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, FRCP FRS, FMedSci, 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 FRS FREng, former Vice-Chancellor of Durham University and Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge
 * Sir Malcolm Pasley Bt, literary scholar
 * The Right Honourable The 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 CBE, 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 CBE, 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 RN, 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 RAF, Battle of Britain flying ace
 * General Sir Charles Monro Bt, 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 RM, former Commandant General Royal Marines 1987–90
 * Lieutenant General Sir Steuart Pringle Bt, RM, 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 KCMG, 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
 * The Right Honourable Charles Bathurst, 1st Viscount Bledisloe and former Governor-General of New Zealand.

Clergymen

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

 * The Right Honourable William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Salisbury KG PC, 18th Century politician
 * The Right Honourable Alan Lennox-Boyd, 1st Viscount Boyd of Merton CH PC DL, Secretary of State for the Colonies 1954-9
 * Charles Beauclerk, Earl of Burford, peer
 * The Right Honourable Sir Christopher Chataway, long-distance runner and Education Minister 1962–4.
 * The Right Honourable 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.
 * Srettha Thavisin Prime Minister of Thailand (2023-Present)

Writers and poets

 * Alec Waugh, author
 * Anthony Lane, film critic
 * Arthur Waugh, author, critic and publisher
 * Cecil Day-Lewis CBE, 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 MC, 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 GBE KCB, 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 1000 miles per hour
 * Charles Palmer CIE, 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 FRCS, 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.

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. VC won in the Second Afghan War, when he was a captain in the Bengal Staff Corps, Indian Army VC won in the First World War, when he was a temporary lieutenant colonel in the Sherwood Foresters VC won in the First World War, when he was a captain in the Royal Marine Light Infantry VC granted posthumously and he was gazetted captain; won in the Second World War, as a lieutenant in the Parachute Regiment
 * Rear Admiral Henry James Raby VC CB.
 * Brigadier General Sir Arthur George Hammond VC, KCB DSO
 * Major General Charles Edward Hudson VC, CB, DSO & Bar MC
 * Major Edward Bamford VC, DSO,
 * Captain John Hollington Grayburn VC,