St Albans School is a public school (English independent school) in the city of

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Roma ...

in Hertfordshire. Pre-sixth form admission is restricted to boys, but the

sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...

has been co-educational since 1991. Founded in 948 by Wulsin, St Albans School is the oldest school in Hertfordshire and one of the oldest schools in the world, being located on a 500

acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial and US customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, of a square mile, 4,840 square ...

site. The school is known for its academic prowess, achieving excellent results and gaining several places at the top universities, specifically

Oxbridge Oxbridge is a portmanteau of Oxford and Cambridge, the two oldest, wealthiest, and most famous universities in the United Kingdom. The term is used to refer to them collectively, in contrast to other British universities, and more broadly to d ...

. The school now has state-of-the-art science facilities unlike any other school in the country, also having educated a multitude of scientists, a few examples being Stephen Hawking, who dedicated some of his success to the school (Formally, the only place that taught him maths) and Ian Grant. The school created The Stephen Hawking Society as part of a tribute to the former pupil. As part of this, many famous scientists such as the 2001 Nobel Prize winner, Dr Tim Hunt, have given lectures at the school. The headmaster is Jonathan Gillespie, appointed in 2014, he has taught at various schools such as

Highgate Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross. Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organis ...

and

Fettes college Fettes College () is a co-educational independent boarding and day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, with over two-thirds of its pupils in residence on campus. The school was originally a boarding school for boys only and became co-ed in 1983. In ...

and was educated at

Selwyn college, Cambridge Selwyn College, Cambridge (formally Selwyn College in the University of Cambridge) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1882 by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of George Augustus Selwyn (1 ...

. His first experience of headship was at

Lancing College Lancing College is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in southern England, UK. The school is located in West Sussex, east of Worthing near the village of Lancing, on the south coast of Engl ...

School arms

* The school

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in it ...

is composed of the cross of

Saint Alban Saint Alban (; la, Albanus) is venerated as the first-recorded British Christian martyr, for which reason he is considered to be the British protomartyr. Along with fellow Saints Julius and Aaron, Alban is one of three named martyrs recor ...

together with the School motto. The cross of Saint Alban is a gold

saltire A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross, like the shape of the letter X in Roman type. The word comes from the Middle French ''sautoir'', Medieval Latin ''saltato ...

(a cross, signifying that Alban was martyred, but diagonal, as he was beheaded, not crucified) on a blue field (or, in heraldic terms, ''Azure, a saltire Or''). The current school motto is ''Non nobis nati'' ("Born not for ourselves"). This dates back to the family of the 12th century Geoffrey de Gorham (Master and subsequently Abbot of

), deriving from Cicero's ("Non nobis solum nati sumus"; "We are not born for ourselves alone"), and was used until the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...

. It was re-introduced in 1994, thereby stressing the link between the School before and after the dissolution of the monastery in 1539. ''Non nobis nati'' replaced the previous motto ''Mediocria firma'' ("The middle road is best"), used between the 16th and 20th centuries. This was the motto of the Bacon family at Gorhambury (including Sir

Nicholas Nicholas is a male given name and a surname. The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglican Churches celebrate Saint Nicholas every year on December 6, which is the name day for "Nicholas". In Greece, the name and it ...

and Sir

Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...

). This formed part of the Bacon coat of arms, which for instance can still be seen outside the Verulam Arms public house in nearby Welclose Street and inside St Mary's Church, Redbourn.

History

Pre-Reformation history

The school was founded within

St Albans Abbey St Albans Cathedral, officially the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban but often referred to locally as "the Abbey", is a Church of England cathedral in St Albans, England. Much of its architecture dates from Norman times. It ceased to be ...

by Abbot Wulsin in 948 and was the first school in the world to accept students not intending to join a religious order, being the first school open to the wider public.F.J. Kilvington, A Short History of St Albans School (1986) By the 12th century, the School had built for itself such a reputation that the famous Norman scholars

Geoffrey de Gorham Geoffrey de Gorham (Goreham, Gorron), sometimes called Geoffrey of Dunstable or of Le Mans (died at St Albans, 26 February 1146), was a Norman scholar who became Abbot of St Albans Abbey, 1119 to 1146.Alexander Neckam Alexander Neckam (8 September 115731 March 1217) was an English magnetician, poet, theologian, and writer. He was an abbot of Cirencester Abbey from 1213 until his death. Early life Born on 8 September 1157 in St Albans, Alexander shared his b ...

applied for the post of Master.

