Replies

What are the criteria for "greatest" Briton? I think Winston Churchill is a good choice, but we might be a little biased due to our proximity in time.

Where does Shakespeare come into all of this? If he's not in the top 5, there's something wrong with you people. If the criteria include greatest impact and influence on society, I would include Shakespeare, Samuel Johnson, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Henry II and Edward I (for their foundation of the legal system, the creation of a martyr and major pilgrimage site, giving Geoffrey Chaucer something to write about), and even Oliver Cromwell (for his impact on the Irish, if nothing else), Samuel Pepys, who was British to the bone, a charter member of the Royal Society, and laid the foundation for the great British Navy, thereby enabling Britain to become a great colonial power. I could go on and on. All of these would be very credible choices.

Diana doesn't even register a blip on the screen in the big scheme of things.

Where does Shakespeare come into all of this? If he's not in the top 5, there's something wrong with you people. If the criteria include greatest impact and influence on society, I would include Shakespeare, Samuel Johnson, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Henry II and Edward I (for their foundation of the legal system, the creation of a martyr and major pilgrimage site, giving Geoffrey Chaucer something to write about), and even Oliver Cromwell (for his impact on the Irish, if nothing else), Samuel Pepys, who was British to the bone, a charter member of the Royal Society, and laid the foundation for the great British Navy, thereby enabling Britain to become a great colonial power. I could go on and on. All of these would be very credible choices.

What about Bishop Langly (Langely? Langley? sp?)who was insturmental in pushing through the Magna Carta? W/o his constant prodding it probably would have never been written, much less signed.

"O, Runnymead, O Runnymead. What say the reeds at Runnymead..."