I'm currently writing a book, the subject of which is the greatest ever Englishmen. So, naturally I am expecting a certain amount of disagreement. Why wasn't x included? What makes y so special? Did z really die in that slightly embarrassing, yet peculiarly apt way?
To help me fine tune the list of participants, can you please provide a list of your five (and five only) genuine, heartfelt "greatest" Englishmen. Use your own criteria, but please stick to five...
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Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Horatio Nelson
Charles Darwin
Winston Churchill
Andrew Wiles (?)
Issac Newton
Charles Darwin
Winston Churchill
Henry Cavendish
darwin
newton
cook
faraday
King Henry V
Arthur Wellsley (The Duke of Wellington)
John Churchill (1st Duke of Marlborough)
Admiral Lord Nelson
1st reserve - Major General James Wolf
You can quess my criteria.... :-))
Alfred The Great
Nelson
Edward II
Boudica
Eliz the First
Born in Portsmouth, never knew that.
Chris Cockerall
I couldn't agree with some of those, I'm afraid ........
;o)
PS: You on a roll there, Tommo ....?
Wordsworth
Milton
Shelly
Dickens
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Charles Darwin
William Hogarth
William Shakespeare
Churchill – Legendary leader, stood on his own against fascism for some time and was not intimidated. Owe him so much. Wish we had a politician of his ilk today.
Shakespeare – Amazing writer, who to this day is still the most famous of all time. His plays are recited around the globe and no one has, or probably will, come close to his level of fame. His and contribution to the English language cannot be underestimated
John Lennon – England has given so much in terms of contemporary music to the world it would be a shame not to put an artist in
Ebenezer Cobb Morley – He drew up the rules of football – the sport which has become the common denominator for the vast majority of earth. No sport can come close in terms of popularity or participation and it’s appeal is growing all the time. At around the time the British empire was doing so much to divide the world, one of it’s lasting legacies is the one thing which truly brings the world together – sport. And this is the sport which leads them all. Whilst it’s hard to say any one person “invented” football, I think this guy would have a fair shout at being recognized on behalf of the greatest gift these shores have bestowed upon the world.
ranulph fiennes
william wilberforce
charles dickens
max woosnam
charles burgess fry
"In 1381 the effort to strictly enforce the collection of taxes created discontent throughout England. Wat Tyler's rebellion was ignited when a tax collector tried to make a determination that Wat Tyler's daughter was of taxable age (15) by stripping her naked and assaulting her. Tyler, who was working close by, heard the screams of his wife and daughter, came running and smashed in the tax collector's skull with a hammer. He was cheered by his neighbors and the commoners of the western division of Kent were brought together by his courage. Wat Tyler was elected their leader.
Wat Tyler's group joined another group led by two itinerant priests named John Ball and Jack Straw, and rose 100,000 strong to invade London. The enraged mob broke open every prison and beheaded every judge and lawyer they could capture. They were not allowed to enrich themselves in their rioting. Valuables found in their midst were destroyed. One man who hid a silver cup on his person was thrown into the river as punishment for his misdeed and as an example to others to refrain from such behavior.
They surrounded Richard II, who asked them what they wanted. Their answer was, "We will be free forever, our heirs and our lands." Richard II agreed.
In a face-to-face meeting with unarmed Wat Tyler a short time later, Richard II ordered the Lord Mayor of London to "set hands on him." Tyler was stabbed through the throat with a short sword and, as he lay writhing in agony on the ground after falling off his horse, stabbed through the belly. "
I second this
No1 in top list of what makes England English
And still isn't in some places.........................................................................LOL!