Geoffrey de Gorham Geoffrey de Gorham (Goreham, Gorron), sometimes called Geoffrey of Dunstable or of Le Mans (died at St Albans, 26 February 1146), was a Norman scholar who became Abbot of St Albans Abbey, 1119 to 1146.Abbot of St Albans {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 This is a list of abbots of St Albans Abbey up to its Dissolution in 1539. # Willegod (793–796) # Eadric # Wulsig # Wulnoth (Walworth) (c. 930) # Eadfrith # Wulsin (d. c. 968) # Aelfric # Ealdred # Eadmer # Le ...

in 1119, and the School then remained under the control of the Abbot until the dissolution of the Abbey in 1539. By the 12th century, the school was one of the largest in the British Isles. On 16 September 1309, the school was given new statutes, including scholarships for poor students. The school and Abbey were sacked in 1381 during the

Peasants' Revolt The Peasants' Revolt, also named Wat Tyler's Rebellion or the Great Rising, was a major uprising across large parts of England in 1381. The revolt had various causes, including the socio-economic and political tensions generated by the Blac ...

. (The revolt's leader John Ball, was also a former pupil of the school.) By the 15th century, the school was located in buildings in Romeland and inside the Abbey Gateway, which from 1479 housed schoolmaster's press. The St Albans Press continues today, in a semi-dormant form, as "John Insomuch Schoolmaster Printer 1479 Ltd", making the school the oldest extant presses in the world.DIRECTORS' REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5 APRIL 2007
ST ALBANS SCHOOL

Post-Reformation history

After the dissolution of the Abbey in 1539, Richard Boreman, the last Abbot, became Headmaster and the school moved to a chapel near St Peter's church in St Albans after its buildings in Romeland were demolished by Sir Richard Lee for building materials to rebuild

Sopwell Priory Sopwell Priory (also known as Sopwell Nunnery) was a Benedictine nunnery founded around 1140 on the site of an ancient hermitage in Sopwell, Hertfordshire, England. After the Dissolution, the priory was torn down and a Tudor manor house construct ...

into a

country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhouse (Great Britain), town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the cit ...

.Rickmansworth Historical Society – St Albans dissolution of monastery
Rickmansworthhistoricalsociety.btck.co.uk. Retrieved on 13 December 2011. In 1549, to put the school on a firmer foundation, the last Abbot was granted the right to maintain a Grammar School by a private Act of Parliament. Around 1545, the school outgrew its St Peter's church premises and moved again to the Lady Chapel at the east end of the Abbey, bought for the huge sum of £100, and it was separated from the rest of the abbey with a wall made of smashed stones from the ancient shrine of

St Alban Saint Alban (; la, Albanus) is venerated as the first-recorded British Christian martyr, for which reason he is considered to be the British protomartyr. Along with fellow Saints Julius and Aaron, Alban is one of three named martyrs recorded ...

. In 1553 the Crown sold the rest of the Abbey Church to the town for £400 (the value of the lead on its roof) and became a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

parish church for the new Borough of St Albans. In 1570 Sir Nicholas Bacon, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal and father of Sir

, then living at nearby

Gorhambury Old Gorhambury House located near St Albans, Hertfordshire, England, is a ruined Elizabethan mansion, a leading and early example of the Elizabethan prodigy house. It was built in 1563–68 by Sir Nicholas Bacon, Lord Keeper, and was visited a ...

