Monmouth - Notable People

Notable People

People associated with Monmouth include Geoffrey of Monmouth, the Oxford-based cleric, born in about 1100 and believed to be originally from the area, who wrote Historia Regum Britanniae, the "History of British Kings". Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Hertford and Guardian of England, died at the castle in 1295, and King Edward II was briefly imprisoned there in 1326. The future Henry V, the victor at the battle of Agincourt in 1415, was born in the castle in 1387. Philip Evans, Jesuit priest and martyr, was born in the town in 1645.

Rockfield Studios, situated just outside the town, are where the band Queen recorded parts of their hit single "Bohemian Rhapsody" in 1975, and where Oasis recorded their multi-million selling album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? in 1995. Musician Dave Edmunds, a "permanent fixture" at Rockfield Studios for twenty years, lives in the town. Other former or current residents of the area have included poet and singer-songwriter Jake Thackray, historian and TV presenter Professor Saul David, and astrologer Russell Grant.