List of people from Guernsey

This is a selected list of notable people with links to the Bailiwick of Guernsey, in the Channel Islands.

16th century

• Catherine Cauchés, Guillemine Gilbert and Perotine Massey (?–1556), burned at the stake for heresy; Perotine Massey gave birth while tied to the stake
• Sir Henry de Vic (1599–1671), a founding member of the Royal Society, Chancellor of the Order of the Garter

17th century

• Edmund Andros (1637–1714), colonial administrator, governor of the Dominion of New England in America

18th century

• Peter Perchard (1729–1806), privateer, goldsmith and merchant, served as Lord Mayor of London in 1806
• Paul Le Mesurier (1755–1805), merchant, Lord Mayor of London 1793-4
• James Saumarez (1757–1836), Vice Admiral of the Blue and first Baron de Saumarez
• Major-General Sir Thomas Saumarez (1760–1845), commandant at Halifax, commander-in-chief of New Brunswick during the War of 1812
• Daniel de Lisle Brock (1762–1842), chief civic magistrate of Guernsey and brother of Sir Isaac Brock
• Richard Saumarez (1764–1835), British surgeon and medical author
• Major-General John Gaspard Le Marchant (1766–1812), founder of the first British military college
• Sir Isaac Brock (1769–1812), Major General and Lieutant-Governor of Upper Canada, hero of Upper Canada
• John MacCulloch (1773–1835), geologist in the Channel Islands, England and Scotland
• John Le Mesurier (1781–1843), Major General and governor of Alderney
• Peter Paul Dobree (1782–1825), English classical scholar and critic
• Frederick Corbin Lukis (1788–1871), antiquary and natural historian including botany, geology, conchology, and science
• George Métivier (1790–1881), the island's national poet
• Margaret Ann Neve (1792–1903), first validated female supercentenarian and oldest ever Guernsey-born person, 110 years 321 days
• Thomas de la Rue (1793–1866), printer and stationer
• John Jeremie (1795–1841), British judge, diplomat and abolitionist
• Ferdinand Brock Tupper (1795–1874), historian
• Peter Broun (1797–1846), first Colonial Secretary of Western Australia, and a member of Western Australia's first Legislative Council
• Samuel Elliott Hoskins (1799–1888), physician

19th century

• Sampson Avard (1800–1869), leader of a band of Mormon vigilantes called the Danites
• William Le Lacheur (1802–1863), sea captain and developed the coffee business in Costa Rica.
• James Jeremie (1802–1872), Dean of Lincoln
• Bonamy Price (1807–1888), political economist
• Warren De la Rue (1815–1889), astronomer and chemist
• Francis Colborne (1817–1895), Commander of British Troops in China, Hong Kong and the Straits Settlements
• Paul Jacob Naftel (1817–1891), artist
• Edmund Kennedy (1818–1848), explorer
• Jasper Hume Nicolls (1818–1877), Canadian Anglican priest and first Principal of Bishop's College
• Maria Rosetti (1819–1893) née Grant, political activist and journalist
• Effingham Grant (1820–1892), diplomat and businessman, brother of Maria Rosetti
• Robert Carey (1821–1883), Major-General in the British Army
• John Elias Collings (1821–1886), General in the British Army
• George Jackson Carey (1822–1872), Major-General in the British Army
• Peter le Page Renouf (1822–1897), Egyptologist
• Denys Corbet (1826–1909), Guernésiais poet
• Duncan Charles Home (1828–1857), Victoria Cross recipient
• Terence O'Brien (1830–1903), surveyor, engineer and colonial governor of Newfoundland
• Walter Wren (1833–1898), member of Parliament
• John Richard Magrath (1839–1930), British academic
• Frederick Moynihan (1843–1910), sculptor
• Mrs. Bartle Teeling (1851–1906), writer
• Mabel Collins (1851–1927), theosophist and author
• John Frederick McCrea (1854–1894), Victoria Cross recipient
• Theodore Fink (1855–1942), elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly, Australia
• Uchter Knox, 5th Earl of Ranfurly (1856–1933), Uchter Knox, Governor of New Zealand
• Samuel Mauger (1857–1936), Australian social reformer and politician
• Victor Herbert (1859–1924), musician
• James Arnold (1859–1929), New Zealand Member of Parliament
• Fanny Davies (1861–1934), pianist
• Havilland de Sausmarez (1861–1941), judge of various British courts in Africa and Asia, the Ottoman Empire and China
• Martha Sarah Bidmead (1862-1940), Australian nurse of the Boer War
• Sir Henry Beauvoir De Lisle (1864–1955), British Army general
• Ernest Roberts (1868–1913), Labor member of the Australian House of Representatives
• Lewis Stratford Tollemache Halliday (1870–1966), Victoria Cross recipient
• George Edward Nurse (1873–1945), Victoria Cross recipient
• Herbert John Fleure (1877–1969), zoologist and geographer
• Ernest Martin Jehan (1878–1929), commander of a Q-Ship that sank German submarine UB-4 in 1915
• Arthur Maurice Hocart (1883–1939), anthropologist
• Percy Hodge (1890–1967), Olympic gold medalist, 3,000 metre steeplechase
• Ambrose Sherwill (1890–1968), President of the Controlling Committee during the German occupation of the Channel Islands, until he was deported
• Major-General Sir Thomas MacDonald "Donald" Banks KCB DSO MC TD (1891–1975), Director-General of the Petroleum Warfare Department 1940–45
• Barry Jones (1893–1981), actor
• Herbert Jolly (1895–1983), professional golfer
• James Parkes (1896–1981), clergyman, historian, and social activist
• Marjorie Ozanne (1897–1973), Guernsey author
• Michael Davidson (1897–1976), journalist
• Gerald Basil Edwards (1899–1976), author of The Book of Ebenezer Le Page
• Beatrice Collenette (1899–2001), dancer