, gave the school new statutes and re-endowed the School by successful petitioning

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

for a Wine Charter (extended by

King James I James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until hi ...

in 1606). The only other educational institutions with the same privileges to tax the alcohol trade in their localities were the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in contin ...

and the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. The income from taxation on wine and beer sales in the St Albans continued to fund the school until 1922, when they were surrendered to the Treasury in return for £1200 in the Oxford and St Albans Wine Privileges (Abolition) Bill. Other benefactors from this period include Sir Richard Platt, Citizen of London, sometime Master of the

Worshipful Company of Brewers The Worshipful Company of Brewers is one of the livery companies of the City of London. London brewers are known to have organised as a group in the 13th century. Their first royal charter was granted by Henry VI in 1438. In 1643, Parliamen ...

and later founder of

Aldenham School Aldenham School is a co-educational independent school (UK), independent school for pupils aged eleven to eighteen, located between Elstree and the village of Aldenham in Hertfordshire, England. There is also a preparatory school (UK), preparato ...

, who 'conveyed to the Mayor and Burgesses, and their Successors for ever' former-Abbey land on George Street in St Albans for the benefit of the school, and Charles Hale, whose relative Richard Hale later founded a grammar school in the town of Hertford.N. Carlisle, "A concise description of the endowed grammar schools in England" (1818) Queen Elizabeth I and Sir Nicholas Bacon also founded the school's library in 1570, which moved from Sumpter Yard in the 19th century to the Abbey Gateway, and then in the 1980s to an impressive converted 19th century neo-Gothic hall, opened by

Colin Renfrew Andrew Colin Renfrew, Baron Renfrew of Kaimsthorn, (born 25 July 1937) is a British archaeologist, paleolinguist and Conservative peer noted for his work on radiocarbon dating, the prehistory of languages, archaeogenetics, neuroarchaeology ...

, then Master of

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes f ...

. The library collection now holds over 16,000 volumes and Elizabeth I is still regarded as the 'Benefactor Royal' of the St Albans School Library. Other significant benefactions to the school include a gift of clay pits near St Albans made in 1582 and a significant amount of land by

Charles Woollam Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

, an Old Albanian, in the 19th century, including playing fields at Belmont Hill and

's "Holy Well", which was a site for medieval pilgrimage. In 1626, King Charles I visited the school in a royal inspection. His visit to St Albans was recorded by a royal crest being built into one of the fireplace surrounds in the Abbey Gateway and this room is still called the "King Charles Room" in honour of his visit. After over three centuries in the Lady Chapel, in 1871, due to the restoration of the Abbey and the re-instatement of the Lady Chapel, the school moved into the Abbey Gateway (which had been built in 1365 and, following the dissolution, had been used as a prison for 300 years; now a scheduled ancient monument). Between 1907 and 1976, it was a direct grant grammar school, keeping the name St Albans School for most part not least because of the existence of 2 separate Boys' and Girls' Grammar Schools in St Albans and was generally referred to simply as a Direct Grant School. In the 1960s and 1970s many of the pupils at the school enjoyed a free education, paid for by public funds. From 1980 to 2005, it also offered free places to poor but academically talented pupils under the Assisted Places Scheme. Since the 1970s, the school has also offered a large number of scholarships and bursaries up to 100% of the school's fees, funded from its endowments. Since the 19th century, there have been many additions to the school site, which now comprises a very interesting architectural mixture of buildings dating from the Roman-era cellar, where the archives are kept under the Abbey Gateway, to modern extensions built in the 1990s.Hertfordshire HER & St Albans UAD
heritagegateway.org.uk The school also includes the oldest room in the world regularly used as a classroom, the 12th century West Gate Room, which was incorporated from a previous gateway into the current Abbey Gateway in the 1360s.

