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 below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

Ashford Hill with Headley Ashford Hill with Headley is a civil parish in the Basingstoke and Deane district of Hampshire, England. The parish includes Ashford Hill, Plastow Green, Headley and Kingsclere Woodlands. According to the 2001 census it had a population ...

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

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

History

The school started in

Cheam Cheam () is a suburb of London, England, south-west of Charing Cross. It is divided into North Cheam, Cheam Village and South Cheam. Cheam Village contains the listed buildings Lumley Chapel and the 16th-century Whitehall. It is adjacent to ...

, 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 E ...

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 a ...

, 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 Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth, (30 May 175715 February 1844) was an English Tory statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1804. Addington is best known for obtaining the Treaty of Amiens in 1802, an ...

, 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 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, lord of the Manor of Cobham, Kent, was a British nobility, British nobleman, parliamentarian and cri ...

, England's first Ashes winning captain * Prince Charles, Duke of Cornwall, future King Charles III

Anthony Holden Anthony Holden (born 22 May 1947) is an English writer, broadcaster and critic, particularly known as a biographer of artists including Shakespeare, Tchaikovsky, the essayist Leigh Hunt, the opera librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte and the actor Lau ...

, ''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 Chancello ...

, Chancellor of the Exchequer, 1882–1885 *

Randolph Churchill Randolph Frederick Edward Spencer-Churchill (28 May 1911 – 6 June 1968) was an English journalist, writer, soldier, and politician. He served as Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Preston from 1940 to 1945. The only son of British ...

, minister and father of

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

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 edition ...

, 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), 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 su ...

, 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 Marath ...

, the last

Maharaja of Indore The Holkar (Pronunciation: �o(ː)ɭkəɾ dynasty was a Maratha clan of Dhangar origin in India. The Holkars were generals under Peshwa Baji Rao I, and later became Maharajas of Indore in Central India as an independent member of the Marat ...

, 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 Runaway ...

, lyricist and novelist * Ronald Hopwood, 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 F ...

, 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 * Pu ...

'' and '' The Field'' * Leonora MacKinnon, fencer for team Canada in the 2012 London Olympics *

Clements Robert Markham Sir Clements Robert Markham (20 July 1830 – 30 January 1916) was an English geographer, explorer and writer. He was secretary of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) between 1863 and 1888, and later served as the Society's president fo ...

, 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 of each of the seven traditional continents. Climbing to the summit of all of them is regarded as a mountaineering challenge, first achieved on 30 April 1985 by Richard Bass. Climbing the 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 ...

, writer and esotericist *

Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark 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 E ...

, 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 durin ...

* Sukhumbhand Paribatra, 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, M ...

, writer *

Harry Prendergast General Sir Harry North Dalrymple Prendergast, (15 October 1834 – 24 July 1913) was a recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to members of British ...

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 previousl ...

recipient * Charles Younger, Scottish cricketer

Notes

External links