Famous People connected with Leicester & Leicestershire

King Richard III
King Richard III was a regular visitor to Leicester, and spent his last days in the city before his death at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. He was buried in the chapel of Greyfriars Monastery, but it is believed that some years later his bones were dug up and thrown into the River Soar. A statue of him stands in Castle Gardens, and the chancel of Leicester Cathedral is dedicated to his memory.

Cardinal Wolsey
The man who was the power behind the throne of King Henry VIII was buried at the Abbey of St Mary the Meadows (now Abbey Park) following his death in 1530. Wolsey was on his way to London to be tried for treason, but fell ill in Leicester and never made it to the capital.

Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey was born in Bradgate in 1537, to the Duke and Duchess of Suffolk. She became Queen in 1553, and reigned for only nine days, until Mary Tudor had her imprisoned in the Tower of London, then executed in 1554. The ruins of her family home, Bradgate House, can be seen just outside Leicester at Bradgate Park.

Thomas Cook
The world famous pioneer of tourism lived in Leicester for over 50 years. He founded the modern travel industry here, when he organised the first public excursion by train from Leicester to Loughborough in 1841. A leaflet is available from the Tourist Information Centre giving details of a walking trail around Leicester, visiting places associated with his life. Cook is buried in Welford Road Cemetery.

Daniel Lambert
Born in 1770, Daniel Lambert is a famous local figure, renowned for his corpulence. He weighed a colossal 52 stone 11Ibs and measured a staggering 9ft 4 inches around his waist! Examples of some of his clothes can be seen at Leicester's Newarke Houses Museum.

King Lear
Although a fictional character, King Lear is a figure from Leicester's past. The story goes that in 800BC a King Leir ruled the land then known as Leircestre. Legend has it that Shakespeare heard the story while he was acting at Leicester's Guildhall and was inspired to write his world famous tragedy. A statue depicting the final scene of the play can be seen at Watermead Park.

Simon De Montfort
This former Earl of Leicester was the founder of what is now England's parliamentary system. The model parliament was held in Leicester three times in the fifteenth century. Many places in Leicester are named after De Montfort, including the city's main concert hall and one of its universities.