Throughout history, many famous and well-known people have forged a special link to Kent.

Whether it was because they were born here, or passed through during their career, their time spent in the county played a significant role in their lives.

As a result, their names are scattered throughout Kent, with many landmarks, bars or plaques dedicated to them.

So if you've ever wondered who your favourite pub is named after and why, or who your street name is in tribute to, we take a look at the names associated with Kent, and who they were.

Simon Langton (date of birth unknown)-1248

Simon Langton Girls' Grammar School and The Langton Grammar School for Boys can both be found in Canterbury.

But do you know anything about the man they were named after?

English medieval clergyman Simon Langton lived in the 13th century.

Although it is not known when he was born exactly, he served as Archdeacon of Canterbury and the Archbishop-elect of York.

However, his election to the position in York was quashed by Pope Innocent III following the king of the time's interference.

He also represented royalty in several diplomatic missions during his career and was the brother of Stephen Langton, who became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1207.

Langton died in 1248.

Will Adams 1564-1620

The Will Adams Memorial is listed as number 13 out of 18 things to do in Gillingham.

Having been born in the town, the sailor went to serve in the Royal Navy under Francis Drake against the Spanish Armada.

But he also became the first Englishman ever to set foot in Japan after his ship ran aground on the Japanese island of Kyushu in 1600.

Despite being imprisoned initially, he went on to become the aide and diplomatic advisor to the Shogun, after impressing him with his knowledge of shipbuilding and navigation.

He stayed in Japan and eventually became a samurai.

The link he established between Medway and Japan are now celebrated thanks to him, and Medway holds the Will Adams Festival in Gillingham Park each year.

In addition to the memorial, a roundabout is also named after him in Gillingham.

William Harvey 1578-1657

Born in Folkestone in 1578, William Harvey became known for being the first person to describe accurately how blood was pumped around the body by the heart.

Although he moved to Europe to study and then London to work, his first years were spent in Kent and he attended the King’s School in Canterbury.

In 1618, he was appointed as the physician to James I and continued as physician to Charles I upon Charles’s accession to the throne in 1625.

He also lived during the European witch hunts and was involved in proving that four accused women were innocent.

Today, the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford is named after him, as is a pub in the town, and a commemorative statue can be found in Clifton Gardens off The Leas in Folkestone.

John Wallis 1616-1703

John Wallis was a mathematician who is credited with introducing the symbol ∞ to represent the concept of infinity.

He also made significant contributions to trigonometry, calculus and geometry, and was skilled at mental calculations.

He was ordained as a minister and also wrote about theology, logic, English grammar and philosophy.

But he started life in Kent, having been born in Ashford in 1616. His father, who had the same name, was also a reverend.

He went to school in Ashford but moved to James Movat's school in Tenterden in 1625 following an outbreak of plague.

The John Wallis Academy and John Wallis pub, both in Ashford, are named after him.

Elizabeth Carter 1717-1806

The poet, writer, translator and linguist was born in Deal and moved between her Deal house and London lodgings throughout her life.

She was a member of the Bluestocking Circle - an informal women's social and educational movement in England in the mid-18th century.

The society - lead by social reformer Elizabeth Montagu - emphasized education and mutual co-operation.

Carter published many books during her career and earned respect for the first English translation of the Discourses of Epictetus, a book of lectures by stoic philosopher Epictetus.

Her family home can still be seen at the junction of South Street and Middle Street in Deal and is remembered with a blue plaque.

William Turner 1775-1851

A museum in Margate, a coveted art prize and now a new £20 note...all honour Joseph Mallord William Turner.

Artist Turner first came to Margate at the age of 11. He stayed with a relative and attended school in Love Lane while his mother battled psychiatric illness in London.

In his latter years Turner would regularly travel by boat from London to lodge with a Captain Booth and his wife.

Their guesthouse stood close to the back of the present Turner Contemporary, overlooking the sea and The Droit House, now the Visitor Information Centre.

But Turner was very fond of Margate and once remarked to influential writer and art critic John Ruskin that “…the skies over Thanet are the loveliest in all Europe”.

Thomas Waghorn 1800-1850

Postal pioneer Thomas Waghorn was a Victorian sailor and naval officer who was born in Chatham.

