Biographies F
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Amanda Fairclough (1963-) Actress Born 26 November 1963 Bolton Educated Bolton College; Salford University. Has appeared in a variety of TV series including 'Waterloo Road', 'Cutting It', 'Heartbeat' and 'Cops'.
Enoch Fairhurst (1874-1945) Illustrator Born 1874 Bolton Died 31 October 1945 Bolton Worked for Bolton Evening News, Punch, London Illustrated News. Brother of Susan Isaacs qv.
Horace Fairhurst (1893-1920) Professional Footballer Born 1893 Bolton Died 26 December 1920 Blackpool, Lancashire He played for Blackpool. Died aged 26 from head injury suffered during a match against Barnsley.
William (Bill) Farrimond (1903-1979) Cricketer Born 23 May 1903 Daisy Hill, Bolton. Died 15 November 1979 Westhoughton, Bolton. Batsman and Wicket Keeper - played for Lancashire 1924-1945, England, MCC and Minor Counties.
Lewis Faulkner (1913-1978) Professional Wrestler Born 4 March 1913 Bolton Died 1978 Educated Ss Peter and Paul's RC School, Bolton European Junior Heavyweight Wrestling Champion - Fought as 'Vic Hesselle' - Turned professional 1935, retired 1963 aged 50. Father of Vic Faulkner qv and Bert Royal qv. Ran the Bull's Head pub in Breightmet for 17 years.
Vic Faulkner (1944-) Professional Wrestler Born 14 July 1944 Bolton Educated Ss Peter and Paul's RC School, Bolton; Lord's Commercial Institute, Bolton Brother of Bert Royal (real name Faulkner) and son of Lewis Faulkner qv. European Middleweight Wrestling Champion 1966-1973 - British Welterweight Wrestling Champion 1973-1977.
John Fawcett 1789-1867) Composer Born 8 December 1789 Wennington, Lancashire Died 26 October 1867 Bolton Settled in Bolton 1825. Originally a shoemaker, self-taught musician, organist, choir-master and composer of religious music. Director of Bolton Philharmonic Society. Works include the oratorio 'Paradise', 'Bolton', 'The Harp of Zion', 'Strike! seraphs, strike your harps of gold' 'and 'Zalmonah'.
Dr Fergus Ferguson (1805-1887) Doctor and politician Born 18 October 1805 Houston & Killellan, Renfrewshire, Scotland Educated Bolton Grammar School; Edinburgh University Mayor of Bolton 1866. (Liberal). Doctor. First elected as Alderman for Exchange Ward 1856. Worked tirelessly for improvements to sanitation and drainage in Bolton. JP 1869.
Matthew Ferguson (-1844) Failed animal trainer Died 11 February 1844 Bolton Killed by Barney the Leopard while supervising the menagerie at the infamous Star Inn, Churchgate. Barney was later stuffed and put on display at the Star Inn.
Shirley Anne Field (1936-) English actress Born 27 Jun 1936 in Forest Gate, London as Shirley Broomfield. She has performed on stage, film and television since 1955. At the age of six, Shirley was placed in the National Children's Home at Edgworth, near Bolton, and four years later was moved to another children's home in Blackburn, where she attended Blakey Moor School for Girls. She subsequently returned to Edgworth until she was 15. Appeared as Doreen, the would-be girlfriend of rebellious Arthur Seaton (played by Albert Finney), in the New Wave film for Bryanston, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960). She married the aristocratic RAF pilot and racing driver Charles Crichton-Stuart (1939–2001) on 7 July 1967
John Thomas Fielding (1849-1894) Trades Union Leader Born 1849 Blackburn Died 1894 Bolton Founder of the Operative Spinners' Provincial Association Bolton District - General Secretary of the Cotton Operatives' Association - Secretary of Bolton Trades Council. 17,000 Trades Unionists attended the unveiling of his statue in Queens Park.
Matthew Fielding (1848-1915) Politician Born 1848 Bolton Died 30 July 1915 Bolton Mayor of Bolton 1890 (Conservative). Solicitor. Firm established in 1871. In 1887 joined by George Fernihough and the firm became know as Fielding & Fernihough. The company continues as Fieldings Porter.
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Steve Fielding Born in Bolton, Lancashire. A former apprentice engineer turned crime writer and professional musician. As a writer he has contributed to many crime publications including True Detective, The Criminologist, True Crime and Master Detective. His first major work was The Hangman’s Record a three-volume trilogy detailing the history of capital punishment in the UK between 1868-1964. The local best-selling Murderous Bolton was released in 1994 and reprinted in 2009. A follow up title, More Murderous Bolton was published a year later.
Gracie Fields Made the film "Sing as we go" in Bolton in 1934,
Chris Finch (1979-) Actor Born 1979 Bolton. Educated Turton High School, Bolton. Born Christopher Wilkinson. Played Karl Foster in 'Coronation Street'.
Peter Louis Finch (1937-) Politician Born 3 October 1937 Chorley Road, Westhoughton. Mayor of Bolton 1998 (Labour), Mayor of Westhoughton 1986 (Labour). Textile Worker for 38 years.
