This is a list of notable Old Derbeians, former pupils and masters of

Derby School Derby School was a school in Derby in the English Midlands from 1160 to 1989. It had an almost continuous history of education of over eight centuries. For most of that time it was a grammar school for boys. The school became co-educational an ...

(from the 12th century to 1989) and of

Derby Grammar School Derby Grammar School is a selective independent school in Littleover near the city of Derby, England. Founded in 1995, to recreate the historical Derby School, (which had become mixed-Comprehensive in the 1970s, and then changed name in 1989), i ...

(since 1994), in

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Notable old boys

Born in the 16th century

Blessed Blessed may refer to: * The state of having received a blessing * Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been beatified Film and television * ''Blessed'' (2004 film), a 2004 motion picture about a supernatural ...

Edward James Edward Frank Willis James (16 August 1907 – 2 December 1984) was a British poet known for his patronage of the surrealist art movement. Early life and marriage James was born on 16 August 1907, the only son of William James (who had inherite ...

(1557–1588), Roman Catholic martyr * John Cotton (1585–1652),

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Catholic Church, Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become m ...

Born in the 17th century

George Sitwell Sir George Reresby Sitwell, 4th Baronet (27 January 1860 – 9 July 1943) was a British antiquarian writer and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1885 and 1895. Biography Sitwell was born in London, the son of Sir Si ...

(c.1600-1667),

Ironmaster An ironmaster is the manager, and usually owner, of a forge or blast furnace for the processing of iron. It is a term mainly associated with the period of the Industrial Revolution, especially in Great Britain. The ironmaster was usually a large ...

and High Sheriff *

John Flamsteed John Flamsteed (19 August 1646 – 31 December 1719) was an English astronomer and the first Astronomer Royal. His main achievements were the preparation of a 3,000-star catalogue, ''Catalogus Britannicus'', and a star atlas called ''Atlas Coe ...

(1646–1719), England's first

Astronomer Royal Astronomer Royal is a senior post in the Royal Households of the United Kingdom. There are two officers, the senior being the Astronomer Royal dating from 22 June 1675; the junior is the Astronomer Royal for Scotland dating from 1834. The post ...

Anthony Blackwall The Reverend Anthony Blackwall (baptized Kirk Ireton, Derbyshire, 17 July 1672, died Market Bosworth 8 April 1730), was an English classical scholar and schoolmaster. Early life Blackwall was the son of another Anthony Blackwall, of Blackwall, a ...

(1672–1730), classical scholarDistinguished Alumni of Derby School by James Michael John Fletcher (Derby Reporter, 1872) *

Henry Cantrell Henry Cantrell (baptised 17 September 1684 at St Oswald's, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, probably died 1773) was a high-church Church of England clergyman and religious controversialist. Education The son of Simon Cantrell (1658–1744), he was educa ...

(1684–1773),

clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

and religious controversialist''Cantrell, Henry, Church of England clergyman and religious controversialist'' by David L. Wykes in ''

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'' (

OUP Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 2004) *

William Budworth William Budworth (1699 – September 1745) was a schoolmaster at Brewood in Staffordshire, England. He taught several notable pupils, but he is most remembered for not employing Samuel Johnson as an assistant at Brewood Grammar School. Life ...

(c. 1699–1745), schoolmaster

Born in the 18th century

* Sir John Eardley Wilmot (1709–1792),

Chief Justice of the Common Pleas The chief justice of the Common Pleas was the head of the Court of Common Pleas, also known as the Common Bench or Common Place, which was the second-highest common law court in the English legal system until 1875, when it, along with the other ...

Joseph Wright Joseph Wright may refer to: *Joseph Wright of Derby (1734–1797), English painter *Joseph Wright (American painter) (1756–1793), American portraitist *Joseph Wright (fl. 1837/1845), whose company, Messrs. Joseph Wright and Sons, became the Metro ...

