How the 100 were selected

WHO are the men and women who have made Hampshire famous around the world? Is it the county's historic figures like Queen Victoria, Lord Mountbatten and King Alfred?

Or perhaps it's Hampshire's famous literary figures like Jane Austen and Charles Dickens?

And then there's the county's renowned military heroes, sports stars, entrepreneurs and the glittering icons from stage and screen to consider too.

The task of choosing a top 100 is plainly difficult - some would say impossible.

But that was the project embarked upon by the Daily Echo.

It was an undertaking made all the more challenging when we decided that Hampshire birth was not necessarily a requirement for inclusion. Indeed, countless new candidates suddenly presented themselves once individuals were considered who may have resided only briefly but nonetheless made a significant contribution to Hampshire life. Then there was the problem of ensuring variety: this supplement could, for example, have been entirely filled with just sports stars or historic figures.

Undeterred, the extensive Daily Echo files were consulted and the ambitious task begun to bring you this unique supplement.

Of course, the choices that follow merely reflect the opinions of Daily Echo staff, advised by a panel of respected experts.

They are therefore just opinions which will be warmly applauded by some, questioned by others - and even dismissed by still more.

And that's the point.

This supplement simply aims to stimulate debate among our readers while increasing awareness of the great and good who have made Hampshire special.

We did not attempt to rank the resulting 100. How, for example, can a great sportsman be compared to a great actor, writer or charity worker? What criteria could possibly be used?

For this reason, we concentrated on simply finding the top 100 and then presenting them in their relevant categories. For example the sportsmen and women are contained together, an approach adopted throughout and one designed to stimulate discussion regarding omissions in particular fields.

Debate, in fact, is already raging.

For several weeks now, we have been inviting readers to make their suggestions and the results of your poll are contained on the right hand side of this page.

We thank everyone for their contribution and hope this section of the site prompts a lively debate and provides a valuable source of reference for generations to come.

Andy Bissell