20th century

• Ethel Wood (1901–2011), supercentenarian
• John Louis "Bonnie" Newton (1903–1962) DSC, Croix De Guerre (étoile en argent), born in Alderney, Special Operations Executive operative 1940–45.
• John Harold Henry Coombes (1906–1978), Principal of Cadet College Petaro, one of the earliest public schools built in Pakistan
• Marie Ozanne (1906–1943), protester against the German treatment of slave labourers during World War II
• Robert Morley (1908–1992), actor
• John Le Patourel (1909–1981), historian
• Philip Maitland Hubbard (1910–1980), crime fiction writer
• William "Billy" Spurdle (1911–2011), footballer, played for Manchester City F.C.
• Mary Eily de Putron (1914–1982), stained glass artist and archaeologist
• Wallace Le Patourel (1916–1979), Brigadier, Victoria Cross recipient
• John Marr (1918–2009), author
• George Clarence Bassett Smith (1919–2001), footballer; played for Southampton F.C.
• Hubert Nicolle (1919–1998), considered to be the first Commando of WW2, landed in occupied Guernsey in September 1940
• Peter Brock (1920–2006), historian
• Peter Le Cheminant (1920-2018), Air Chief Marshal and Lieutenant-Governor of Guernsey
• Frank Griffiths Caldwell (1921–2014), Major General OBE MC and bar
• Roy Dotrice (1923–2017), actor, winner of Tony and BAFTA Awards
• Sylvester Houédard (1924–1992), known as dsh, poet, literary editor and Benedictine monk
• Len Duquemin (1924–2003), footballer, played for Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
• William "Billy" Whare (1925–1995), footballer, played for Nottingham Forest F.C.
• Frederick Charles Hurrell (1928–2008), Air Vice-Marshal and Director-General of RAF Medical Services from 1986 to 1988
• Tony Fox (1928–2010), doctor and rower, represented Great Britain at the 1952 Summer Olympics and at the 1956 Summer Olympics
• Charles Wood (1932-2020), playwright and scriptwriter
• John Savident (1938-2024), actor, appeared in many TV series, including Coronation Street
• Peter Le Vasseur (born 1938), artist
• Nicholas Edward Day (born 1939), statistician and cancer epidemiologist
• Bruce Parker (born 1941), BBC television presenter, first presenter of Antiques Roadshow
• Dick Le Flem (born 1942), footballer, played for Nottingham Forest F.C. and England U23
• Noel Duquemin (born 1944), shooter, Commonwealth and Island Games
• Chris Foss (born 1946), British artist and science fiction illustrator
• George Torode (1946–2010), writer and radio host
• Malcolm Wicks (1947–2012), Member of Westminster Parliament
• Richard Doyle (1948-2017), British author of thriller novels
• Michele Dotrice (born 1948), actress, daughter of Roy Dotrice
• Simon Kay (born 1952?), plastic surgeon
• Adrian Fulford (born 1953), judge; formerly a member of the International Criminal Court in The Hague
• Karen Dotrice (born 1955), actress
• Linda Martel (1956-1961), healer
• Aden Gillett (born 1959), actor
• Andrew Lawrence-King (born 1959), baroque harpist, director of The Harp Consort
• Craig Allen (born 1959), football player in North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League
• Adrian Breton (1962–2007), 1990 Commonwealth Games gold medal, men's rapid fire pistol
• Martine Le Moignan (born 1962), squash player
• Lisa Opie (born 1963), squash player
• Ashley Highfield (born 1965), media magnate
• Sarah Montague (born 1966), BBC journalist and news presenter
• Carl Hester (born 1967), dressage rider, Team GB Olympian and 2012 Summer Olympics gold medal winner
• Jenny Kendall-Tobias (born 1967), radio presenter for BBC Radio Guernsey; known and loved locally as JKT
• Matthew Le Tissier (born 1968), retired Southampton FC and England footballer
• Martin Brady (born 1969), world record holder of the slowest heart ever recorded in a healthy human
• Lee Luscombe (born 1971), footballer; played for Brentford FC
• Alison Merrien (born 1971), indoor bowls player
• Andrew Singleton (born 1972), human geneticist
• Andy Priaulx (born 1973), four times touring car race champion
• Lee Savident (born 1976), cricketer; played for Hampshire County Cricket Club
• Chris Tardif (born 1979), footballer; played for Portsmouth F.C.
• Dawn Porter (born 1979), BBC television presenter (born in Scotland but grew up in Guernsey)
• Lee Merrien (born 1979), athlete and Team GB Olympian
• Dale Garland (born 1980), athlete
• Paul Le Tocq (born 1981), badminton player
• Tom Druce (born 1986), athlete
• Chris Simpson (born 1987), squash player
• Tobyn Horton (born 1989), the Channel Islands' first professional cyclist
• Tim Ravenscroft (born 1992), cricketer; played for Hampshire County Cricket Club
• Heather Watson (born 1992), tennis player, 2009 US Open Girls' singles champion, Team GB Olympian and Wimbledon champion
• Harry Lewis (born 1996), better known as W2S, YouTube personality and member of the Sidemen
• Alex Crossan (born 1996), better known as Mura Masa, electronic music producer and DJ
• Cameron Chalmers (born 1997), British track and field sprinter

