Notable People of Lyme

Geology, Palaeontology and Science

• William Buckland (1784 – 1856), palaeontologist – see related blog post
• Henry de La Beche (1796 – 1855), palaeontologist – see related blog post
• Mary Anning (1799 – 1847), palaeontologist
• Joseph Lister (1827 – 1912), pioneer of antiseptic surgery – see related blog post

Royalty

• King Edward I, who granted the town its first royal charter in 1284 (hence the Latin term Regis, or “of the King”, in the town’s name) – see related blog post
• King Charles II, who came here twice… once as a fugitive during the Civil War, and then twenty years later as King (an unplanned visit caused by stormy seas)

The Arts

• Jane Austen (1775 – 1817), novelist
• John Fowles (1926 – 2005), novelist
• Tracy Chevalier (born 1962), novelist
• J. M. W. Turner (1775 – 1851), artist
• James McNeil Whistler (1834 – 1903), artist
• …and many others (see Lyme’s Literary and Artistic Connections)

Business and Society

• Sir George Somers (1554–1610), founder of Bermuda
• Thomas Coram (1668 – 1751), social reformer and founder of the Coram Foundation
• Elinor Coade (1733-1821), businesswoman and inventor of Coade Stone – see related blog post
• Jack Rattenbury (1778 – 1834), smuggler
• William Pitt the Elder (1708 – 1778) and William Pitt the Younger (1759 – 1806), both British Prime Ministers – see related blog post

Others not in the Museum

Due to lack of space, some are not covered in any depth in the Museum. However we will point you to more information about them if possible:

Rev Richard Penell of Porto and Lyme who lived in Rosehill on Silver Street. (see Research Papers)

Gallery of Notable People