Anna Dawson (1937-)                                            Actress                                                                 Born 27 July 1937 Bolton                                       Spent much of her childhood in Tanganyika.              Her TV career spanned regular roles in 'Dixon of Dock Green' and 'Keeping Up Appearances'. She often worked with comedians including Charlie Drake and Benny Hill and in Brian Rix stage farces.

 

James Alfred Dean (1892-1973)                               Politician                                                              Born 1892 Bolton                                                  Died January 1973                                            Educated Clarendon Street School, Bolton               Mayor of Farnworth 1947 (Labour)                            Made Freeman of the Borough of Farnworth 25th April 1968.                                                                 Worked in the cotton trade for 46 years.

 

Harold Dearden (1882-1962)                              Author, Playwright, Psychologist and Surgeon            Born 13 December 1882 Bolton                             Died 6 July 1962 London                                       Educated Cambridge University

 

Robert Demaine (1874-1948)                                  Politician                                                               Born 3 September 1874  Westbury Street, Bolton       Died 2 March 1948 Bolton                                    Educated Blackbank Street Day School                     Mayor of Bolton 1945 (Labour)                                President of the Bolton branch of the Friendly Society of Ironfounders.

Left school aged 11 to work as an errand boy and later apprenticed to Dobson and Barlow's as an iron moulder. He worked in moulding shops both at home and in the USA before returning to Bolton and later buying a shop in Washington Street, Bolton.

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Earl of Derby (-1651)                                            Blamed by the authorities for the Bolton massacre, was beheaded on Churchgate on October 15, 1651 -- after spending his last hours in the Man and Scythe public house.

 

Henry Devenish (1926-)                                        Politician                                                             Born 20 April 1926 5 Back Foundry Street, Bolton     Mayor of Bolton 1973 (Labour)                               Last Mayor of the County Borough of Bolton before the creation of Bolton Metropolitan Borough in 1974.     Worked in a bleachworks and at British Rail Engineering, Horwich.

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Hilary Lorraine Devey CBE (1957-)                           English businesswoman, TV presenter, television personality and entrepreneur,                              Born 10 March 1957  Bolton, Lancashire, England.    Best known for her two-year role on BBC Two programme Dragons' Den until she left to present the Channel 4 series The Intern.                              Devey made her fortune launching Pall-Ex, a palletised freight network. Launched in 1996, Pall-Ex was the third palletised goods distribution network to be launched in the UK.                                           Her family were the final licensees of the Crompton’s Monument. 35-39 Mill Street, Bolton.

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Roger Dewhurst (-1728)                                         Roger Dewhurst (the elder) purchased Halliwell Hall and its estate in 1715, a year before his son's birth and lived there until his death in 1728.

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Captain Roger Dewhurst (1716-1806)                      Roger Dewhurst, who lived at Halliwell Hall between 1716 & 1806 and was virtually the Squire of Halliwell during the last part of the 18th Century. He was a magistrate, treasurer of the Bolton & Nightingale Turnpike Trust, (which was responsible for the upkeep of Chorley Old Road and Halliwell Road), a civil engineer, and an artist. Dewhurst kept diaries and although most of them have been lost, we have those for the years 1784 to 1786. He lived to a good age of around 89 years.                                        Roger Dewhurst the younger, the celebrated captain, lived there until his death in 1806, when the Hall was inherited by James Dewhurst.                                   To the rear of Halliwell Hall are views of Captain's Clough, which was named after Captain Dewhurst.

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Diana, Princess of Wales

She visited Bolton Hospice on March 17, 1993.        The Arts Centre at Bolton School  opened by Diana, Princess of Wales in 1993. 

 

Frederick (Fred) Dibnah  (1938-2004 )                       Steeplejack, Industrial Historian and TV Presenter         Born 28 April 1938 Bolton.                                     Died 6 November 2004 Bolton Hospice, Bolton.        Educated St Michael's School, Great Lever; Bolton School of Art                                                         Famous for knocking down factory chimneys and having an immovable flat cap.                                 Began TV career as subject of 1979 documentary series about his work as a steeplejack - ironically demolishing much of the Victorian industrial architecture that he passionately admired.                                  Went on to present other TV series about our industrial heritage with enthusiasm and a deep knowledge of his subject. MBE 2003.

 

Charles John Huffam Dickens FRSA (1812-1870)        English writer and social critic.                                 Born 7 February 1812, Landport, Portsmouth               Died 9 June 1870, Gads Hill Place                        Charles Dickens’ Farewell Reading Tour began on 6 October 1868 with a reading in London and 205 days later and with 70 readings under his belt, he arrived in Blackburn to read at the Exchange Assembly Rooms on 19 April 1869.                                       From Blackburn he moved on to Bolton the following day where he spoke at the Temperance Hall. The Bolton Guardian’s critic reported that the reading was ‘the personification of humour’, adding, ‘Occasionally the amount of dramatic power exhibited was startling; the effect being considerably heightened by variations in the voice, according to the party supposed to be speaking.’                                                             The Bolton Evening News meanwhile began its review by stating the reading was ‘extremely humorous’ following that with ‘and the assumptions of character by Mr Dickens proved how versatile are his powers, and what a fine intuitive appreciation he has of the histrionic art’.