Ptolemy Dean Ptolemy Hugo Dean (born 1968) is a British architect, television presenter and the 19th Surveyor of the Fabric of Westminster Abbey. He specialises in historic preservation, as well as designing new buildings that are in keeping with their hist ...

is the current school architect. The Woollam Playing Fields, a couple of miles away to the north of the city, provides an extensive, modern, outdoor sports facility for the School and the Old Albanian Sports Club. At over 100 acres, it was the largest sporting development in Western Europe until the construction of the Olympic Park in East London for the 2012 games. The site was officially opened in October 2002 by Prince Richard, The Duke of Gloucester. Woollam's was built on part of a 400-acre farm owned by the school, which also contains a field studies centre used by the school's biology department. In 2003, the school opened a new Drama Department building and theatre in Romeland, on the site of the medieval school's building, called the "New Place". The summer of 2012 saw the completion of a new sports centre on site, with sports hall, swimming pool, climbing wall, fitness suite and dance studio. Another recent development was the acquisition of Aquis Court, an office building adjacent to the school, which provides facilities for the sixth form, with a new common room, cafeteria and classrooms, while the art department also has new facilities.

Religion and musical education

The school still maintains links with

St Albans Cathedral St Albans Cathedral, officially the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban but often referred to locally as "the Abbey", is a Church of England cathedral in St Albans, England. Much of its architecture dates from Norman times. It ceased to be ...

, which doubles as the school's chapel. Services are held there every Monday and Friday morning during term time, and special events held there include the annual Founders' Day and two carol services, led by the school choir, who still wear black and blue gowns in the same style as worn by undergraduates at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

and similar to those worn by monks at the Abbey in medieval times. In addition, the school's music staff are usually linked with the Abbey's musical staff.

Andrew Parnell Andrew Parnell (born 17 February 1954, in Buxton, Derbyshire, England) is an organist and harpsichordist. As a boy Parnell was a choral scholar at Southwell Minster, where he began organ studies under Kenneth Beard. He won the Organ Scholarship at ...

, organist and harpsichordist, was assistant master of music at the Abbey as well as being master of music and choirmaster at the school from 1976 to 2001. Simon Lindley also held these posts a few years earlier;

John Rutter John Milford Rutter (born 24 September 1945) is an English composer, conductor, editor, arranger, and record producer, mainly of choral music. Biography Born on 24 September 1945 in London, the son of an industrial chemist and his wife, Rutte ...

's 1974 carol ''Jesus Child'' bears a dedication "for Simon Lindley and the choir of St Albans School".

Academic tradition

Scientific tradition

The school also has a long scientific tradition, stretching back to the Norman era, when

Alexander Neckam Alexander Neckam (8 September 115731 March 1217) was an English magnetician, poet, theologian, and writer. He was an abbot of Cirencester Abbey from 1213 until his death. Early life Born on 8 September 1157 in St Albans, Alexander shared his b ...

became master of the school. Since the advent of modern science, the school has produced many famous scientists and mathematicians including cognitive scientist

Colin Cherry Edward Colin Cherry (23 June 1914 – 23 November 1979) was a British cognitive scientist whose main contributions were in focused auditory attention, specifically the cocktail party problem regarding the capacity to follow one conversati ...

, physicist Ian Grant, cosmologist Stephen Hawking (inspired by Dikran Tahta, a teacher at the school who later worked at the

Open University The Open University (OU) is a British Public university, public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by List of universities in the United Kingdom by enrolment, number of students. The majority of the OU's underg ...

), and mathematician Christopher Budd. In the light of its long scientific heritage, the school was awarded a large sum of money in 2007 by the Wolfson Foundation to rebuild its physics laboratories to university standards.It has maintained a reputation for being a science and maths oriented school.

Historical tradition

St Albans School has also produced some notable historians and historiographers. In medieval times, the school and one of its alumni,

Matthew Paris Matthew Paris, also known as Matthew of Paris ( la, Matthæus Parisiensis, lit=Matthew the Parisian; c. 1200 – 1259), was an English Benedictine monk, chronicler, artist in illuminated manuscripts and cartographer, based at St Albans Abbey ...

