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List of Old Guildfordians (Royal Grammar School, Guildford)

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"List of Old Guildfordians" redirects here. For people educated at Guildford Grammar School, Perth, see List of Old Guildfordians (Western Australia).
See also: Category:People educated at Royal Grammar School, Guildford

The Old Building in the upper High Street in 1997 with a vintage bus returning from a day trip

The Royal Grammar School (originally The Free School)[1] is a selective English independent day school for boys in Guildford, Surrey. Its foundation dates to the death in 1509 of Robert Beckingham who left a provision in his will to "make a free scole at the Towne of Guldford";[2] in 1512 a governing body was set up to form the school. The school moved to the present site in the upper High Street after the granting of a royal charter from King Edward VI on 27 January 1553.[3][4] The school became independent and fee paying on 1 September 1977, when the parents and staff raised sufficient funds to purchase it following concerns about the abolition of grammar schools and the introduction of comprehensive education.[5] Initially the school educated 30 of the "poorest men's sons",[6] however numbers have since grown to approximately 900 students, 300 of whom are in the sixth form.[7]

Former pupils of the school are referred to as "Old Guildfordians" and are often referred to as "OGs" in official school correspondence.[8] Since the school's founding, notable alumni have included the 75th Archbishop of Canterbury, Olympic athletes, the longest serving speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, several members of the parliament of the United Kingdom, a founding member of the East India Company and the 11th Premier of New Zealand.

Old Guildfordians

[edit]
This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
Image Name Leaving year Notes
George Abbot
George Abbot
 George Abbot 1578 An English divine, who served as the 75th Archbishop of Canterbury and the fourth Chancellor of the University of Dublin. He also founded The Hospital of the Blessed Trinity, an alms house situated on the High Street in Guildford, Surrey. [9][10][11]
— Sir Maurice Abbot — A British merchant who was Lord Mayor of London in 1638. He was an original member of the East India Company and was involved in the settling of the colony of Virginia in 1624. [10][12]
Robert Abbot
Robert Abbot
 Robert Abbot 1577 An Anglican clergyman and brother of George Abbot. Robert was elected master of Balliol College, Oxford in 1609, and subsequently Bishop of Salisbury from 1615–17. [10][11][13]
— Sir John Allison 1961 Air Chief Marshal in the Royal Air Force, and Gentleman Usher to the Sword of State. He is invested as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath and invested as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. [14][15]
— Gareth Bennett 1943 Anglican clergyman and academic who committed suicide in the wake of media reactions to an anonymous preface he wrote for Crockford's Clerical Directory. [16]
Simon Bird
Simon Bird
 Simon Bird 2003 An actor, writer and comedian, who is best known for playing Will McKenzie in the BAFTA-winning TV comedy The Inbetweeners produced by Channel E4. [17]
Jean-Jacques Burnel
Jean-Jacques Burnel
 Jean-Jacques Burnel 1968 Musician, producer, songwriter and bass guitarist with the British rock band The Stranglers. [18]
— John Rand Capron c.1845 An English amateur scientist, astronomer and photographer. Though a solicitor by profession, he became an expert on spectroscopy, particularly in relation to the aurora, and published many articles during his lifetime. [19]
Jack Clifford (rugby)
Jack Clifford (rugby)
 Jack Clifford (rugby) 2011 Jack Clifford (born 12 February 1993) is a rugby union player for the England national rugby union team and Aviva Premiership side Harlequins FC. He made his debut as a full England international in the Calcutta Cup match against Scotland on 6 February 2016. He is the RGS's first full England rugby international. [20]
— Leonard Colebrook 1896 An English physician and bacteriologist who introduced a number of measures to improve cleanliness in hospitals, and discovered the cure for puerperal fever. [21][22]
— Henry Cotton c.1566 An English bishop, who became Bishop of Salisbury in 1598. He was also godson to Elizabeth I and one of her personal chaplains. [11][23][24]
— William Cotton — An English bishop, who became Bishop of Exeter in 1598. [10][11]
— John Derrick c.1555 Queen's coroner for Surrey who made a legal deposition containing the first reference to cricket in the English language. [25]
Lt.-Gen. Sir William Thomas Furse
Lt.-Gen. Sir William Thomas Furse
 Lt.-Gen. Sir William Thomas Furse 1883 Lieutenant-General in the British Army and Master-General of the Ordnance. [11]
— Sir Stephen Gaselee c.1780 Judge. Justice of the Court of Common Pleas. [26]
Lt.-Col. Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen
Lt.-Col. Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen
 Lt.-Col. Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen 1851 English topographer, geologist and surveyor. First explorer of the second highest mountain on Earth, K2 (formerly Mt. Godwin-Austen). [27]
Sir George Grey
Sir George Grey
 Sir George Grey 1826 Soldier, explorer, Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Governor of Cape Colony (South Africa), and the 11th Prime Minister of New Zealand. [28][29]
Graham Gristwood
Graham Gristwood
 Graham Gristwood 2002 Orienteering world relay champion in 2008. [30]
— Professor Andrew D. Hamilton 1971 Former Provost of Yale University, Vice-Chancellor of University of Oxford. [8][31][32]
Admiral Sir Edward Hamilton, 1st Baronet
Admiral Sir Edward Hamilton, 1st Baronet
 Admiral Sir Edward Hamilton, 1st Baronet c.1787 Admiral in the Royal Navy. Served during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. [26]
— Professor Peter Haynes — Head of Department at DAMTP University of Cambridge. [33]
Robert Horne
Robert Horne
 Robert Horne — A leading Protestant reformist, and one of the Marian exiles who fled to the continent during the reign of Mary I of England. He was subsequently Bishop of Winchester. [11]
Terry Jones
Terry Jones
 Terry Jones 1961 A Welsh comedian, screenwriter, actor and film director, known for his roles in the Monty Python's Flying Circus television series, and the film Monty Python's Life of Brian. [34][35]
— Lord Mark Kerr 1801 Admiral in the Royal Navy. Son of the fifth Marquess of Lothian. [11][26]
Arthur Knight
Arthur Knight
 Arthur Knight — Captain of England association football team & Olympic gold medalist in 1912. [36]
— Mark Lambert 2003 Harlequins and England U-21 rugby union international. [37][38]


