a poet
  • Wilfrid Scawen Blunt (1840-1922), a poet and writer
  • Andrew Boorde (c.1490-1549)
  • Joyce Lankester Brisley (1896-1978), a writer
  • Arabella Buckley (1840-1929), a writer
  • Anthony Burgess (1917-1993), a novelist who wrote A Clockwork Orange in Etchingham
  • Anna Burns (born 1962), a novelist
  • Edward Carpenter (1844-1929), a poet
  • John Caryll (senior) (1625-1711), a poet and dramatist
  • William Collins (1721-1759), a poet
  • Eliza Cook (1818—1889), a writer and social activist
  • Catherine Cookson (1906-1998), an author
  • E.M. Delafield (1890-1943), an author
  • Alice Dudeney (1866-1945), an author and short story writer
  • Henry Dudeney (1857-1930), an author
  • Maureen Duffy (born 1933), a poet, novelist, and non-fiction author
  • Anne Francis (1738-1800), an author
  • John Fletcher (1579-1625), a playwright
  • Ford Maddox Ford (1873-1939), a novelist and poet
  • John Galsworthy (1867-1933), a novelist and playwright
  • Neil Gaiman (born 1960), a fantasy writer
  • Leon Garfield (1921-1996), a writer of children's fiction
  • Angelica Garnett (1918—2012), a writer and artist
  • David Garnett (1892-1981), a writer
  • Rumer Godden (1907-1998), a writer
  • Leon Gordon (1891-1960), a playwright
  • Elly Griffiths (born 1963), a crime novelist
  • Patrick Hamilton (1904-1962), a playwright and novelist
  • David Hare (born 1947), a playwright and screenwriter
  • William Hay (1695-1755), a writer
  • William Hayley (1745-1820), a writer
  • Ralph Hammond Innes (1913-1998), a novelist
  • Edward James (1907-1984), a poet
  • Henry James (1843-1916), an American author
  • Peter James (born 1948), a writer of crime fiction
  • P.J. Kavanagh (1931-2015), a poet
  • Sheila Kaye-Smith (1887-1956), a novelist
  • Grace Kimmins (1870-1954)
  • Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), a poet and novelist
  • Damian Le Bas (born 1985), a writer
  • Theodora Elizabeth Lynch (1812-1885), a poet and novelist
  • Peter Marshall (born 1946), a biographer, travel writer, and poet
  • Thomas May (1594/5-1650), a poet and dramatist
  • Thomas Medwin (1788-1869), a writer and poet
  • A. A. Milne (1882—1956), author, best known for his Winnie-the-Pooh books
  • Kate Mosse (born 1961), a novelist
  • Grace Nichols (born 1950), a Guyanese-born poet
  • William Nicholson (born 1948), a screenwriter, novelist, and playwright
  • Thomas Otway (1652-1685), a dramatist
  • Hilary Douglas Clark Pepler (1878-1951), a writer and poet
  • Roland Penrose (1900-1984), a poet and artist
  • Valentine Penrose (1898—1978), a French-born surrealist poet and author
  • Alex Preston (born 1979), an author and journalist
  • Bessie Rayner Parkes (1829-1925), a writer
  • Richard Realf (1832-1878), a poet
  • Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset (1536—1608), a poet and dramatist
  • Malcolm Saville (1901-1982), an author
  • Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), a Romantic poet
  • Chris Simms (born 1969), an author of crime novels
  • George Smith (1713/14-1776), a poet
  • Noel Streatfeild (1895-1986), an author
  • Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892), a poet
  • Isabella Tree (born 1964), a writer and conservationist
  • Robert Tressell (1870-1911), a novelist, known for The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists
  • Frank Tuohy (1925-1999), a writer
  • Charles Webb (1939—2020), an American novelist, known for The Graduate
  • H.G. Wells (1866-1946), a writer
  • Barbara Willard (1909-1994), a novelist
  • Angus Wilson (1913-1991), a novelist and short-story writer
  • Virginia Woolf (1882-1941), a writer

Explorers and Adventurers

Peaketim
Tim Peake

Sussex has connections to people who explored new lands or pushed boundaries.

  • Thomas Bannister (1799—1874), an explorer of Western Australia
  • Victor L. A. Campbell (1875-1956), an Antarctic explorer
  • Isabella Charlet-Straton (1838—1918), a mountaineer who made the first winter climb of Mont Blanc
  • Rosemary Coogan (born 1991), an astronaut born in Northern Ireland
  • Charles Cooke Hunt (1833—1868), an explorer of the interior of Western Australia
  • Nicholas Crane (born 1954), an explorer and television presenter
  • Ernest Joyce (1875-1940), an Antarctic explorer
  • Cecil Pashley (1891—1961), an aviation pioneer
  • Tim Peake (born 1972), an astronaut
  • Piers Sellers (1955-2016), an astronaut

Monarchs and Nobility

See also: List of monarchs of Sussex

Sussex has a history connected to kings, queens, and important noble figures.

