page_title: Bishop Auckland
section_title: Notable people
hierarchical_section_title: Bishop Auckland / Notable people
caption_attribution_description: English: Lobby Card c. 1921 featuring the first appearance on film by Laurel and Hardy, in The Lucky Dog produced in 1919 and released in 1921. Stan Laurel is seated with a mustachioed Oliver Hardy's hands around his neck. Jack Lloyd is the other man.
context_page_description: Bishop Auckland is a market town and civil parish in County Durham in north east England. It is located about 12 miles northwest of Darlington, 12 miles southwest of Durham and 5 miles southeast of Crook at the confluence of the River Wear with its tributary the River Gaunless. According to the 2001 census, Bishop Auckland has a population of 24,392, increasing to 25,455 according to the 2016 estimate.
  Much of the town's early history surrounds the Bishops of Durham and the establishment of a hunting lodge, which later became the main residence of the Bishops of Durham. This link with the Bishops of Durham is reflected in the first part of the town's name.
  During the Industrial Revolution, the town grew rapidly as coal mining took hold as an important industry. The subsequent decline of the coal mining industry in the late twentieth century has been blamed for a fall in the town's fortunes in other sectors. Today, the largest sector of employment in the town is manufacturing.
  Since 1 April 2009, the town's local government has come from the Durham County Council Unitary Authority. The unitary authority replaced the previous Wear Valley District Council and Durham County Council.
context_section_description: Stan Laurel of the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy lived in the town during his childhood, attending the town's King James I Grammar School. His parents owned the now demolished Eden Theatre, which was located at the junction of Newgate Street and South Church Road. In 2007, a Wetherspoons pub opened in the town named after Stan, and in August 2008, a statue of Stan Laurel was unveiled on the site that his parents' theatre once occupied.
  Dr. Fiona Hill, an American foreign affairs specialist, noted for her testimony in the 2019 impeachment hearings of Donald Trump.
  One of the UK's most prolific serial killers, Mary Ann Cotton, lived in the nearby village of West Auckland. She was hanged at Durham Jail in 1873 for the murder of her stepson.
  Roland Boys Bradford, who during World War I was awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery on 1 October 1916, and became Brigadier General, on 10 November 1917 at the age of 25 making him the youngest General in the British Army, was born in the nearby village of Witton Park. His elder brother, Lieutenant Commander George Bradford, was also awarded the Victoria Cross, posthumously, for his actions during the Zeebrugge Raid on 22/23 April 1918, making them the only pair of brothers to be awarded the medal during the First World War.
  Sir Peter Soulsby, the current Mayor of Leicester was born in the town.
  Sir Alan Meale, the MP for Mansfield from 1987 to 2017, was born in the town.
  Jeremiah Dixon, astronomer and surveyor of the Mason–Dixon Line was born in the town.
  Footballer Charlie Wayman, who played for Newcastle United, Middlesbrough and Southampton was born in the town.
  Actor Christopher Hancock, who played Charlie Cotton in EastEnders was born in the town.
  Leeds United goalkeeper Ross Turnbull was born in the town.
  Town planner Thomas Wilfred Sharp was born in the town.
  Architect William Atkinson was born in the town.
  Scientific instrument maker John Bird was born in the town.
  Botanist Robert Kaye Greville was born in the town.
  Poet and critic, Craig Raine, was born in the town.
  Actor John Reed was born and spent his childhood in the nearby village of Close House.
  Theologian and catholic priest Frederick William Faber was educated at King James I Grammar School.
  Nineteenth century industrialist William George Armstrong was educated at King James I Grammar School.
  Linguist Harold Orton was educated at King James I Grammar School.
  17th century politician James Craggs the Elder was educated at King James I Grammar School.
  Astronomer Thomas Wright was educated at the town's grammar school.
  Eds Chesters, drummer for The Bluetones and Soho, is from Bishop Auckland.
  Sister Hilda Marley, educator and psychologist in Glasgow, born in Bishop Auckland.
caption: Stan Laurel (left) lived in the town during his childhood
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon PowerShot A430", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "GIMP 2.10.4", "Image DateTime": "2018:10:05 01:57:24", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ExifOffset": "210", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/80", "EXIF FNumber": "14/5", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2007:05:30 09:11:17", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2007:05:30 09:11:17", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "5", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "101/16", "EXIF ApertureValue": "95/32", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "95/32", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "27/5", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2272", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1704", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "568000/47", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "568000/47", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "1", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard"}