, were closely associated with the St Albans school of medieval

historiography Historiography is the study of the methods of historians in developing history as an academic discipline, and by extension is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiography of a specific topic covers how historians hav ...

, and developed one of the first consistent methods of historical writing. More recently; two teachers in the award-winning Ancient History department published a book on Roman sources in 2010. Some notable historians who are alumni of the school include

, an archaeological historian and former Disney Professor of Archaeology at the

Ernest Gellner Ernest André Gellner Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, FRAI (9 December 1925 – 5 November 1995) was a British people, British-Czech people, Czech philosopher and social anthropology, social anthropologist describ ...

, an anthropological historian, Professor

Malcolm Schofield Malcolm Schofield, (born 19 April 1942) is a British classicist and academic, specialising in ancient philosophy. Having taught at Cornell University and the University of Oxford, he joined the University of Cambridge in 1972 as a lecturer i ...

of St John's College, Cambridge, and more recently Justin Pollard, a TV historian, and Peter Sarris, a specialist on the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantin ...

and a fellow of

The school today

St Albans School is predominantly a single-sex school for boys, but has accepted girls into the sixth form since 1991. It is a member of the

Headmasters' Conference The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) is an association of the head teachers of 361 independent schools (both boarding schools and day schools), some traditionally described as public schools. 298 Members are based in the Uni ...

of leading

public schools Public school may refer to: *State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government *Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England and ...

. In its earlier days it was known as the Free School of St Albans, City of St Alban Grammar School or St Albans Grammar School.N. Carlisle, "A concise description of the endowed grammar schools in England" (1818) p. 508 It is often (erroneously) referred to as "The Boys' School", "St Albans Boys" and "The Abbey School" (thereby causing confusion with The Abbey C of E Primary School nearby which is almost always referred to as "The Abbey School", and the adjacent but now defunct ''Abbey National Boys' School'', a name which is still borne by a building in nearby Spicer Street). The school operates a

house system The house system is a traditional feature of schools in the United Kingdom. The practice has since spread to Commonwealth countries and the United States. The school is divided into subunits called "houses" and each student is allocated to on ...

. The current system, which came into use in September 1996, assigns all members of the school to one of four houses. These are named after notable former pupils and staff: Hawking, Renfrew, Hampson and Marsh. Previously the house names were Abbey, Breakespeare, Debenham, Pemberton, Shirley, Woollams and School House. In 1967 the School acquired what was then a derelict hill farm in the

Brecon Beacons The Brecon Beacons ( cy, Bannau Brycheiniog, ) are a mountain range in South Wales. In a narrow sense, the name refers to the range of Old Red Sandstone peaks which lie to the south of Brecon. Sometimes referred to as "the central Beacons" t ...

. The property, Pen Arthur, was fully restored and is now a well-equipped Field Studies Centre. Academic departments use Pen Arthur for field trips and study weekends throughout the year, and it plays a key part as a base for outdoor activities organised by the

CCF CCF can refer to: Computing * Confidential Consortium Framework, a free and open source blockchain infrastructure framework developed by Microsoft * Customer Care Framework, a Microsoft product Finance * Credit conversion factor converts the a ...

and Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme. During their first year at the school, all pupils go to Pen Arthur for a week, during which time they participate in many "outward-bound" activities such as caving, hiking and even visiting a Roman

gold mine Gold Mine may refer to: * Gold Mine (board game) *Gold Mine (Long Beach), an arena *"Gold Mine", a song by Joyner Lucas from the 2020 album ''ADHD'' See also * ''Gold'' (1974 film), based on the novel ''Gold Mine'' by Wilbur Smith * Gold mining *G ...

