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

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...

of Ashford Hill with Headley in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

. 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 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from El ...

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. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

, 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: James Wilding *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 *2021-2022: Tom Haigh *2022- present: William Phelps

Notable alumni

:''In alphabetical order:'' * Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth, Prime Minister, 1801–1804 *

Charles Bathurst, 1st Viscount Bledisloe Charles Bathurst, 1st Viscount Bledisloe, (21 September 1867 – 3 July 1958) was a British Conservative politician and colonial governor. He was Governor-General of New Zealand from 1930 to 1935. Early life Bathurst was born in London, the sec ...

Lord Berners Gerald Hugh Tyrwhitt-Wilson, 14th Baron Berners (18 September 188319 April 1950), also known as Gerald Tyrwhitt, was a British composer, novelist, painter, and aesthete. He was also known as Lord Berners. Biography Early life and education ...

, painter and composer * Ivo Bligh, 8th Earl of Darnley, England's first Ashes winning captain * Prince Charles, Duke of Cornwall, future King Charles III Anthony Holden, ''Prince Charles'' (1979), p. 119 * Hugh Childers, Chancellor of the Exchequer, 1882–1885 * Randolph Churchill, minister and father of Winston Churchill *

Robert S. de Ropp Robert Sylvester de Ropp (1913–1987) was an English biochemist and a researcher and academic in that field. After retiring from biochemistry, he brought other long-time personal interests to the fore, becoming a prominent author in the fields of ...

researcher and writer *

Digby Mackworth Dolben Digby Augustus Stewart Mackworth Dolben (8 February 1848 – 28 June 1867) was an English poet who died young from drowning. He owes his poetic reputation to his cousin, Robert Bridges, poet laureate from 1913 to 1930, who edited a partial edit ...

, poet *

Reginald Drax Admiral Sir Reginald Aylmer Ranfurly Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax, KCB, DSO, JP, DL ( Plunkett; 28 August 1880 – 16 October 1967), commonly known as Reginald Plunkett or Reginald Drax, was an Anglo-Irish admiral. The younger son of the 17th Ba ...

, admiral * Henry Carey Druce, British army officer, SAS * William Fletcher rower *

William Gilpin (priest) William Gilpin (4 June 1724 – 5 April 1804) was an English artist, Church of England cleric, schoolmaster and author. He is best known as a travel writer and as one of those who originated the idea of the picturesque.Malcolm Andrews"Gilpin, Wi ...

, headmaster, 1752–1777 *

Douglas Hogg, 1st Viscount Hailsham Douglas McGarel Hogg, 1st Viscount Hailsham (28 February 1872 – 16 August 1950) was a British lawyer and Conservative politician who twice served as Lord Chancellor, in addition to a number of other Cabinet positions. Mooted as a possible suc ...

, Lord Chancellor *

Yeshwantrao Holkar II Maharajadhiraj Raj Rajeshwar Sawai Shri Sir Yeshwant Rao II Holkar XIV Bahadur (6 September 1908 – 5 December 1961) was the Maharaja of Indore ( Holkar State, now in present-day Madhya Pradesh) belonging to the Holkar dynasty of the Mara ...

, the last Maharaja of Indore, 1926-1947 *

Aubrey Hopwood Aubrey Hopwood (4 April 1863 – 25 October 1917) was a British lyricist of Edwardian musical comedy and a novelist and author of nonsense books for children. He co-wrote the lyrics for the musicals ''Alice in Wonderland'' (1886), '' A Runawa ...

, lyricist and novelist *

Ronald Hopwood Rear Admiral Ronald Arthur Hopwood (7 December 1868 – 28 December 1949) was a British naval officer and poet. He began his career in 1882 with the Royal Navy as a gunnery officer, completed it in 1919 as a rear admiral, and was acclaimed ...

, British naval officer and poet *

Arthur Kinnaird, 11th Lord Kinnaird Arthur Fitzgerald Kinnaird, 11th Lord Kinnaird (16 February 1847 – 30 January 1923) was a British principal of The Football Association and a leading footballer, considered by some journalists as the first football star. He played in nine ...

, footballer and banker *

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

(1809–1870), founding editor of ''

Punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pun ...

'' 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 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 "o ...

, writer and esotericist * Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, future consort of

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

Sukhumbhand Paribatra Mom Rajawongse Sukhumbhand Paribatra ( th, ม.ร.ว.สุขุมพันธุ์ บริพัตร; , ; born 22 September 1953) is a Thai politician belonging to the Democrat Party. From 2009 to 2016 he was the Governor of Bangko ...

, 15th Governor of Bangkok *

Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany (; 24 July 1878 – 25 October 1957, usually Lord Dunsany) was an Anglo-Irish writer and dramatist. Over 90 volumes of fiction, essays, poems and plays appeared in his lifetime.Lanham, ...

, writer * Harry Prendergast,

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

recipient * Charles Younger, Scottish cricketer

Notes

External links