As a kid, I befriended an old man who lived nearby named Willie Walton. He told me that as a kid he'd watched Wild Bill Hickock ride into Halifax over North Bridge with a huge band of cowboys and indians (should that be Native Americans?). I thought he was having me on, but years later I learned that Wild Bill did indeed bring his wild west show to Yorkshire at the turn of the last century. As Wild Bill was born in 1837 (quick check on Google) this is the oldest link I can make with a historical character.