Francis (Frank) Finlay (1926-) Actor Born 6 August 1926 Farnworth, Bolton Educated St Gregory the Great School, Farnworth; RADA Prolific stage and screen actor. Starred in 'Casanova', 'Bouquet of Barbed Wire' etc. Began career at Farnworth Little Theatre - spotted by Laurence Olivier while at RADA. Awarded CBE in 1984.
Joseph W (Joe) Fish (1946-) Broadcaster Born 1946 Plover Street, Great Lever, Bolton Country Music DJ on BBC Radio Lancashire. Was rescued from a house fire by firefighters as a child and decided to become a fireman himself. After leaving the Fire Service he followed his passion for Country music as a producer and DJ, initially with Manchester's Piccadilly Radio. Winner of many awards for services to Country music broadcasting, including the International Country Broadcaster award at the 2009 Country Music Association (CMA) awards ceremony, held in Nashville, Tennessee.
David Fitzsimmons (1945-) Playwright Born 27 April 1945 Bolton Educated Hayward Grammar School, Bolton; Manchester University. Wrote West End comedy play 'Judies' 1974 and the short-lived BBC sitcom 'Coming Home' 1981 drawing on his own experiences as a chemistry teacher.
Helen Joyce Flanagan (1990-) Actress Born 1990 Bolton Bolton Educated St John the Evangelist RC School, Bromley Cross, Bolton: Thornleigh Salesian College, Bolton; Westholme School, Blackburn Played Rosie Webster in 'Coronation Street' since January 2000.
Joseph Kenneth Flanagan (1926-) Politician Born 1926 Educated St Gregorys RC School, Farnworth Mayor of Farnworth 1973. Last mayor of Farnworth before creation of Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council.
Peter Flanagan (1887-1974) Politician Birth 1 November 1887 Bolton. Died 22 August 1974 Bolton District General Hospital, Farnworth. Mayor of Bolton 1954 (Labour). Described the new zebra crossings for pedestrians as 'a foolish suggestion'.
Rachel Flanders
The youngest person to row an ocean. With three other women she rowed the Atlantic in 74 days from La Gomera to Antigua in 2007-2008. She was a pupil at Bolton School 1999-2010.
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Joan Fleming (1908-1980) Author Born 27 March 1908 Horwich, Bolton Died 15 October 1980 London Writer of crime fiction. Won Crime Writers Association Gold Dagger award 1962 for 'When I Grow Rich' and 1970 for 'Young Man I Think You're Dying'.
F/O Arthur Fletcher (-1951) Serving with the RAuxAF, he crashed into a hill near the village of Edgworth just 8 miles from his home while on exercise in a Gloster Meteor jet in 1951.
Geoffrey Scowcroft Fletcher (1923-2004) Illustrator and Author Born 3 April 1923 Bolton Died 2004 Bolton Educated Bolton School of Art; Slade School of Art, London; British School at Rome His work appeared in several newspapers including the Guardian and The Sunday Times. Most notably he illustrated the diary column in The Daily Telegraph for 30 years. His illustrations and texts detailing less familiar sides of London street life and architecture formed the basis for his numerous published books. His best-known work was 'The London Nobody Knows', which was also made into a documentary film in 1967.
Paul John Fletcher (1951-) Professional Footballer Born 13 January 1951 Bolton Forward - played for Bolton Wanders 1968-1971, Burnley and Blackpool.
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Colonel Ralph Fletcher JP (1757-1832)
Born 1757 Bolton Le Moors, Lancashire
Died 22 Feb 1832 The Hollins, Radcliffe Road, Bolton
He was in command of the Bolton Volunteers in 1805, when they were called up to oppose Napoleon’s proposed invasion of England, and later commanded the Bolton Militia.
Thomas Fletcher (1832-1914) Politician Born 1832 Little Lever, Bolton Died 20 October 1914 Bolton Mayor of Bolton 1884, 1885, 1886 (Conservative) Colliery owner.
Stuart Flinders (1960-) Broadcaster and Journalist Born 1960 Halliwell, Bolton Educated St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary, Bolton; Thornleigh Salesian College, Bolton. A senior presenter on BBC Look North West regional TV news programme. Has worked as a local radio journalist and also as a journalist in Australia. Won a Royal Television Society Broadcaster Of The Year award.
David Flitcroft (1974-) Professional Footballer. Born 14 January 1974 Bolton. Midfielder - played for Preston, Lincoln, Chester, Rochdale, Macclesfield and Bury. Brother of footballer Garry Flitcroft qv.
Garry Flitcroft (1972-) Professional Footballer Born 6 November 1972 Bolton Educated Turton High School Midfielder - played for Blackburn (Captain), Burnley and Manchester City. Brother of footballer David Flitcroft qv.
Sir Thomas Evans Flitcroft (1861-1938) Politician Born 10 July 1861 31 Bury Street, Bolton Died 14 May 1938 28 Somerset Road, Bolton Mayor of Bolton 1926, 1927 (Liberal) Councillor for Halliwell 1892-1901. General Practitioner. JP. Knighted 1913. As Mayor he presided over the Samuel Crompton Centenary celebrations, hosting the visits of King Fuad of Egypt and King Feisul of Iraq to the town and attending the opening of Crompton Way.
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William Flitcroft (1828-1887)
Born 1828 Bolton, Lancashire, England.
Died 6 May 1887 Lancashire, England
In 1881 Cotton spinner employing 127 persons. Lived at Lostock House, Walton le Dale.
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