Old Albanians

Former pupils of the school can use the title OA or "Old Albanian" after their name and are members of the Old Albanian Club. The Old Albanian Club has its own sports facilities at Woollam's, clubs, societies and also its own social networking website at www.oaconnect.co.uk. image:Pope Hadrian IV.jpg,

Pope Adrian IV Pope Adrian IV ( la, Adrianus IV; born Nicholas Breakspear (or Brekespear); 1 September 1159, also Hadrian IV), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 4 December 1154 to his death in 1159. He is the only Englishman t ...

image:John-ball-rebel-1.jpg, John Ball image:LordChancellorWilliamCowper.jpg, William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper image:Stephen Hawking.StarChild.jpg, Stephen Hawking

12th century

* Cardinal Boso (d. c. 1181), third English Cardinal * Nicholas Breakspear (c. 1100–1159), who became

(1154–1159), the only English Pope. *

(1157–1217), scientist and teacher

13th century

, monk and historian

14th century

* John Ball, Christian radical political thinker and leader of the

of 1381 * William Grindcobbe, a leader in St Albans of the

of 1381 * Richard of Wallingford (1292–1336) English mathematician who made major contributions to

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

astrology Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Di ...

and

horology Horology (; related to Latin '; ; , interfix ''-o-'', and suffix '' -logy''), . is the study of the measurement of time. Clocks, watches, clockwork, sundials, hourglasses, clepsydras, timers, time recorders, marine chronometers, and atomi ...

* Richard of Wallingford (late 14th century) a leader in St Albans of the

of 1381

15th century

John Whethamstede John Whethamstede (died 20 January 1465) was an English abbot and one of the leading literary figures in fifteenth-century England. Life He was a son of Hugh and Margaret Bostock, and was born at Wheathampstead in Hertfordshire, owing his name ...

(or Bostock) (c. 1392–1465), scholar, writer and Abbot of

16th century

Walter Curle Walter Curle (or Curll; 1575 – 1647) was an English bishop, a close supporter of William Laud. Born in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, he was educated at St Albans School and at Christ's College, Cambridge (matriculated c. 1592), transferri ...

(1575–1647), Bishop of Winchester * Robert Wright (1560–1643), first Warden of

Wadham College, Oxford Wadham College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road. Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Doroth ...

and Bishop of Lichfield & Coventry

17th century

* Henry Blount (1602–1682), traveller and writer * William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper (c. 1665–1723),

Lord Chancellor The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. T ...

of Great Britain, grandfather of

William Cowper William Cowper ( ; 26 November 1731 – 25 April 1800) was an English poet and Anglican hymnwriter. One of the most popular poets of his time, Cowper changed the direction of 18th-century nature poetry by writing of everyday life and sce ...

, poet and hymnodist * William Dobson (1611–1646), painter to Charles I * Major-General John Hill (?c. 1680–1735), M.P., army officer, politician and courtier * Francis Pemberton (1624–1697), Lord Chief Justice

18th century

William Domville William Domville (or Domvile) (1609–1689) was a leading Irish politician, barrister and Constitutional writer of the Restoration era. Due to the great trust which the English Crown had in him, he served as Attorney General for Ireland througho ...

, Bt (1742–1833),

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional pow ...

1813 * Thomas Walsh (1776–1849), Roman Catholic Bishop and Vicar Apostolic, Midlands and London Districts

19th century

* Colonel Sir

Hildred Carlile Sir Edward Hildred Carlile, 1st Baronet, (10 July 1852 – 26 September 1942) was an English businessman and Conservative Party politician. Early life Born in Richmond, Surrey, in 1852, Carlile was educated at St Albans School and abroad. He ...

, 1st Bt, M.P. (1852–1942), army officer, politician and philanthropist * Alfred Faulkner (1882–1963), civil servant – Permanent Under-Secretary for Mines * Henry Montague Grover (1791–1866), writer and theologian * Coulson Kernahan (1858–1943), essayist, novelist and editor * Frank Toovey Lake (1849–1868) Naval Officer who was part of Richard Henry Brunton's team who surveyed lighthouse sites around Japan * Max Pemberton (1863–1950), novelist and editor * Aubrey George Spencer (1795–1872), first Anglican Bishop of Newfoundland * Thomas Spencer Wells (1818–1897), surgeon * William Whitaker, (1836–1925), geologist * Charles Williams (1886–1945), poet, novelist, publisher and theological writer

20th century

* Rod Argent (b. 1945), musician, founder member of

The Zombies The Zombies are an English Rock music, rock band formed in the early 1960s in St Albans and led by keyboardist and vocalist Rod Argent and vocalist Colin Blunstone. The group had a British and American chart-topper, hit in 1964 with "She's Not ...