(1734–1797), artist *

Daniel Coke Daniel Parker Coke (17 July 1745 – 6 December 1825), was an English barrister and Member of Parliament. Early life Coke was the only son of Thomas Coke (1700–1776), a barrister, and his wife, Matilda Goodwin (1706–1777). He belonged ...

(1745–1825), barrister and

member of parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

''Coke, Daniel Parker (1745–1825), barrister and politician'' by Mark Pottle in ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (Oxford University Press, 2004) * Alleyne FitzHerbert, 1st Baron St Helens (1753–1839), diplomat * Joseph Strutt (1765–1844), cotton manufacturer and philanthropist *

Sir William Gell Sir William Gell FRS (29 March 17774 February 1836) was a British classical archaeologist and illustrator. He published topographical illustrations of Troy and the surrounding area in 1804. He also published illustrations showing the results ...

(1777–1836), archaeologist

Born in the 19th century

* Sir Francis Seymour Haden (1818–1910), surgeon and artist''The Derby School Register, 1570-1901'', ed. Benjamin Tacchella (London, 1902) *

Henry Howe Bemrose Sir Henry Howe Bemrose (19 November 1827 – 4 May 1911) was a British printer and publisher, as well as mayor and later Conservative Member of Parliament for Derby. Life Bemrose was the first son of William Bemrose, and was educated at Derby ...

(1827–1911),

for

Unwin Sowter Unwin Sowter (22 April 1839 – 14 April 1910) was an English corn factor and miller and cricketer who played for Derbyshire between 1871 and 1876. He was a member of the team that played Derbyshire's first match in May 1871. Sowter was born at ...

(1839–1910), maltster, cricketer and Mayor of Derby *

John Cook Wilson John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

(1849–1915), philosopher *

J. M. J. Fletcher The Reverend James Michael John Fletcher Master of Arts (Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin), MA (University of Cambridge, Cantab.) (29 September 1852 – 23 February 1940), was an England, English clergyman of the Church of England, author and histori ...

(1850–1934),

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

* Frank Styant Browne, chemist and photographer *

E. W. Hobson Ernest William Hobson Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (27 October 1856 – 19 April 1933) was an England, English mathematician, now remembered mostly for his books, some of which broke new ground in their coverage in English of topics fro ...

FRS (1856–1933), mathematician *

Richard Mansfield Richard Mansfield (24 May 1857 – 30 August 1907) was an English actor-manager best known for his performances in Shakespeare plays, Gilbert and Sullivan operas, and the play '' Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde''. Life and career Mansfield was born ...

(1857–1907), actor *

John Atkinson Hobson John Atkinson Hobson (6 July 1858 – 1 April 1940) was an English economist and social scientist. Hobson is best known for his writing on imperialism, which influenced Vladimir Lenin, and his theory of underconsumption. His principal and ea ...

(1858–1940), social theorist and economist *

Walter Weston Walter Weston (25 December 1861 – 27 March 1940), was an English clergyman and Anglican missionary who helped popularise recreational mountaineering in Japan at the turn of the 20th century. Background and early life Weston was born 25 Dece ...

(1860–1940), missionary and mountaineer *

Frederic Creswell Colonel Frederic Hugh Page Creswell DSO (13 November 1866 – 25 August 1948) was a Labour Party politician in South Africa. He was Minister of Defence from 30 June 1924 to 29 March 1933. Early life and family The son of Edmund Creswell, Depu ...

(1866–1948), mining engineer and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from coun ...

* Christopher Wilson (1874-1919), composer of theatre music and author, ''Shakespeare and Music'' (1922) *

Lawrence Beesley Lawrence Beesley (31 December 1877 – 14 February 1967) was an English science teacher, journalist and author who was a survivor of the sinking of . Education Beesley was educated at Derby School, where he was a scholar, and afterwards at Cai ...

(1877–1967), RMS ''Titanic'' survivor and author *

William Henry Ansell William Henry Ansell (23 November 1872 – 11 February 1959) was a British architect and engraver. He was President of the Royal Institute of British Architects from 1940 to 1943, throughout the period of the Blitz. Life Ansell was born in No ...

