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.

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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)

• 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.

• 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

• 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

• 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]

• 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

• 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

• 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
• Mack Rutherford, youngest person to fly solo around the world
• 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

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

• Notable Old Shirburnians born in the 8th to 17th centuries
• Notable Old Shirburnians born in the 18th century
• Notable Old Shirburnians born in the 19th century

• Sherborne School
• Old Shirburnian Society website