Keith M. Ashman Keith M. Ashman (born 13 December 1963) is a British theoretical astrophysicist, educated at St Albans School, Hertfordshire, and Queen Mary College (Bachelor's), University of London (PhD). He was a professor at the University of Missouri-Kan ...

(b. 1963), theoretical physicist and globular clusters expert * Paul Atkinson (1946–2004), musician, founder member of

Ian Bell Ian Ronald Bell (born 11 April 1982) is an English former cricketer who played international cricket in all formats for the England cricket team and county cricket for Warwickshire County Cricket Club. A right-handed higher/middle order batsm ...

(b. 1962), co-author of

Elite In political and sociological theory, the elite (french: élite, from la, eligere, to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. ...

* Tolaji Bola (b. 1999), association footballer * Christopher Budd (b. 1960), mathematician *

Johnson Cann Johnson Robin ('Joe') Cann FRS (born 18 October 1937) is a British geologist. Early life and education Cann was educated at St Albans School, Hertfordshire and at St John's College, Cambridge, where he gained a first class BA in 1959 and an MA ...

(b. 1937), geologist *

(1914–1975), cognitive scientist * Ralph Chubb (1892–1960), poet, printer and artist *

Sally Connolly Sally Connolly (Irish, Saidhbhe Ní Conghalaigh), is a writer and academic. Life Sally Connolly attended St Albans School, Hertfordshire, where her teachers included the poet John Mole, and University College London and Harvard University, wh ...

(b. 1976), literary critic, author, and academic * Charles "Nick" Corfield (b. 1959), mathematician, computer programmer, and founder of several startup companies in Silicon Valley * Rogers Covey-Crump (b. 1944), singer (tenor), member of The Hilliard Ensemble * Charles Crawford (b. 1954) British diplomat and speechwriter * Graham Dow (b. 1942),

Bishop of Carlisle The Bishop of Carlisle is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Carlisle in the Province of York. The diocese covers the county of Cumbria except for Alston Moor and the former Sedbergh Rural District. The see is in the city o ...

* Bruce Duncan (b. 1938), Anglican priest *

Chris Duffield Christopher Paul Duffield (born 20 May 1952) is the former Town Clerk of London and Chief Executive of the Corporation of the City of London. He was succeeded by John Barradell in 2012. Early life Duffield was born on 20 May 1952, the son of Jac ...

(b. 1952), Town Clerk and Chief Executive of the Corporation of the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...

since 2003 * Larry Elliott, Economics Editor of the Guardian * Brigadier Ted Flint (b. 1960), former Signal Officer in Chief of the British Army *

(1925–1995), philosopher and social anthropologist *

Dave Gibbons David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries '' Watchmen'' and the Superman story " For th ...

(b. 1949), Kirby Award winning comic book artist and co-creator of ''

Watchmen ''Watchmen'' is an American comic book maxiseries by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons and colorist John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 and 1987 before being collected in a single-vo ...

'' *

Jack Goody Sir John Rankine Goody (1919–2015) was an English social anthropologist. He was a prominent lecturer at Cambridge University, and was William Wyse Professor of Social Anthropology from 1973 to 1984. Among his main publications were ''Death, ...

, (1919–2015), social anthropologist * Andrew Grant (b. 1968), novelist * Ian Grant (b. 1930), mathematical physicist *

John Grimaldi John Grimaldi (25 May 1955 – 12 December 1983) was a musician, songwriter, and artist. He was born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. Grimaldi was educated at St Albans School, where he developed his talent for electric jazz, son ...

