GUY Fawkes was a murderous malcontent who did his very best to wipe out Parliament in explosive fashion - but does that make him great?

Sir Bernard Ingham thinks so - and, as the bluff former Press secretary to Margaret Thatcher, he is no stranger to the world of political intrigue.

But even he admits his choice of the 50 greatest Yorkshire folk of all time is bound to put a few backs up.

"It's the most dangerous book I'll ever write," he says - and he's only half-joking.

However, he reckons York's early terrorist fully deserves his place in the list, but not for any anarchic reason.

"He's provided more for community life over the centuries than probably anybody else by making November 5 such a great day for children," he says.

Sir Bernard's new book - Yorkshire Greats: The County's Fifty Finest - is the sort of tome guaranteed to lead to arguments, mainly about those he has left out.

Oscar-winner Judi Dench, Catholic martyr Margaret Clitheroe, astronaut Helen Sharman and philanthropist Seebohm Rowntree are among the many who fail to get a mention.

But an unrepentant Sir Bernard is sticking to his choices, whatever the reaction may be. In his introduction, he tells his readers: "I sweated blood writing this book. I hope you will not be after more of it when you have read it."

Few would argue with his top three - explorer Captain James Cook, anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce and clockmaker John Harrison, who solved the problem of working out longitude at sea.

King Edwin, the saint who converted Yorkshire to Christianity, gets a place along with other well-known names such as aviation pioneer Sir George Cayley, furniture-maker Thomas Chippendale, actor Charles Laughton and opera singer Janet Baker.

Demonstrating Yorkshire courage are Stanley Hollis, the only man to win a VC on D-Day, and Barbara Harrison, the air stewardess who gave her life saving passengers from a crashed airliner in 1968, winning a posthumous George Cross.

The sporting world is represented by Freddie Trueman, Len Hutton and Brian Clough, while Northallerton mountaineer Alan Hinkes makes it after this year realising his dream of conquering the world's 14 highest peaks.

Sir Bernard spent two years whittling down all the possibles to reach his top 50, setting an essential Yorkshire criteria for each of them - "grit, persistence and bloody-mindedness."

And to put up with the inevitable brickbats from those miffed by the names he has missed out, he is one Yorkshireman who will need plenty of all three himself.

* Yorkshire Greats: The County's Fifty Finest, is published by Dalesman, price £19.99.

* Who do you think was the greatest Yorkshire man or woman? Send your suggestions to David Anderson, Assistant Editor, Priestgate, Darlington DL1 1NF.

Ingham's favourite 50:

The first three are Bernard Ingham's "gold, silver and bronze" winners. The rest are roughly grouped by their fields of endeavour.

James Cook 1728-79, explorer.

William Wilberforce, 1759-1833, campaigner and abolitionist.

John Harrison 1693-1776, clockmaker.

Edwin 585-633, saint and king.

Alcun 732-804, scholar.

John Wycliffe 1330-84, theologian.

William Bradford 1590-1657, pilgrim father.

John Smeaton 1724-92, engineer.

William Bateson 1861-1926, geneticist

Joseph Bramah 1748-1814, inventor.

Augustus Pitt-Rivers 1827-1900, anthropologist.

Joseph Priestley 1733-1804, scientist.

Henry Briggs 1561-1630, mathematician.

George Cayley 1897-1967, air pioneer.

John Cockcroft 1897-1967, scientist.

Fred Hoyle 1915-2001, astronomer.

Almroth Wright 1861-1947, doctor.

Amy Johnson 1903-41, aviator.

Lady Boothroyd 1929-, politician

Prime Ministers: Rockingham 1730-82, Asquith 1852-1928 and Wilson 1916-95.

Titus Salt 1803-76, industrialist.

Michael Sadler 1861-1943, educationalist.

John Curwen 1816-80, musician.

Thomas Fairfax 1612-71, soldier.

St John Fisher 1469-1535, martyr

Guy Fawkes 1570-1606, traitor.

Thomas Chippendale 1718-79, furniture maker.

Percy Shaw 1890-1976, inventor.

Harry Brearley 1871-1948, inventor.

J Arthur Rank 1888-1972, film maker.

Emily Bronte 1818-48, writer.

William Congreve 1670-1729, playwright.

JB Priestley 1894-1984, writer.

Alan Bennett 1934-, writer.

Charles Laughton 1899-1962, actor.

Andrew Marvell 1621-78, poet.

Ted Hughes 1930-98, poet.

David Hockney 1937-, artist.

Henry Moore 1898-1986, sculptor.

Frederick Delius 1862-1934, composer.

John Barry 1933-, film music composer.

Janet Baker 1933-, singer.

Leonard Hutton 1916-90, cricketer.

Freddie Trueman 1931-, cricketer.

Brian Clough 1935-2004, footballer and manager.

Alan Hinkes 1954-, mountainer.

Barbara Harrison 1945-68, air stewardess.

Stanley Hollis VC 1912-72, soldier