This year marks both 220 years since he was born and 170 years since he died in 1850.

After joining the Royal Navy at the age of 12, Waghorn suggested a new postal route between Great Britain and India prior to the development of the Suez Canal.

Nowadays, Chatham pays homage to him via his statue in Railway Street, the same road in which there is a Wetherspoon pub named after him.

The statue is often topped with a traffic cone...

A street party was being arranged in June to celebrate what would have been his 220th birthday, but this has been postponed due to Covid-19.

Samuel Peto 1809-1889

Before it was a pub, the building at 23 Rendezvous Street in Folkestone was a baptist church, built in 1845.

The Salem Chapel, as it was known, was largely funded from a loan by one of the great railway contractors of the Victorian age - Samuel Morton Peto.

He was responsible for laying around 750 miles of track in England and more than 2,300 miles globally.

Through another of his companies he built several buildings in London, including the Lyceum, St James's Theatre and Nelson's Column.

He later became an MP and served for more than 20 years, resigning his seat in 1866.

He has no other known links to Kent but the church he made possible was eventually transformed into a Wetherspoon's pub and called The Samuel Peto.

Charles Dickens 1812-1870

Now we're not suggesting you don't know who Charles Dickens is. But you might not know all his connections to Kent.

The famous author is known for visiting Broadstairs during the summer and it was while staying at Fort House, later known as Bleak House, that he penned David Copperfield.

It is also the Bleak House referred to in Dickens' 1853 novel, hence the name change.

But he also spent his early years living in Sheerness, and then Chatham, with his family.

He also honeymooned in Chalk, Gravesend with wife Catherine Hogarth.

In later years he frequented Canterbury and Folkestone, journeys made possible through the opening of the South Eastern railway line.

He also died in Kent on June 9, 1870 at the age of 58 at his home in Higham, which is now Gad's Hill School.

He had requested to be buried at Rochester Cathedral but was laid to rest in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey.

Today, a school in Broadstairs is named after him, as is a pub, and the town celebrates a Dickens Festival annually, as does Rochester. The 2020 events in both towns have been cancelled due to Covid-19.

John Furley 1836-1919

Despite being a pivotal figure in the development of the first aid movement, Sir John Furley is not widely known.

Born in Ashford, Furley devoted his life to the promotion of organised treatment for the sick and wounded.

He was one of the earliest presidents of the Red Cross Society and a founder member of the St John Ambulance Association.

He also produced various inventions to help the wounded, including some types of stretcher.

He received a knighthood and Order of the Companions of Honour for his charitable works.

Today, Ashford's Furley Park Primary Academy is named in his honour and the Ashford division of St John Ambulance is based in Furley Hall, in Maidstone Road.

Peter Cushing 1913-1994

Whitstable's Wetherspoon pub, in Oxford Street, is called The Peter Cushing after the Star Wars actor who fell in love with the town.

Cushing was known for his many roles in ‘Hammer Horror Films’ of the 1950s, 60s and 70s, including Dracula and Dr Frankenstein, and his numerous appearances as the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes.

He also played Grand Moff Tarkin in George Lucas' space fantasy and even appeared in standalone film Rogue One in 2016 through the use of high-tech computer generated imagery, despite having died in 1994.

But it was in 1958 when Cushing made his connection to Kent, buying a house in the seaside town following several visits.

It was initially used for weekend stays but then as a retirement home until his death.

According to the Whitstable Museum's website: "[Cushing] was known in the town as a courteous and unassuming gentleman, often to be seen on his bicycle or in the Tudor Tea Rooms in Harbour Street.

"His love of the town was rewarded by its inhabitants treating him as one of their own, allowing the star and his beloved wife Helen to live in relative peace and tranquillity."

As well as the pub, there is also a beauty spot in the town named Cushing’s View.

Sir Norman Wisdom 1915-2010

Slapstick comedy actor Norman Wisdom was known all over the world.

But it was aged 11, while staying with a foster family, that he spent time in Kent.

Having been born into an impoverished family in London, he was sent to live in Deal but promptly ran away. He returned and grew up in the town.

He went onto become a noted actor, comedian and singer and was once described by Charlie Chaplin as his 'favourite clown'.

Today, the Wetherspoon's pub in Deal is called The Sir Norman Wisdom.

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