# 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
* 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.

## 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
* James Daunt, founder of Daunt Books

## 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.
* 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