— Geoff Laws 1975 Commonwealth Games Featherweight Weight Lifting Gold Medallist 1982. GB Olympic team 1980, 1984. [39]


Evelyn Lintott
Evelyn Lintott
 Evelyn Lintott — England association football international and Lieutenant in the British Army. [40]
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Thomas Byam Martin
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Thomas Byam Martin
 Admiral of the Fleet Sir Thomas Byam Martin — Admiral in the Royal Navy who served during both the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, who was credited for reforming and modernising the Royal Navy. He was also the Member of Parliament for Plymouth, but was dismissed as comptroller of the Navy by King William IV for criticising attempts to reduce the Navy budget. [41][42]
Sir George More
Sir George More
 Sir George More — Courtier and Member of Parliament. [43]
— Conway Lloyd Morgan 1869 Comparative psychologist and philosopher, Vice-Chancellor of University of Bristol. [44]
Arthur Onslow
Arthur Onslow
 Arthur Onslow 1709 Politician and the longest serving Speaker of the House of Commons. [45]
— John Parkhurst c.1525 An English Marian exile and subsequently Bishop of Norwich. [10][46]
— Robert Parkhurst c.1585 English merchant who was elected Lord Mayor of London in 1635. [10][47]
— Maurice Pryce 1929 Wykeham Professor of Physics [48]
James Purnell
James Purnell
 James Purnell 1988 Member of the UK parliament and served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. [49][50]
— John Rickman 1785 English government official and statistician who created the census in 1800. [51][52]
— James Edward Rogers 1855 Irish architect and artist [53]
John Russell
John Russell
 John Russell — Painter and a member of the Royal Academy. [54][55][56]
— Philips Sales, Lord Sales — Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom [57]
Major-General Andy Salmon
Major-General Andy Salmon
 Major-General Andy Salmon 1975 Commandant General Royal Marines from June 2009 until February 2010. [11][58]
— Mackenzie Taylor c.1996 A British comic, writer and director with bipolar schizoaffective disorder, who committed suicide in 2010 aged 32. [59]
Martin Tyler
Martin Tyler
 Martin Tyler 1964 An English football commentator with Sky Sports who was voted as the FA Premier League "Commentator of the Decade". [11][60][61]
— James Wicks — Chief Justice of Kenya. [62]
— Victor Willing 1945 A British painter, who attended the Slade School of Fine Art. His work was mainly abstract in style. [63]
Bob Willis
Bob Willis
 Bob Willis 1968 England cricket captain, who is, as of 2024, England's fourth-highest wicket taker, behind James Anderson, Stuart Broad, and Ian Botham. Willis also worked as a Sky Sports cricket commentator with Botham. [11][60][64]
— Peter Zinovieff c.1947 Founder of Electronic Music Studios. [65]
— Harry Grieve 2019 Chess International Master And Former British Chess Champion. [66]

"—" indicates year of leaving is unknown.

