People from the English city of Plymouth are known as Plymothians, or less formally as Janners.[1] The definition of Janner is described as a person from Devon, deriving from Cousin Jan (the Devon form of John), but more particularly in naval circles anyone from the Plymouth area.[2] The Elizabethan navigator and slave trader, Sir Francis Drake was born in nearby town of Tavistock and was the mayor of Plymouth.[3] He was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the world and was known by the Spanish as El Draco meaning "The Dragon" after he raided many of their ships.[4] He died of dysentery in 1596 off the coast of Panama.[5] In 2002 a mission to recover his body and bring it to Plymouth was allowed by the Ministry of Defence.[6] Antarctic explorers Robert Falcon Scott and Frank Bickerton both lived in the city.[7] [8]
Many artists have originated in Plymouth. Joshua Reynolds, the famous 18th-century portrait painter and the first president of the Royal Academy was born in Plympton, and more recently artists have included Beryl Cook whose paintings depict the culture of Plymouth[9] and Robert Lenkiewicz, whose paintings looked at themes such as: vagrancy, sexual behaviour and suicide, lived in the city from the 1960s until his death in 2002.[10] In addition, George Passmore of Turner Prize winning duo Gilbert & George was born in the city.[11] Famous politicians Michael Foot and David Owen are from Plymouth and notable athletes include swimmer Sharron Davies,[12] diver Tom Daley,[13] dancer Wayne Sleep,[14] and footballer Trevor Francis.[15] Other past residents include composer Ron Goodwin,[16] and journalist Angela Rippon.[17]
| Image | Name | Born | Died | Notability | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sir John Hawkins | 1532 | 1595 | Naval commander and administrator, merchant, navigator, shipbuilder and privateer | Born 1532 Plymouth, died 12 November 1596 at sea off Puerto Rico | ||
| Sir Francis Drake | 1540 | 1596 | First English person to circumnavigate the world | Born in Tavistock and was the mayor of Plymouth. He died of dysentery off the coast of Panama and was slipped overboard inside a lead casket.[18] | ||
| William Cookworthy | 1705 | 1780 | Pharmacist/Industrialist | Born in Kingsbridge, Devon. Pioneered porcelain manufacture in Plymouth.[19] [20] | ||
| Sir George Arthur, 1st Baronet | 1784 | 1854 | Colonial governor | Spent most of his time in British colonies.[21] | ||
| William Bligh | 1754 | 1817 | Naval Officer and Colonial Administrator | Born in Plymouth baptised in St Andrew's Church | ||
| 1791 | 1836 | Naturalist at the British Museum | Virtually solely responsible for the modernisation of British zoology in the early 19th century, which laid the foundations for Charles Darwin. | |||
| Jonathan Nash Hearder | 1809 | 1876 | Electrical engineer | Born and died in Plymouth. Notable for the development of the induction coil.[22] | ||
| Graham Gore | c1809 | after June 1847 | Naval officer and polar explorer | Lost during the Franklin Expedition to find the Northwest Passage | ||
| William Henry Wills | 1810 | 1880 | Journalist and newspaper editor | Close friend of Charles Dickens, Wills was the subeditor of Household Words and All the Year Round | ||
| Robert Julian Scott | 1861 | 1930 | Emeritus Professor of Engineering, Canterbury University, New Zealand | Notable for the creation of New Zealand's first indigenous steam buggy in 1881 and the development of Canterbury University's school of engineering. Cousin of Robert Falcon Scott. | ||
| Robert Falcon Scott | 1868 | 1912 | Antarctic explorer | Died in central Antarctica. His body was found eight months later. | ||
| 1880 | 1960 | President of the Liberal Party | He was president in 1947.[23] | |||
| Frank Bickerton | 1889 | 1954 | Antarctic explorer | Moved to Plymouth at the age of six and lived there until 1920. | ||
| Robert Victor Walling | 1890 | 1976 | Soldier, journalist, and poet | Born and educated in Plymouth. In peacetime he worked as a journalist with Plymouth-based newspaper The Western Daily Mercury. He was also a member of Gorseth Kernow.[24] | ||
| Joe Symonds | 1894 | 1953 | Boxer | Born in Plymouth, Symonds held the British, European and IBU World flyweight boxing titles in the 1910s. | ||
| Stanley Bate | 1911 | 1959 | Composer and pianist | Born in the Milehouse suburb of Plymouth, Bate composed concertos and symphonies. He received more recognition internationally than at home.[25] | ||
| Michael Foot | 1913 | 2010 | Leader of the Labour Party | Son of Isaac Foot.[26] | ||
| Richard Greene | 1918 | 1985 | Film and television actor | |||
| Duncan Scott-Ford | 1921 | 1942 | Merchant seaman | Hung during World War II for treachery to the Germans.[27] | ||
| Ron Goodwin | 1925 | 2003 | Composer | Born in Plymouth | ||
| Beryl Cook | 1926 | 2008 | Comical artist | Born in Epsom, Surrey. | ||
| Bob Downes | 1937 | Alive | Avant-garde jazz musician | Born in Plymouth 22 July 1937 | ||
| Len Heard | 1942 | Alive | Professional darts player | Born in Plymouth 18 January 1942 | ||
| Chris Dawson | 1952 | Alive | Businessman and founder of the retail chain The Range | Born in Plymouth 15 February 1952 | ||
| Giles Tremlett | 1962 | Alive | Journalist/Author | Born in Plymouth, Giles Tremlett is a historian, author and journalist known for his publications regarding Spain. | ||
| Mark Holden | 1962 9, df=y | Alive | Canadian actor and producer | Born in Plymouth on 21 September 1962 | ||
| Lewis Pugh | 1969 12, df=yes | Alive | First person to undertake a long distance swim in every ocean of the world. | |||
| Liam Mooney | 18 May 1972 | Alive | Entrepreneur | Born in Gosport, Hampshire | ||
| Lisa Cross | 4 April 1978 | Alive | IFBB professional bodybuilder | Born in Rochdale, Greater Manchester | ||
| Laura James | 25 January 1987 | Alive | Professional wrestler | Wrestled for Impact Wrestling and Dramatic Dream Team; former 5-time DDT Ironman Heavymetalweight Champion. Also appeared in the Netflix series GLOW. Married to American professional wrestler Joey Ryan. | ||
| Kate Nesbitt | 21 April 1988 | Alive | Medical Assistant in the Royal Navy | Raised in Whitleigh, the first female recipient of the Military Cross in the Royal Navy, for bravery during the War in Afghanistan in March 2009.[28] | ||
| Tom Daley | 21 May 1994 | Alive | Olympic diver | BBC Sports Personality of the Year Young Personality in 2007.[29] | ||
| Rūta Meilutytė | 1997 3, df=yes | Alive | Olympic swimmer | Won gold in the 100 meter breaststroke at the 2012 Summer Olympics, in London.[30] Meilutyté is also the world record holder in the 100 breaststroke (short course), and the 50, and 100 meter breaststroke (long course) | ||
| Florence Given | 19 November 1999(age 20) | Alive | Author and social activist | Florence Given is a British feminist queer illustrator and social activist, born in Plymouth and now based in London. She wrote Women Don't Owe You Pretty and is known for her popular slogan designs which address social issues surrounding sexuality. | ||
| Ralph Bagnold | 3 April 1896 | 28 May 1990 | Explorer of North Africa and soldier | Born in Devonport |