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- Mark Radcliffe (born 1958) – Radio 1 DJ, TV presenter and writer.
- Dorning Rasbotham (c. 1730–1791) – writer, antiquarian and artist. High Sheriff of Lancashire for 1769. Born in Manchester.
- Sir Arthur Rostron (1869–1940) – Captain of the RMS Carpathia, first ship to aid the RMS Titanic.
- David Ruffley (born 1962) – politician, Conservative MP for Bury St Edmunds, educated at Bolton School.
Read more about this topic: List Of People From Bolton