Philanthropists

These individuals from Sussex were known for their generosity and efforts to help others.

  • Octav Botnar (1913—1998)
  • Richard Churcher (1659—1723)
  • Mad Jack Fuller (1757—1834)
  • Ann Thwaytes (1789—1866)
  • Jane Woodward (1823/4—1894)

Politicians and Activists

Richard Cobden MP
Richard Cobden

Sussex has been home to many people who have worked to change society and lead in politics.

Religious Figures

Sussex has been home to many important religious leaders and figures throughout history.

Archbishops

These individuals held high positions in the church.

Saints

Sussex is connected to several saints.

Other Religious Leaders

Other notable religious figures with Sussex ties.

  • Matthew Caffyn (1628-1714), a General Baptist preacher
  • Richard Challoner (1691-1781), a Roman Catholic bishop
  • Cornelia Connelly (1809—1879), a US-born founder of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus and Mayfield School, Mayfield
  • Richard Enraght (1837—1898), an Irish-born Anglo-Catholic priest
  • John Sirgood (1822—1885), a fundamentalist lay preacher and founder of Society of Dependants
  • Thomas Stapleton (1535—1598), a Catholic theologian
  • Fiona Windsor (born 1956), the archdeacon of Horsham, and the first female archdeacon in Sussex

Scientists and Scholars

Sussex has been a hub for many brilliant minds in science and academia.

Astronomers

People from Sussex who studied the stars and space.

  • Patrick Moore (1923-2012), a famous astronomer and broadcaster
  • Ian Morison (born 1943), an astronomer and astrophysicist
  • Martin Ryle (1918-1984), a radio astronomer and Nobel Prize winner

Biologists

Scientists from Sussex who studied living things.

Frederick Gowland Hopkins nobel
Frederick Gowland Hopkins
  • William Borrer (1781—1862), a botanist
  • Edward Boyse (1923-2007), a physician and biologist
  • Barry Fell (1917—1994), a zoologist
  • Isabella Forshall (1900—1989), a paediatric surgeon
  • John Braxton Hicks (1823-1897), a doctor and obstetrician
  • Frederick Gowland Hopkins (1861-1947), a biochemist and Nobel Prize winner
  • Thomas Henry Huxley (1825—1895), a biologist and anthropologist
  • Sophia Jex-Blake (1840-1912), a physician and pioneer female doctor
  • Thomas H. Jukes (1906—1999), a biologist known for his work in nutrition and molecular evolution
  • Martin Holdgate (born 1931), a biologist and environmental scientist
  • Marianne North (1830-1890), a biologist
  • Richard Russell (1687-1759), a physician
  • Edith Rebecca Saunders (1865-1945), a geneticist and plant anatomist
  • F. M. L. Sheffield (1904—1973), a botanist
  • David Sims (born 1969), a marine biologist
  • Octavia Wilberforce (1888-1963), a physician

Chemists

Scientists from Sussex who studied chemicals and their properties.

Computer Scientists

People from Sussex who made important contributions to computer science.

  • Stanley Gill (1926—1975), co-inventor of the first computer subroutine
  • Alan Turing (1912—1954), a famous mathematician and computer scientist

Economists

Experts from Sussex who studied how money, goods, and services are produced and used.

  • Richard Blundell (born 1952), an economist and econometrician
  • Richard Jolly (born 1934), a development economist
  • John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946), the founder of Keynesian economics
  • George Paish (1867-1957), an economist

Geologists and Palaeontologists

Scientists from Sussex who studied the Earth's history and ancient life.

Historians

People from Sussex who studied and wrote about the past.

  • Kevin Brownlow (born 1938), a film historian
  • Thomas Walker Horsfield (1792—1837), a historian known for his works on Sussex history
  • Mark Antony Lower (1813–1876), known for his works on Sussex history and a founder of the Sussex Archaeological Society
  • Elizabeth Norton (born 1986)
  • Philip Payton (born 1953)
  • Louis Francis Salzman (1878—1971), an economic historian

Mathematicians

Individuals from Sussex who excelled in the study of numbers and patterns.

Philosophers

Thinkers from Sussex who explored big questions about life and knowledge.

Physicists

Scientists from Sussex who studied the fundamental laws of the universe.

  • Emma Bunce (born 1975), a space physicist
  • Anthony French (1920—2017), a physicist
  • Alan Ernest Owen (1928—1999), a physicist specializing in glass technology
  • William Francis Gray Swann (1884—1962), a physicist known for his research into cosmic rays

Psychologists

Experts from Sussex who studied the human mind and behavior.

Sportspeople

Sussex has produced many talented athletes across various sports.

Boxers

Boxers with connections to Sussex.

Cricketers

Holly Colvin
Holly Colvin
James Lillywhite
James Lillywhite

Many cricketers, both male and female, have played for Sussex or have strong ties to the county.

