People from the English city ofPlymouth are known asPlymothians, or less formally asJanners.[1] The definition ofJanner is described as a person fromDevon, deriving from Cousin Jan (the Devon form ofJohn), but more particularly innaval circles anyone from the Plymouth area.[2] The Elizabethan navigator and slave trader, SirFrancis Drake was born in nearby town ofTavistock and was the mayor of Plymouth.[3] He was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the world and was known by the Spanish asEl Draco meaning "The Dragon" after he raided many of their ships.[4] He died ofdysentery in 1596 off the coast ofPanama.[5] In 2002 a mission to recover his body and bring it to Plymouth was allowed by theMinistry of Defence.[6] Antarctic explorersRobert Falcon Scott andFrank 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 theRoyal Academy was born in Plympton, and more recently artists have includedBeryl Cook whose paintings depict the culture of Plymouth[9] andRobert 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 ofTurner Prize winning duoGilbert & George was born in the city.[11] Famous politiciansMichael Foot andDavid Owen are from Plymouth and notable athletes include swimmerSharron Davies,[12] diverTom Daley,[13] dancerWayne Sleep,[14] and footballerTrevor Francis.[15] Other past residents include composerRon Goodwin,[16] and journalistAngela Rippon.[17]
| Image | Name | Born | Died | Notability | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | SirJohn Hawkins | 1532 | 1595 | Naval commander and administrator,merchant,navigator, shipbuilder and privateer | Born 1532 Plymouth, died 12 November 1596 at sea offPuerto Rico |
 | SirFrancis Drake | 1540 | 1596 | First English person to circumnavigate the world | Born inTavistock and was the mayor of Plymouth. He died of dysentery off the coast ofPanama and was slipped overboard inside a lead casket.[18] |
 | William Cookworthy | 1705 | 1780 | Pharmacist/Industrialist | Born inKingsbridge, Devon. Pioneeredporcelain manufacture in Plymouth.[19][20] |
 | SirGeorge 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 |
(no known portrait) | William Elford Leach | 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 forCharles Darwin. |
| Jonathan Nash Hearder | 1809 | 1876 | Electrical engineer | Born and died in Plymouth. Notable for the development of theinduction coil.[22] | |
 | Graham Gore | c1809 | after June 1847 | Naval officer and polar explorer | Lost during theFranklin Expedition to find theNorthwest Passage |
 | William Henry Wills | 1810 | 1880 | Journalist and newspaper editor | Close friend ofCharles Dickens, Wills was the subeditor ofHousehold Words andAll 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 ofRobert Falcon Scott. | |
 | Robert Falcon Scott | 1868 | 1912 | Antarctic explorer | Died in central Antarctica. His body was found eight months later.[7] |
| Isaac Foot | 1880 | 1960 | President of theLiberal 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.[8] | |
| Robert Victor Walling | 1890 | 1976 | Soldier, journalist, and poet | Born and educated in Plymouth. In peacetime he worked as a journalist with Plymouth-based newspaperThe Western Daily Mercury. He was also a member ofGorseth 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 theMilehouse suburb of Plymouth, Bate composed concertos and symphonies. He received more recognition internationally than at home.[25] | |
| Michael Foot | 1913 | 2010 | Leader of theLabour Party | Son ofIsaac Foot.[26] | |
| Richard Greene | 1918 | 1985 | Film and television actor | Born in Plymouth died in Norfolk aged 66. AMatinée idol appearing in over 40 films, he is perhaps best known for his role in the TV seriesThe Adventures of Robin Hood. | |
| Duncan Scott-Ford | 1921 | 1942 | Merchant seaman | Hanged duringWorld War II fortreachery to the Germans.[27] | |
| Ron Goodwin | 1925 | 2003 | Composer | Born in Plymouth | |
| Beryl Cook | 1926 | 2008 | Comical artist | Born inEpsom,Surrey.[9] | |
| 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 | (1962-09-21)21 September 1962 (age 63) | Alive | Canadian actor and producer | Born in Plymouth on 21 September 1962 |
| Lewis Pugh | (1969-12-05)5 December 1969 (age 56) | Alive | First person to undertake a long distance swim in every ocean of the world. | ||
| Liam Mooney | (1972-05-18)18 May 1972 (age 53) | Alive | Entrepreneur | Born inGosport,Hampshire | |
| Lisa Cross | (1978-04-04)4 April 1978 (age 47) | Alive | IFBB professional bodybuilder | Born inRochdale,Greater Manchester | |
| Laura James | (1987-01-25)25 January 1987 (age 39) | Alive | Professional wrestler | Wrestled forImpact Wrestling andDramatic Dream Team; former 5-timeDDT Ironman Heavymetalweight Champion. Also appeared in the Netflix seriesGLOW. Married to American professional wrestlerJoey Ryan. | |
| Kate Nesbitt | (1988-04-21)21 April 1988 (age 37) | Alive | Medical Assistant in the Royal Navy | Raised inWhitleigh, the first female recipient of theMilitary Cross in the Royal Navy, for bravery during the War in Afghanistan in March 2009.[28] | |
%2c_October_2008.jpg) | Tom Daley | (1994-05-21)21 May 1994 (age 31) | Alive | Olympic diver | BBC Sports Personality of the Year Young Personality in 2007.[29] |
 | Rūta Meilutytė | (1997-03-19)19 March 1997 (age 28) | Alive | Olympic swimmer | Won gold in the 100 meter breaststroke at the2012 Summer Olympics, inLondon.[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 wroteWomen 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 ofNorth Africa and soldier | Born inDevonport |
