•
Richard Baxter,
Puritan minister. He began his ministry in Kidderminster in April 1641 and served there for the next 19 years. A memorial statue of him was erected outside St Mary's parish church, where he was based. The inscription states his wish "for unity and comprehension in religion". Prior to beginning his ministry in Kidderminster, Baxter lived in
Bridgnorth from 1640 to 1641. •
Mark Birch, former guitarist with
Wishbone Ash, was born and brought up in Kidderminster. •
Edward Bradley, the English humourist of the mid-Victorian era, was born in Kidderminster in 1827. •
Lant Carpenter, English educator and Unitarian minister, was born in Kidderminster. •
Gilbert Claughton, Chairman of the
London North Western Railway •
Noah Cooke, poet, was born in the town. •
Sammi Davis, film actress, was born in Kidderminster. •
Tony De Vit, Birmingham-based nightclub DJ and singer, was born in Kidderminster. •
Alun Evans, English football's first £100,000 teenager, was born in Kidderminster. •
Richard Eve, Grand Treasurer of the
United Grand Lodge of England in 1889, was born in Kidderminster. •
Thomas Foley, 1st Baron Foley,
MP for
Droitwich and
Herefordshire, created
Baron Foley, of Kidderminster in the County of Worcester in 1776. •
Paul Frampton, theoretical physicist, was born in Kidderminster and educated at King Charles I School. •
Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, also known as James Albert, lived with his family in the town in the 1760s and 1770s. An African prince and freed slave, he worked on his autobiography in Kidderminster, with a secretary from
Leominster. Published at
Bath in about 1772, this was considered the first Black African autobiography published in Britain. •
Robert Hamer,
film director and
screenwriter, known for his 1949 comedy
Kind Hearts and Coronets, starring
Dennis Price and
Alec Guinness, was born in Kidderminster. •
Jowe Head (born as Joe Hendon in Kidderminster) is a bass guitarist, singer and visual artist, and was a member of
Swell Maps before joining the
Television Personalities. •
Sir Rowland Hill, the inventor of the
Penny Black and the modern postal system, was born in Blackwell Street. There is a statue, sculpted by
Sir Thomas Brock, to him in Vicar Street outside the town hall. There was a pub in the Bull Ring called
The Penny Black in his honour. •
Henry Eliot Howard, director of a steelwork in Worcester, and amateur ornithologist, was born at Stone House near Kidderminster. •
Eustace Jotham served as a British Army captain in the Great War, winning the
Victoria Cross in 1915; he was born in Kidderminster. •
Walter W. Law was born in Kidderminster to a carpet dealer, and worked as a carpet manufacturer. He later emigrated to the United States, where he founded
Briarcliff Manor, New York. •
Iskra Lawrence, model, grew up in Kidderminster. •
Rustie Lee, TV personality and celebrity chef, used to live on the outskirts of the town. •
Sir Josiah Mason, an English pen-manufacturer, was born in the town's Mill Street. •
Walter Nash, former Labour Prime Minister of New Zealand, was born in the town. •
James O'Brien, radio talk show host of LBC and journalist, was brought up in Kidderminster. •
Job Orton, English dissenting minister, lived in Kidderminster in retirement from 1766 until his death. •
Taylor Parkes, journalist and broadcaster, was born in West Bromwich but grew up in Kidderminster. •
Ewan Pearson, DJ and record producer, grew up in Kidderminster. •
Robert Plant, English musician who was the front man of the 1970s English rock band
Led Zeppelin, grew up in Kidderminster and has had associations with
Kidderminster College. •
Stuart Matthew Price, singer and composer, was born in the town. •
Jess Roden, singer, was born in Kidderminster. •
Mike Sanchez,
rhythm and blues pianist and vocalist, is a long-time resident of Kidderminster. •
Sir Herbert Smith, 1st Baronet, Kidderminster carpet manufacturer and owner of
Witley Court (see
Smith of Kidderminster baronets). •
Alf Tabb, Kidderminster cycle maker and rider of miniature cycles. •
Dr Richard Taylor was an independent
Member of Parliament for
Wyre Forest, serving from 2001 to 2010. He originally trained as a medical doctor, working as a consultant at
Kidderminster General Hospital from 1972 to 1995. He was also co-leader of the National Health Action Party. •
Tom Watson is a former
Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) for
West Bromwich East and Deputy Leader of the
Labour Party. He was educated at
King Charles I High School in Kidderminster. •
Stan Webb, blues guitarist and founder of
Chicken Shack, resides in the town. •
John Francis Young served as a soldier in the First World War and won the
Victoria Cross as a private in 1918; he was born in Kidderminster. •
Henry Youngman, Methodist minister who was President-General of the
Methodist Church of Australasia from 1910-13, considered "the Father of Methodism in Queensland", was born in Kidderminster.
Sport •
Ollie Allsopp was born in Kidderminster. He is a professional rugby player, formerly of
Harlequin F.C. •
Mo Anthoine was born and brought up on Marlpool Lane in Kidderminster. He was a mountain climber famed for his technical skill. •
Peter Collins, former
Formula One driver, was born in Kidderminster. During his career, Collins drove for the
HWM,
Vanwall,
Maserati and
Ferrari teams and won 3 of his 33 Grands Prix. His promising career was cut short during the
1958 German Grand Prix, when Collins spun off the track and sustained a fatal head injury in the accident that followed. •
Kevin Keelan, footballer, played for
Norwich City. •
Melissa Lawley,
Liverpool F.C. Women Forward, who signed for the club in 2019. •
Ernest Perry, first-class cricketer, died in Kidderminster. •
John Wyer was born in Kidderminster; he went on to manage repeat victories at
Le Mans 24 hours. ==References==