References

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  2. ^ "Royal Grammar School (formerly the Free Grammar School of King Edward VI), Guildford: Recorder, 1553–1965". Surrey History: Exploring Surrey's Past. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  3. ^ Russel, J. & S. (1801). The History of Guildford, the County-Town of Surrey. Fleet Street, London. p. 94. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
  4. ^ Miner, John N. (1990). The grammar schools of medieval England A.F. Leach in historiographical perspective ([Online-Ausg.] ed.). Kingston, Ont.: McGill-Queen's University Press. ISBN 978-0-7735-0634-3. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
  5. ^ "Brief History of the School". Royal Grammar School Website. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  6. ^ Brayley, Edward Wedlake; Britton, J.; Brayley, Edward William (1841). The History of Surrey, Volume I, Part II. pp. 370–371. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  7. ^ "Royal Grammar School, Guildford Report 2007" (PDF). ISI Inspection Report. Independent Schools Inspectorate. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  8. ^ a b "Foundation Bulletin No. 12" (PDF). RGS Foundation Bulletin. Royal Grammar School Foundation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
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  10. ^ a b c d e f Urban, Sylvanis (1824). The Gentleman's magazine, Volume 94, Part 1. London: John Nichols & Son. p. 502. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Distinguished Old Guildfordians". Royal Grammar School Website. Royal Grammar School, Guildford. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
  12. ^ Lee, Sidney (1885). "Abbot, Maurice" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 01.
  13. ^ "Abbot, Robert". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/8. Retrieved 6 March 2011. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  14. ^ "Distinguished Old Guildfordians – Sir John Allison". Royal Grammar School Website. Royal Grammar School, Guildford. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
  15. ^ "Sir John Allison". The School of Coaching. Archived from the original on 20 June 2011. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
  16. ^ Chapman, Mark D. (2004). "Bennett Gareth". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/70597. Retrieved 6 March 2011. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  17. ^ "Inbetweeners star hands out prizes at old school". Surrey Advertiser. Guildford. 29 September 2010. Archived from the original on 2 November 2010. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  18. ^ Buckley, David (1997). No Mercy – The Authorised and Uncensored Biography of The Stranglers. London: Hodder and Stoughton. p. 17. ISBN 0-340-68062-8.
  19. ^ "Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society". Assets and Property of the Society. 49: 159. February 1889.
  20. ^ "The Register. THE NEWSLETTER OF THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL GUILDFORD" (PDF). Guildford. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 February 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  21. ^ "Colebrook, Leonard". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (subscription required). Oxford University Press. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
  22. ^ Dunn, P M (4 September 2006). "Dr Leonard Colebrook, FRS (1883–1967) and the chemotherapeutic conquest of puerperal infection". Archives of Disease in Childhood: Fetal and Neonatal Edition. 93 (3): F246–F248. doi:10.1136/adc.2006.104448. PMID 18426926. S2CID 19923455. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
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  25. ^ Altham, H. S. (1962). A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914). George Allen & Unwin. p. 21.
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  27. ^ "More Info". Spirit on Adventure Website. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
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  32. ^ Curtis, Polly (1 October 2009). "Short-term thinking out as Ivy League comes to Oxford". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
  33. ^ "Professor Peter Howard Haynes". Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge. Archived from the original on 27 November 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  34. ^ "Distinguished Old Guildfordians – Terry Jones". Royal Grammar School Website. Royal Grammar School, Guildford. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  35. ^ "BBC Wales – Arts – Terry Jones". Wales Arts. BBC. 7 October 2009. Archived from the original on 18 August 2011. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
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  45. ^ "Distinguished Old Guildfordians – Arthur Onslow". Royal Grammar School Guildford Website. Archived from the original on 29 November 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
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  66. ^ "BritishChessNews: Happy Bday harry Grieve". BritishChessNews. 12 April 2020. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 14 February 2024.

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