21st century

• Claudia Valentina (born 2001), singer/songwriter
• Maya Le Tissier (born 2002), footballer; plays for Manchester United and England
• Alex Scott (born 2003), footballer; plays for AFC Bournemouth

Moved to and lived in Bailiwick of Guernsey

• General Sir John Doyle (1756–1834), Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey, drained Braye du Valle joining the north of Guernsey to the rest of the Island
• John Wilson, architect from Cumberland, lived in Guernsey 1813–1830, and designed some of the island's most iconic buildings, including Elizabeth College, St James, Castle Carey and the market buildings.
• Victor Hugo (1802–1885), author of The Hunchback of Notre Dame; lived in self-imposed exile on the island for 15 years, during which he wrote Les Misérables; Toilers of the Sea was dedicated to the island
• John Tapner (1823–1854), last person executed by Guernsey
• Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919), artist; spent summer of 1883 in Guernsey
• Henry Watson Fowler (1858–1933), lexicographer, moved to Guernsey in 1903
• Lilian Lyle (1867–1953), botanist and phycologist, studied the marine life of Guernsey during the 1920s
• Francis George Fowler (1871–1918), lexicographer, moved to Guernsey in 1903
• Compton Mackenzie (1883–1972), author, tenant of Herm
• Nicholas Monsarrat (1910–1979), author of The Cruel Sea and more than thirty other novels; lived in Guernsey from 1959 to 1963
• John Le Mesurier (1912–1983), actor in Dad's Army; lived in Guernsey for the majority of his life
• Cyril Fletcher (1913–2005), actor, comedian
• Robert Farnon (1917–2005), conductor and composer; lived in Guernsey for 40 years
• Derrick Bailey (1918–2009), founder of Aurigny Airlines
• Desmond Bagley (1923–1983), best-selling writer of thriller novels; lived in Guernsey 1976–1983
• Ronnie Ronalde (1923–2015), siffleur, lived in Guernsey from the 1960s to the 1980s
• Eliza Beresford (1926–2010), writer, creator of children's characters The Wombles; lived in Alderney
• G. N. Georgano (1932–2017), author of reference books about motorcars
• Brian Walden (1932–2019), broadcaster and Labour politician
• David and Frederick Barclay (both born 1934), businessmen in media, retail and property
• Oliver Reed (1938–1999), actor in Gladiator, Oliver! and other films; lived in Guernsey for many years
• Dawn Brooke (born 1938), world's oldest natural mother; gave birth in 1997 at the age of 59
• Mary Perkins (born 1944), co-founder and a senior executive of Specsavers
• Raymond Evison, (born 1944), nurseryman, lecturer, author and photographer
• Norman Wood (1947-2023), Scottish Ryder Cup player
• Guy Hands (born 1959), financier and investor, former chairman of EMI
• Wayne Bulpitt (born 1961), UK Chief Commissioner for The Scout Association
• Liam Mooney (born 1972), Businessman ex professional rugby player
• Zef Eisenberg (1973–2020), Maximuscle founder and motorbike land speed records holder

See also

• List of governors of Guernsey
• Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey
• List of bailiffs of Guernsey
• Lieutenant Governor of Jersey
• List of bailiffs of Jersey
• List of people from Jersey
• List of politicians in Jersey

References