List of Old Shirburnians

Sherborne is a British full boarding Public School located in the town of Sherborne in north-west Dorset.

This list comprises predominantly 20th-century notable Old Shirburnians organised by profession.

Academia

Alan Turing, mathematician, instrumental figure at Bletchley Park, father of Artificial Intelligence and the first modern computer.
Alfred North Whitehead, mathematician and philosopher
F. Sherwood Taylor chemist, Curator of the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford and Director of the Science Museum
Francis John Lys, Provost of Worcester College, and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford^[1]
Harold Temperley, historian and former Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge
John Newsom-Davis, neurologist
Michael McCrum, former Headmaster of Eton College, former Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University until 2004.
Richard Atkinson, prehistorian and archeologist
Timothy Garton Ash, historian and author
Sir Colin Lucas, former Master of Balliol College and Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University until 2001.
Sir Derman Christopherson, former Vice-Chancellor of Durham University and Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge
Sir Malcolm Pasley Bt, literary scholar
Hugh Thomas, Lord Thomas of Swynnerton, historian

Entertainment and the arts

Hugh Bonneville, actor, for example Downton Abbey
Christopher Bowerbank, architect and raconteur
Clive Carey, baritone singer and composer
Charles Collingwood, actor
Charlie Cox, actor
Sir Richard Eyre, film and theatre director, artistic director of the National Theatre 1988–97
Phil Harvey, manager and creative director of rock band Coldplay.
Sir Michael Hopkins, architect
Jeremy Irons, actor, for example Brideshead Revisited and The Mission
Rupert Maas English painting specialist & gallery owner
Chris Martin, lead singer of rock band Coldplay
Ian Messiter, creator of Just a Minute
John Le Mesurier, actor, for example in Dad's Army
Herbert Arnould Olivier, artist
Lance Percival, actor
Jon Pertwee, actor
Jonathan Powell, Controller of BBC One (1987–1992)
Albert Reginald Powys, architect and longtime Secretary of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
James Purefoy, actor
Roland Young, actor

Military

Admiral Sir Horace Law, Commander in Chief Naval Home Command 1971-2
Admiral Sir James Perowne, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe 1998–2002
Brigadier Hugh Bellamy, commander of 6th Airlanding Brigade during the Rhine Crossing and Operation Varsity, the famous airborne assault.
Captain Keith Muspratt, World War One flying ace
Field Marshal Sir Claud Jacob, WW1 Commander
Flight Lieutenant Carl Raymond Davis, Battle of Britain flying ace
General Sir Charles Monro, 1st Baronet, Commander in Chief India 1916–1920, Governor of Gibraltar 1923–1928
General Sir Jeremy Blacker, Master-General of the Ordnance 1991–1995
General Sir John Wilsey, Commander in Chief Land Command 1995–1996
General Sir Nicholas Parker, former Commander in Chief Land Command and former Deputy Commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan
Lieutenant Colonel Reginald Applin, developer of machine gun tactics and Conservative MP.
Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Spicer, CEO of Aegis Defence Services
Lieutenant General David Leakey, retired, former Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod 2010-18
Lieutenant General Sir Martin Garrod, former Commandant General Royal Marines 1987–90
Lieutenant General Sir Steuart Pringle, former Commandant General Royal Marines until 1984
Major General Julian Thompson, Commander of Royal Marines (3 Commando Brigade) in the Falklands War
Major General Patrick Cordingley, Commander Desert Rats (and overall British Commander) in the Gulf War
Major General Sir Iain Mackay-Dick, former Major-General Commanding the Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District
Major General Sir Roy Redgrave, former Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong
Major General Rupert Jones, Deputy Commander Operation Inherent Resolve 2016-17

Intelligence

Sir Christopher Curwen, British Intelligence Officer & former Head of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6).
Sir David Spedding, former Head of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6)

Diplomacy and colonial administration

Sir Alan Campbell, diplomat
Sir Brian Barder, former UK High Commissioner to Australia
Sir Donald MacGillivray, last British High Commissioner in Malaya
Sir Hugh Norman-Walker, colonial administrator
Sir John Weston, former UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations
Sir Timothy Daunt, former UK Ambassador to Turkey and current Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man
Charles Bathurst, 1st Viscount Bledisloe, former Governor-General of New Zealand.