  • Chris Adams (born 1970), captain of the Sussex men's team during their 'golden era'
  • Georgia Adams (born 1993)
  • Caroline Atkins (born 1981)
  • Jem Broadbridge (1795—1843)
  • Henry Charlwood (1846—1888)
  • Holly Colvin (born 1989)
  • Clare Connor (born 1976)
  • George Cox Sr (1873—1949)
  • Mason Crane (born 1997)
  • Jemmy Dean (1816—1881)
  • Duleepsinhji (1905—1959)
  • Ed Giddins (born 1971)
  • William Henty (1808—1881), bowled the first ever ball in a first class cricket match in Australia
  • Jack Hobbs (1882—1963)
  • Chris Jordan (born 1988)
  • Imran Khan (born 1952)
  • James Kirtley (born 1975)
  • James Langridge (1906—1966)
  • James Lillywhite (1842—1929)
  • John Lillywhite (1826—1874)
  • William Lillywhite (1792—1854)
  • Kate Oakenfold (born 1984)
  • Alan Oakman (1930—2018)
  • Jim Parks (born 1903) (1903—1980)
  • Jim Parks (born 1931) (born 1931)
  • Barbara Pont (born 1933)
  • Matt Prior (born 1982), a South African-born cricketer for Sussex and England
  • Ranjitsinhji (1872—1933)
  • Albert Relf (1874—1937)
  • Charlie Russell (born 1988)
  • James Southerton (1827—1880)
  • Maurice Tate (1895—1956)
  • Joe Vine (1875—1946)
  • Alexia Walker (born 1982)
  • Alan Wells (born 1961)
  • Colin Wells (born 1960)
  • John Wisden (1826—1884)
  • Elaine Wulcko (born 1959)

Footballers

Football players and figures connected to Sussex.

  • Gareth Barry (born 1981)
  • Tony Bloom (born 1970), chairman and owner of Brighton & Hove Albion
  • Lewis Dunk (born 1991)
  • Jarvis Kenrick (1852-1949)
  • Bobby Tambling (born 1941)
  • Charles Wollaston (1849-1926)

Golfers

Golfers with ties to Sussex.

  • Max Faulkner (1916-2005)
  • Abe Mitchell (1887-1947)
  • Mark Seymour (1897-1952)

Racing Drivers

Jolyon Palmer 2016 Malaysia
Jolyon Palmer

People from Sussex who have competed in motor racing.

  • Derek Bell (born 1941)
  • Martin Dugard (born 1969)
  • Selwyn Edge (1868—1940)
  • David Nye (born 1958)
  • Jolyon Palmer (born 1991)
  • Will Palmer (born 1997)
  • David Purley (1945—1985)
  • Richard Seaman (1913—1939)
  • Jimmy Broadbent (born 1991)

Other Sportspeople

Mercedes Gleitze NZ crop portrait
Mercedes Gleitze

Other athletes from Sussex who excelled in various sports.

  • Chemmy Alcott (born 1982), a ski racer
  • Bob Champion (born 1948), a jump jockey and Grand National winner
  • Mark Davis (born 1972), a snooker player
  • Mercedes Gleitze (1900-1981), a swimmer who was the first British woman to swim the English Channel
  • Leslie Godfree (1885-1971), a tennis player and Wimbledon men's doubles winner
  • Will Green (born 1973), a rugby union player
  • Guy Harwood (born 1939), a racehorse trainer
  • David Howell (born 1990), the youngest UK chess grandmaster
  • Johanna Konta (born 1991), a tennis player
  • Richard Leman (born 1959), a field hockey player
  • Michael Olowokandi (born 1975), a former NBA basketball player
  • Liam Treadwell (1986-2000), a jockey

Other Notables

This section includes other important people from Sussex who made unique contributions.

  • Beachy Head Lady (fl. early to mid 3rd century AD), thought to be the first known person of sub-Saharan African origin in Britain.
  • Charles Burrell (born 1962), a conservationist known for the Knepp Wildland Project
  • John Cripps (1927—2022), an orchardist responsible for creating the Pink Lady apple
  • Martin Coles Harman (1885—1954), self-proclaimed king of Lundy
  • Cecil Hurst (1870—1963), an international lawyer and President of the Permanent Court of International Justice
  • Peter Love (died 1610), a pirate
  • John Selden (1584-1654), a jurist (legal expert)
  • Maria Ann Smith (1799-1870), an orchardist responsible for creating the Granny Smith apple

Images for kids

  • Flag of Sussex

    Flag of Sussex

  • Sussex en 1851

    Location of Sussex on map of the historic counties of England

See also

  • List of people from Brighton and Hove
  • List of people from Hastings
  • List of people from Lewes, East Sussex
  • List of people from Littlehampton
  • List of people from Worthing
  • List of Sussex County Cricket Club players
  • List of people from Cornwall
  • List of people from Yorkshire
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