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Dr Walter Dickson (1916--2002)                          Consultant paediatrician at Bolton.                            Born Manchester 1916                                          Died 2 May 2002

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Arthur Disley (1902-)                                              Wireless Operator                                                 Born 22 Aug 1902                                             “She’s gone up in flames.”                                     These were the five words uttered by wireless operator Arthur Disley who broke the news of the R101 airship disaster to the world.                                           When the R101 fell to the ground Arthur Disley was able to escape however his hands were badly burned but he showed great fortitude and insisted on relaying the news back home before allowing himself to be medically treated. For this act of selflessness he was awarded an Order of The British Empire medal.           [BEN calls him a Bolton man?]

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Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, KG, PC, FRS  (1804-1881)                                                British politician of the Conservative Party                   Born 21 December 1804                                        Died 19 April 1881                                              He twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1868 and 1874-1880.                            He visited the village of Barrow Bridge in 1840, it is the basis of the fictional village Millbank in his novel, Coningsby, published in 1844.

 

Thomas Dixon                                                     Inventor and Engineer                                          Bolton                                                                 Designed several forms of slide rule and wrote many books on the subject. Moved to Bradford, Yorkshire and worked at Low Moor Iron Works.

 

Youri Raffi Djorkaeff  (1968-)                                    French professional footballer                                    Born  9 March 1968                                           He played as an attacking midfielder or forward.         Signed with English club Bolton Wanderers in 2002, he added a lot of class to the team during his three seasons there, resulting in the creation of an international "dream-team" alongside the tricky Nigerian Jay-Jay Okocha, and former Real Madrid midfielder Iván Campo. He was a member of the squad that reached the final of the 2003–04 League Cup.                                                                   He scored 20 goals in 75 appearance for Bolton Wanderers 2002–2004   

 

Benjamin Dobson (1787-1839)                               Industrialist                                                            Born 1787                                                           Died 16 February 1839 Bolton                               Nephew of Isaac Dobson qv. Continued Dobson family firm of textile machinery manufacturers in Bolton. Father of Benjamin Dobson (1823-74) qv.

 

Benjamin Dobson (1823-1874)                                Industrialist                                                            Born April 1823 Bolton.                                          Died 21 June 1874 Clifton Down Hotel, Bristol.          Son of Benjamin Dobson (1787-1839). Took Edward Barlow qv into partnership in 1851, creating Dobson & Barlow textile machinery manufacturers.                   County magistrate and Alderman.

 

Christopher Bryan Spencer Dobson                           See: Christopher Bryant

 

Isaac Dobson (1767-1833)                                    Industrialist                                                         Born 1767 Patterdale, Westmorland                          Died 15 January 1833 Gilnow House, Bolton.         Founder of textile machine manufacturer that became Dobson & Barlow.

 

Sir Benjamin Alfred Dobson (1847-1898)                  Politician, Industrialist and Soldier                              Born 27 October 1847 Douglas, Isle of Man            Died 4 March 1898 Doffcockers, Bolton                    Educated Carlisle Grammar School; Collegiate Institute Belfast                                                                  Mayor of Bolton 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897 (died in office). Councillor 1874, Alderman 1880. Knighted July 21st, 1897. Grandson of nephew of Isaac Dobson. Studied as a civil engineer and entered Kay Street works 1871.                                               Joined Bolton Infantry Volunteers (2nd Volunteer Battalion Loyal North Lancashire Regiment (then known as 27th Lancashire Rifle Volunteers) as an Ensign. Rose to Lt Colonel and 2nd in command. Holder of the Volunteer Decoration.                                              Statue of Dobson stands to right of Town Hall in Victoria Square erected in 1900. Author of several books on the spinning industry. Made Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur for services to French industries.

 

Ken Dodd                                                          Performed in Bolton

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Martin Donaghy (1957-)

Born Aug1957  in Co Armagh, Northern Ireland        Mayor of Bolton  2014-15 (Labour)

 

Dr James Dorrian (1826-1895)                                 Surgeon and Philanthropist                                      Born 1826 Loughinisland, County Down, Ireland      Died 22 March 1895 Bolton                              Educated Dublin                                             Came to Bolton around 1850. Well known for his compassion and care for the Irish / Catholic poor of the town. JP.                                                           Statue of him unveiled in Queen's Park on 29 January 1898.

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Sean Doyle                                              Manager of Diamonds lapdancing and nightclub

 

Glen A Duncan (1965-)                                          Author                                                                  Born 1965 Farnworth, Bolton                                 Educated Lancaster University                                Work includes 'Weathercock', Death of an Ordinary Man', 'Love Remains' 'Hope' and 'I, Lucifer'.

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Deborah Dunleavy (1964-)

Born Jan 1964 Bolton                                            Brought up in Bolton.                                  Educated at Mount Saint Josephs Grammar School. Stood for Parliament in 2005 in Bolton South East.

 

Thomas Parry Dunning (1893-1973)                          Politician                                                              Born 18 May 1893 Wigan Road, Bolton                 Died 15 November 1973 Bolton                              Mayor of Bolton 1951 (Conservative).                       Dentist.

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