MORE than 20 of Britain's richest people live in Oxfordshire or have links with the county, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.

Top earner in the county was Virgin entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, who lives in Kidlington.

According to the paper he has increased his fortune marginally from £3,000m to £3,065m, but has fallen two places to ninth richest tycoon in Britain.

He stands head and shoulders above the other Oxfordshire entrants, most of whom have less than £200m.

Sir Richard, of Mill End, Kidlington, sold his Virgin Mobile business to NTL for £962m and regained control of Australian low-cost airline Virgin Blue.

The Virgin empire made a combined profit of £265m last year and is estimated to be worth £2.4bn.

Adding £640m for the Virgin Mobile sale and about £25m for homes, estates and yacht, brings the Branson fortune to £3,065m.

At 169, the Blackwell family has increased its fortune from £315m last year to £375m this year, but has fallen in the charts from 158 to 169.

Philip Blackwell, great-grandson of the founder, stood down last year as managing director of the bookselling arm, Blackwell Ltd.

In 2003/4, Blackwell made a £6.6m loss but the family's publishing company is still worth at least £350m, with other assets adding £25m, says the Sunday Times.

170th-placed Martin Arbib, of Henley, sold his stockmarket fund management company Perpetual six years ago for £1.05bn to Amvescap.

Mr Arbib, 66, set up Perpetual in Henley with two phones and a secretary.

The Sunday Times says he took £113m in cash and shares in Amvescap, which could now be worth £200m, so that, with other assets, the family fortune is estimated to be worth £370m.

At 238, former Oxford United owner Firoz Kassam deals in hotels and is the preferred bidder to develop the Alexandra Palace, London, as a leisure complex.

His companies are worth £150m and he has the franchise for several Holiday Inn hotels, including one at the Kassam Stadium in Oxford. He also owns Heythrop Park at Enstone, near Chipping Norton.

According to the Sunday Times, his other assets add £100m, leaving him with a fortune of £250m, unchanged from last year.

After taking over Pizza Express and making his first £20m, 254th-placed Hugh Osmond, 44, became one of Britain's biggest pub landlords.

Share sales from Punch Taverns and Spirit Group added £100m. In 2004, he sold the Wellington Pub Company, netting £150m. Last year he took over the life assets of four insurers for £107bn, bringing his fortune to £245m. He lives at Moulsford.

326th is Barrie Haigh, 67, who made his fortune in pharmaceutical consultancy, but now owns Red Kite Farms, an organic dairy estate in the Chilterns, which includes Southend Farm, Bosmore Farm, Crockmore Farm and Watcombe Manor Farm.

He netted more than £120m from share sales of Innovex, his pharmaceuticals company based in Bracknell. He is worth £183m.

At 405, twins James and John Martin, 63, own the ejector seat company Martin-Baker, whose technology has saved more than 7,000 lives since being developed at Chalgrove airfield during the war. The company still tests its seats at Chalgrove but its headquarters are in Buckinghamshire. The family received more than £49m in dividends and the Sunday Times values the family at £140m.

Also at 405th is Henley-based Olivia Harrison, widow of former Beatle George, and son Dhani, who have maintained their fortune of £140m but have fallen from joint 335th.

439th-placed Paul Gregg, 64, of Boars Hill, started his leisure career in a social club for Cowley car workers. He set up the Apollo Leisure chain in 1977, renaming the New Theatre in George Street as the Apollo.

He sold the group in 1999 for £120m.

He now has cinemas, bingo halls and an executive-jet firm at Oxford Airport. His family is valued at £127m after tax.

Robin Gibb, 56, who lives in Thame, earns royalties as a member of the Bee Gees.

Coming in at 465th, he still tours and an album of Bee Gees classics is likely to come out ahead of next year's 30th anniversary of the film Saturday Night Fever, so the estimated joint wealth of Robin and brother Barry Gibb is £120m.

At 648, computer experts Jan Hruska, 49, and Peter Lammer, 47, who met at Oxford University, are founders of anti-virus software company Sophos, based in Abingdon. The latest profits were £6.1m, says the Sunday Times, and the business is worth £250m, with each of the founders owning a stake worth £87m. With other assets, they are each valued at £90m.

At 707 is former Culham scientist Sir David Potter, 62, who founded Psion, the hand-held computer maker, in 1980.

In July, the company gave back £84m to shareholders and Sir David, who has a house near Wallingford, received about £10m, says the Sunday Times. After tax and charitable donations, he is valued at £82m.

716th is Lord Drayson, 46, who started Oxford-based PowderJect in 1993 and sold it in 2003, netting his family about £100m.

He was at the centre of a row when Powderject won a smallpox vaccine contract following his £100,000 donation to the Labour Party. After tax and donations, the family is worth about £80m.

Actuaries David Carr, 45, and Graham Hazell, 44, founded Abingdon-based Hazell Carr, which has been one of the fastest growing businesses in Britain. They are each rated 803rd and estimated to be worth £72m.

Sir Frank Williams, 64, has a £56m stake in the WilliamsF1 Formula One team, based at Grove, near Wantage. With other interests, including property, he is worth at least £67m, says the Sunday Times.

At 868 is Dave Richards, 53, a former world championshoip winning rally co-driver, who holds a £45m share in Banbury-based Prodrive, which he set up in 1984. With property assets, he is said to be worth £68m.

888th is George Michael, 42, who has a house in Goring. He makes about £1.5m a year from album sales and his estimated wealth is £65m, according to the Sunday Times.

Jon Moulton, 55, runs venture capital company Alchemy Partners, and reportedly made £40m from the stockmarket flotation of Bookham Technology, based at Milton Park, near Abingdon, six years ago.

His estimated wealth is £63m, ranking him 940th.