(1872–1959), architect, President of the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

from 1940 to 1943 *

Walter Greatorex Walter Greatorex (30 March 1877 – 29 December 1949) was an English composer and musician. He is probably best remembered for his hymn tune ''Woodlands'' which has been used with hymns such as Henry Montagu Butler's ''Lift Up Your Hearts!'', '' ...

(1877–1949), composer *

Charles Tate Regan Charles Tate Regan FRS (1 February 1878 – 12 January 1943) was a British ichthyologist, working mainly around the beginning of the 20th century. He did extensive work on fish classification schemes. Born in Sherborne, Dorset, he was educat ...

(1878–1943), ichthyologist * Sir George Simpson FRS (1878–1965), meteorologist * Geoffrey Shaw (1879–1943), composer and musician * Guy Wilson (1882–1917), cricketer and soldier *

William George Constable William George Constable (born Derby, England, 27 October 1887, died Cambridge, Massachusetts, 3 February 1976, was an art historian and gallery director. He was the father of Medieval Historian Giles Constable. Education Distantly related t ...

(1887–1976),

art historian Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...

Papers of William George Constable
at janus.lib.cam.ac.uk, ref. GBR/0275, accessed 14 July 2007 * Frank Conroy (1890–1964), actor * Robert Howe (1893–1981), last

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

of the

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

, 1947-1955 *

Ernest Sterndale Bennett Ernest Gaskell Sterndale Bennett, (May 30, 1884 – April 9, 1982) was an actor and theatre director in Canada. Born in London and a grandson of the English composer Sir William Sterndale Bennett, he was educated at Derby School and in 1904 qu ...

(1884-1982), Theatre Director and member of the Order of Canada

Born in the 20th century

* Max Bemrose (1904–1986), Chairman of Bemrose Corporation and

High Sheriff of Derbyshire High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift t ...

* George Timms (1910–1997), clergyman * P. G. Ashmore (1916–2002),

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...

* Gilbert Hodgkinson (1913–1987), cricketer * Spencer Barrett (1914–2001), classical scholar, Fellow and Sub-Warden of

Keble College, Oxford Keble College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to th ...

Hollis, Adrian
Spencer Barrett, Oxford don devoted to classics and his college
obituary in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 17 October 2001, online at guardian.co.uk, accessed 14 August 2008 * George Bacon (1917-2011),

nuclear physicist Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies the ...

Ted Moult Edward Walker Moult (11 February 1926 – 3 September 1986) was a British farmer at Scaddows Farm near Ticknall, Derbyshire, who became a radio and television personality. Early life Moult was born in Derby. He left Derby School at 17 in ...

(1926–1986), farmer & TV personality * Alexander Morrison (1927-2012), judge * John Stobart (born 1929), maritime artist * Robert Grimley (born 1943),

Dean of Bristol The Dean of Bristol is the head of the Chapter of the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, Bristol, England. The Dean is Mandy Ford, since her installation on 3 October 2020. List of deans Early modern *1542–1551 William Sno ...

since 1997

Notable masters of Derby School

John Meade Falkner John Meade Falkner (8 May 1858 – 22 July 1932) was an English novelist and poet, best known for his 1898 novel '' Moonfleet''. An extremely successful businessman, he became chairman of the arms manufacturer Armstrong Whitworth durin ...

, novelist and poet * Rev. Robert de Courcy Laffan (Senior Classical Master, 1880–1884), principal of

Cheltenham College ("Work Conquers All") , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent School Day and Boarding School , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Head , head = Nicola Huggett ...

, member of the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

*Henry Judge Hose (Maths master, 1867–1874), mathematician''Henry Judge Hose (1826-1883)''
by K. J. Cable in ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' online, accessed 14 July 2007

References

Sources

*''Derby School: a Short History'' by George Percy Gollin {{DEFAULTSORT:List of Old Derbeians

Derbyshire-related lists