Clergymen

Reverend Edwin Curtis, former Archbishop of the Indian Ocean
Reverend Rico Tice, priest and writer
Reverend David Sheppard, Baron Sheppard of Liverpool, well-known former Bishop of Liverpool and England cricketer
Reverend Forbes Horan, former Bishop of Tewkesbury
Reverend Geoffrey Lunt, former Bishop of Ripon
Reverend Henry Henn, former Bishop of Burnley
Reverend Henry Whitehead, former Bishop of Madras
Reverend Neville Lovett, former Bishop of Salisbury
Reverend Paul Barber, former Bishop of Brixworth
Reverend Peter Mumford former Bishop of Truro 1981-9
Reverend Piers Holt Wilson, former Bishop of Moray, Ross and Caithness 1943–52
Arthur William Upcott, eminent priest and educationalist, and Archdeacon of Hastings 1920–22.
Reverend Benjamin Lewers, former Provost of Derby Cathedral
Reverend Frank Bennett, former Dean of Chester and eminent Anglican scholar
Reverend David Payne

Broadcasting

Tom Bradby, TV journalist and ITV News Political Editor
Alistair Bunkall, TV journalist and Sky News Defence Correspondent
Simon McCoy, TV journalist and BBC News news presenter
Nick Thorpe, TV, radio and print journalist, and BBC News Central Europe Correspondent (1996–); formerly BBC Budapest Correspondent

Politics

William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Salisbury, 18th Century politician
Alan Lennox-Boyd, 1st Viscount Boyd of Merton, Secretary of State for the Colonies 1954-9
Charles Beauclerk, Earl of Burford, peer
Sir Christopher Chataway, long-distance runner and Education Minister 1962–4.
Thomas Buchanan, Under-Secretary of State for India 1908-9
Robert Key. Former Member of Parliament.
Stanley Johnson, politician, writer, farmer and father of Boris Johnson
Peter Oborne, journalist, author and political commentator
Aidan Hartley, Kenya-born journalist, author and film-maker
Michael Marsham, 7th Earl of Romney (1910-2004), hereditary peer who served in the House of Lords.^[2]

Writers and poets

Alec Waugh, author
Anthony Lane, film critic
Arthur Waugh, author, critic and publisher
Cecil Day-Lewis, poet
David Cornwell, (a.k.a. John le Carré), writer, for example of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
John Cowper Powys, author, lecturer and philosopher
Jon Stock, journalist and author
Robert McCrum, writer and editor
Tim Heald, journalist and author
Warren Chetham-Strode, author and playwright

Sport

James Adams, cricketer
John Bain (1854–1929), England footballer and 1877 FA Cup Finalist
Peter Donald, cricketer
David Fursdon, cricketer and current Lord-Lieutenant of Devon
Mervin Glennie, cricketer
Ted Glover, cricketer
Nick Greenstock, former England Rugby Union centre
George Hargrave, cricketer
Will Homer, rugby union
Tom James, rugby union
Robin Kreyer, cricketer
Sir Francis Lacey, cricketer and Secretary of the MCC
Jeremy Quinlan, cricketer
Justin Ricketts, cricketer
Robert Rydon, cricketer
Ollie Sale, cricketer
Sir Hugh Vincent, rugby player (Wales)
Algernon Whiting, cricketer

Other

Sir Nathaniel Highmore, Government barrister and civil servant
Sir Alastair Pilkington, director of the Bank of England
Sir Thomas Villiers, businessman and politician prominent in Ceylon
Sir Geoffrey Briggs, Chief Justice of Brunei and of Hong Kong, 1973-9
Lieutenant Commander Peter Twiss first person to exceed 1,000 miles per hour
Charles Palmer, engineer and survivor of the siege of Lucknow
King Mswati III, king of Swaziland. Attended Sherborne International College
His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar. Attended Sherborne International College
Ronald Cunningham, (a.k.a. The Great Omani), escapologist
Nigel Dempster, journalist
Franklin Adin Simmonds, orthopaedic surgeon
John Insall, American, orthopaedic surgeon
Frederick Slessor, railway engineer
Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim, regent and crown prince of Pahang, Malaysia

Victoria Cross holders

Five Old Shirburnians have been awarded the Victoria Cross, to whom a memorial plaque was commissioned, the unveiling of which took place in the School Chapel on 19 September 2004.^[3]

Rear Admiral Henry James Raby – VC won in the Crimean War, when he was a lieutenant in the Naval Brigade. Raby was the first man to actually receive the medal, with Queen Victoria pinning it onto him in the first investiture.
Brigadier General Sir Arthur George Hammond – VC won in the Second Afghan War, when he was a captain in the Bengal Staff Corps, Indian Army
Major General Charles Edward Hudson – VC won in the First World War, when he was a temporary lieutenant colonel in the Sherwood Foresters
Major Edward Bamford – VC won in the First World War, when he was a captain in the Royal Marine Light Infantry
Captain John Hollington Grayburn – VC granted posthumously and he was gazetted captain; won in the Second World War, as a lieutenant in the Parachute Regiment

References

^ 'LYS, Rev. Francis John' in Who Was Who (OUP)
^ The Earl of Romney, The Daily Telegraph, June 10, 2004
^ Old Shirburnian Editorial Team, (2004), The OS Record, pages 20–21 , (Shelleys The Printers, Sherborne)

External links

[1] 'LYS, Rev. Francis John' in Who Was Who (OUP)

[2] The Earl of Romney, The Daily Telegraph, June 10, 2004

[3] Old Shirburnian Editorial Team, (2004), The OS Record, pages 20–21 , (Shelleys The Printers, Sherborne)

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