Cheam School is a mixed preparatory school located in Headley, in the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

of Ashford Hill with Headley in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

. Originally a boys school, Cheam was founded in 1645 by George Aldrich.

History

The school started in Cheam, Surrey. In the 19th century, the school was strictly for the sons of gentlemen only. One boy had to leave when his father was found to be a tradesman, with a shop in London selling cutlery.Arthur A. Adrian, ''Mark Lemon: First Editor of 'Punch' '' (1966), p. 8 In 1934 the school moved to its present site on the borders of Hampshire and Berkshire, previously a country house known as Beenham Court, when its part of Surrey was developing from a quiet village into a busy suburb. The school has occupied its present home, with nearly of grounds, since then. Just before the move,

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

was a pupil there. His son, the future

King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

, was later a pupil at the school.

Present day

There are four houses (known as divisions): Aldrich (yellow), Beck (green), Gilpin (red), and Tabor (blue). The school colours are red and blue. Cheam educates both boys and girls between the ages of three and thirteen and takes day-pupils as well as boarders.

Headmasters

*1645–1685: George Aldrich *1685–1701: Henry Day *1701–1711: Robert LLoyd *1711–1739: Daniel Sanxay *1739–1752 James Sanxay *1752–1777: William Gilpin *1777–1805: William Gilpin (1757-1848) *1805– ?: Joseph Wilson *1826–1846: Charles Mayo *1856–1890: Robert Tabor *1891–1920: Arthur Tabor *1921–1947: Harold Taylor *1947–1963: Peter Beck *1963–1971: Michael Stannard *1972–1985: Michael Wheeler *1985–1998: Christopher Evers *1998–2016: Mark Johnson *2016-2021: Martin Harris *2021-2022: Tom Haigh (acting) *2022–2024: William Phelps *2024-present: Nick Milbank

Notable alumni

:''In alphabetical order:'' * Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth, Prime Minister, 1801–1804 * Charles Bathurst, 1st Viscount Bledisloe * Lord Berners, painter and composer *

Ivo Bligh, 8th Earl of Darnley Ivo Francis Walter Bligh, 8th Earl of Darnley (13 March 1859 – 10 April 1927), styled The Honourable Ivo Bligh until 1900, lord of the manor of Cobham, Kent, was a British nobleman, parliamentarian and cricketer. Bligh captained the Engl ...

, England's first Ashes winning captain * Christopher Bulstrode, Orthopedic surgeon and author *

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

, King of the United Kingdom and head of the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

. Anthony Holden, ''Prince Charles'' (1979), p. 119 *

Hugh Childers Hugh Culling Eardley Childers (25 June 1827 – 29 January 1896) was a British Liberal statesman of the nineteenth century. He is perhaps best known for his reform efforts at the Admiralty and the War Office. Later in his career, as Chancel ...

, Chancellor of the Exchequer, 1882–1885 *

Randolph Churchill Major (rank), Major Randolph Frederick Edward Spencer Churchill (28 May 1911 – 6 June 1968) was an English journalist, writer and politician. The only son of future List of British Prime Ministers, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill a ...

, minister and father of

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

* Robert S. de Ropp researcher and writer * Digby Mackworth Dolben, poet * Reginald Drax, admiral * Henry Carey Druce, British army officer, SAS * William Fletcher rower * William Gilpin (priest), headmaster, 1752–1777 * Douglas Hogg, 1st Viscount Hailsham, Lord Chancellor * Yeshwantrao Holkar II, the last Maharaja of Indore, 1926-1947 * Aubrey Hopwood, lyricist and novelist * Ronald Hopwood, British naval officer and poet * Arthur Kinnaird, 11th Lord Kinnaird, footballer and banker *

Mark Lemon Mark Lemon (30 November 1809, in London – 23 May 1870, in Crawley) was the founding editor of both ''Punch (magazine), Punch'' and ''The Field (magazine), The Field''. He was also a writer of Play (theatre), plays and verses. Biography ...

(1809–1870), founding editor of '' Punch'' and '' The Field'' * Leonora MacKinnon, fencer for team Canada in the 2012 London Olympics * Clements Robert Markham, explorer and

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

president * Jake Meyer,

Seven Summits The Seven Summits are the highest mountains on each of the seven traditional continents. On 30 April 1985, Richard Bass became the first climber to reach the summit of all seven. In January 2023, ''Climbing (magazine), Climbing'' said "Today, t ...

mountaineer *

John Michell John Michell (; 25 December 1724 – 21 April 1793) was an English natural philosopher and clergyman who provided pioneering insights into a wide range of scientific fields including astronomy, geology, optics, and gravitation. Considered "on ...

, writer and esotericist * John MacLeod of MacLeod, 29th Chief of Clan MacLeod *

, consort of

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

Sukhumbhand Paribatra Mom Rajawongse Sukhumbhand Paribatra (; , ; born 22 September 1953) is a Thai politician belonging to the Democrat Party. From 2009 to 2016 he was the Governor of Bangkok. He was removed from the post in October 2016 by Prime Minister Prayu ...

, 15th Governor of Bangkok * Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany, writer *

Harry Prendergast General (United Kingdom), General Sir Harry North Dalrymple Prendergast, (15 October 1834 – 24 July 1913) was a British military officer who served with the Madras Army and the British Indian Army, Indian Army. He was a recipient of the Victor ...

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

recipient * Charles Younger, Scottish cricketer

Notes

External links