Edward FitzGerald – Translator
Edward FitzGerald, famed translator of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, spent much of his life near Woodbridge. A shy yet gifted writer and translator, he cultivated friendships with leading literary figures and found inspiration in Suffolk’s countryside, river and sea. His poetic interpretation of Omar Khayyám became one of the most celebrated works of Victorian literature.
Raymond Faulkner – Egyptologist
Notable People – The life of Raymond Faulkner reflects the dedication and scholarship of one of Britain’s leading twentieth-century Egyptologists. Living in Woodbridge for much of his later life, Faulkner became renowned for his translations of ancient Egyptian texts, including The Book of the Dead, and for his influential teaching and research in Egyptian language and literature.
Thomas & John Clarkson – Abolitionists
Notable People – The lives of Thomas Clarkson and John Clarkson reflect the determination and moral courage behind the campaign to end the transatlantic slave trade. Closely associated with Woodbridge and nearby Playford, the brothers played marked roles in abolition, anti-slavery reform and the founding of the Sierra Leone colony for formerly enslaved people.
Robert Beal – Lawyer
Notable People – The life of Robert Beale reflects the religious and political tensions of Elizabethan England. Associated with Woodbridge through local tradition, Beale became a prominent lawyer, diplomat and puritan reformer who worked closely with Sir Francis Walsingham and played a significant role in the events surrounding Mary, Queen of Scots.
Thomas Churchyard – Artist
Notable People – The life of Thomas Churchyard reflects the artistic and cultural character of nineteenth-century Woodbridge. A respected lawyer and accomplished landscape painter, Churchyard captured the rivers, streets and countryside of Suffolk while also helping shape the artistic circle that included Bernard Barton, George Rowe and Edward FitzGerald.
Bernard Barton – Quaker Poet
Notable People – The life of Bernard Barton reflects the literary and cultural character of nineteenth-century Woodbridge. Known as the “Quaker Poet”, Barton balanced a lifelong career as a bank clerk with writing poetry and corresponding with leading literary figures including Charles Lamb, Lord Byron and Edward FitzGerald, becoming one of the town’s most celebrated historical residents.