A few famous Bicknells

Did you know?

  • Alf Bicknell (1928-2004). Chauffeur to the Beatles!
  • Algernon Sydney Bicknell (1832-1911), Elhanan’s eighth son, made ten ascents of Vesuvius, six during eruptions. He crossed the Andes four times and crossed South America through the Amazonian jungle. He wrote the book of the Bicknell family ‘Five Pedigrees’ which we reference on this website. He also uses “Sydney Algernon Bicknell“. For sport, he rode his horse over the 7 foot 6 inch high wall of Hyde Park in 1792.
  • Bennet Bicknell (1781-1841), American politician, US Representative from New York
  • Charlie Bicknell keeps audiences enthralled with solo performances on Silks, Hoop and Balloon to a full circus troop. www.charliebicknell.com
  • Clarence Bicknell (1842-1918) was a British vicar, amateur archaeologist, botanist, artist, Esperantist, author and philanthropist. See the articles about him in the Library and buy his biography at www.clarencebicknell.com/shop
  • Darren Bicknell (born 1967), brother of Martin Bicknell, is an English former cricketer, a left-handed batsman and a slow left-arm bowler. Most of Bicknell’s career was spent at Surrey, but he finished his career with seven seasons at Nottinghamshire, before retiring at the end of the 2006 season.
  • Del (short for Derek) Bicknell has been the Bicknell family genealogist since deep in the last century and is the architect of this web site and of The Bicknell Association. Read his blog about himself here. Del is standing for election as President of the ‘Bicknell Association’ and currently working with several prominent family historians to bring to you a comprehensive history of the Bicknell family, dating back many centuries.
  • Elhanan Bicknell (1788-1861), Marcus’s great great grandfather, took his name from the American preacher Elhanan Winchester. Having made his money with a fleet of thirty ships which monopolized the Pacific sperm-whale fishery business, he patronized several celebrated artists of the time including Turner. See the articles about him in the Library.
  • Miss Eliza Bicknell lost her life in 1819 by her skull being fractured by a bottle wantonly thrown from the gallery of a London Theatre.
  • Fred Bicknell was Haslemere’s pre-eminent fish-monger for many years in the mid 20thC.
  • Herman Bicknell (1830-1875), Elhanan’s third son, English author, orientalist, and traveller, was the first westerner to enter Mecca undisguised. He translated the poems of Háfiz. Herman’s grandsons were called Basil Bysshe Bye Bagshawe Bicknell and Cedric Caedmon Canute Crooke Bicknell. Basil Bicknell (1899-1918) died in action at Soissons with the Yorkshire Regiment, the Green Howards. We are/were in touch with Cedric’s descendants Peter Gerard Bicknell and the late Basil Cedric Bicknell.
  • Jack Bicknell is a retired American football coach, most recently known for his long involvement in NFL Europa. He was a prominent College Football for Maine & Boston during the 70’s, 80’s & 90’s.
  • John Bicknell was indicted for murdering Robert Rasebek on 25 March 1391 near York but was pardoned by Henry IV.
  • John Bicknell (born 1958) is an abstract painter in the UK. Read more
  • Sir John Bicknell, MP for Shaftesbury, was knighted by Henry VII on the battlefield of Bosworth in 1485. He and two other commanders were so honoured, for valour, within an hour of the end of the battle. Or where they? Is this one of the lines spun by that blackguard Sidney Algernon Bicknell?
  • Marcus Bicknell helped Del put this website together in Jan/Feb 2021 and runs www.clarencebicknell.com. His genealogy is focused on British, Australian, and New Zealand relatives; his 2,339 family records were uploaded to Ancestry in December 2020 if you need to access them. His series “On Beacon Hill” started in 1995 and is continued on this site (see Library). He managed Genesis before they were famous, was an architect of the satellite television revolution, lives northwest of London in the Chiltern Hills, and races a V8 stockcar. Biography
  • Maria Bicknell (1788-1828) wife of the celebrated painter John Constable, was a daughter of the Solicitor to the Admiralty. Her grandfather was the rector of East Bergholt, where Constable first met her in 1800. The two fell in love in 1809 but, partly because of the rector’s opposition, did not marry until 1816. ‘You once talked to me about a journal,’ he wrote to her before their marriage. ‘I have a little one that I made last summer that might amuse you could you see it – you will then see how I amuse my leisure walks – picking up little scraps of trees – plants – distances &c’. Read more at https://bicknell.net/maria-bicknell-constable-1795-1828/
  • Martin Paul Bicknell played in four cricket Test matches, with the last two, against South Africa in 2003, coming ten years after the first two in the 1993 Ashes series. England had played 114 matches between his appearances, a record.
  • Wing-Commander Nigel Bicknell DSO DFC (1918-1990), Marcus’s father, was in the RAF in the war and a diplomat after. Read about one of his war exploits here and if you want to see his complete biography, unpublished, please email marcus@bicknell.com for the link.
  • Chief Constable Captain Philip Bicknell (1856–1901) was the first Chief Officer of the Lincolnshire Police and was a respected writer on policing topics including The Police Manual (1883) which sometimes comes up on eBay.
  • Reg Bicknell was one of the most prolific and successful Formula 3 race drivers in the 1950s, made all the more remarkable by the fact that much of this was achieved in a home-built special, at a time when the production cars from Cooper, JBS and Kieft were dominant and one off cars were being steadily being squeezed from the scene. http://500race.org/people/reg-bicknell/
  • Sabrina Bicknell (1757-1843), was abandoned as a baby and taken in at age 12 by author Thomas Day, who tried to mould her into his perfect wife. She grew up to marry one John Bicknell, one of Day’s friends, became a school manager and had children. https://bicknell.net/sabrina-bicknell-the-perfect-wife/
  • Stephen Bicknell (1957-2007), Marcus’s brother, was a leading British organ builder, designer and writer in London. www.stephenbicknell.org
  • Steve Bicknell has been at the forefront of the UK’s ever-growing electronic music scene. His 25+ year career has seen Steve grow from his early beginnings as a young promoter and resident DJ to one of the UK’s most established, accomplished, and respected techno artists credited by many as a true pioneer. 
  • Steve Bicknell (b. 1959), English professional footballer, played for Torquay United, Rugby Town, Southam United and Leicester City.
  • Thomas W. Bicknell (1834-1925), American educator, historian, and author
  • Who can tell us which Bicknell was UK Midlands Cycle Racing Champion in the 50s?
  • Of the 29,000 marriage licences issued in London between 1521 and 1869, the name Bicknell is registered only once!.
  • Members of the Bicknell & Deighton families were amongst some of the first soldiers of William Booth’s Salvation Army founded in 1865.

If you know of more Bicknell who have significant claims to fame then please contact research@bicknell.net