(b. 1955), musician, songwriter, member of

Argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions t ...

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, political correspondent for

Newsnight ''Newsnight'' (or ''BBC Newsnight'') is BBC Two's news and current affairs programme, providing in-depth investigation and analysis of the stories behind the day's headlines. The programme is broadcast on weekdays at 22:30. and is also avail ...

* Hugh Grundy (b. 1945), musician, founder member of

Patrick Burnet Harris Patrick Burnet Harris (30 September 193426 December 2020) was a Church of England bishop who served in two episcopal positions. He was educated at St Albans School (Hertfordshire), St Albans School and Keble College, Oxford. He trained for ord ...

(b. 1934), former

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Tim Hart Tim Hart (9 January 1948 – 24 December 2009) was an English folk singer Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. S ...

(1948–2009), musician, founder member of electric folk band

Steeleye Span Steeleye Span are a British folk rock band formed in 1969 in England by Fairport Convention bass player Ashley Hutchings and established London folk club duo Tim Hart and Maddy Prior. The band were part of the 1970s British folk revival, and we ...

* Stephen Hawking (1942-2018), cosmologist and theoretical physicist * Tony Hendra (b. 1941), satirist and writer * General Sir Richard Lawson (b. 1927), Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces Northern Europe 1982–96 * Yann Lovelock (b.1939), writer and interfaith worker * Ed Macfarlane, member of the St Albans-based Indie band Friendly Fires *

Gregory Paul Martin Gregory Paul Martin (born 21 January 1957) is a British writer/producer and actor of stage, film and television. He is the eldest son of Beatles producer Sir George Martin and the half-brother of the music producer Giles Martin. Early life ...

(b. 1957), actor and writer * Christopher Morris (b. 1938), TV news presenter, journalist and author * Herbert Mundin (1898–1939), Hollywood character actor * Mike Newell (b. 1942), film director *

Ray Pahl Raymond Edward Pahl (17 July 1935 – 3 June 2011) was a British sociologist, best known for his studies of social interaction, polarisation, work and friendship in suburban and post-industrial communities. Biography He was born in London, and a ...

(1935–2011), sociologist * Tony Penikett (b. 1945), writer and Canadian politician *

Charles Pereira Sir Herbert Charles Pereira FRS (12 May 1913 – 19 December 2004) was a British hydrologist. He was born in London but spent his early years in Saskatchewan on an Indian Reservation. He was educated there, then at St Albans School and the Uni ...

(1913–2004), tropical agriculturist and hydrologist * Justin Pollard (b. 1968), writer and historian *

(b. 1937), archaeologist *

Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English lyricist and author. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, '' Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ...

(b. 1944), lyricist * Charlie Scott (b. 1999), cricketer * Joss Sheldon (b. 1982), author * Harry Solomon (b. 1937), businessman * Arthur Swinson (c. 1915–70), army officer, writer, playwright and historian * Nicholas Tarling (1931–2017), historian * Richard Yeoman-Clark (1944-2019), BBC Radiophonics Engineer *

Zac Mills Zachary Louvaine Mills (born 28 May 1992) is an English professional association football, footballer who plays as a Defender (association football), right-back for club Boston United F.C., Boston United. He began his career at Histon F.C., H ...

(b.1999), perations Analyst* Kane Vincent-Young (b. 1996), association footballer *Azeem Alam (b. 1993), BEM, academic doctor and entrepreneur

Notable teachers

image:James Shirley.jpg, James Shirley * Hilary Davan Wetton, musician * David Franklin, broadcaster *

Geoffrey de Gorham Geoffrey de Gorham (Goreham, Gorron), sometimes called Geoffrey of Dunstable or of Le Mans (died at St Albans, 26 February 1146), was a Norman scholar who became Abbot of St Albans Abbey, 1119 to 1146.St Albans Abbey St Albans Cathedral, officially the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban but often referred to locally as "the Abbey", is a Church of England cathedral in St Albans, England. Much of its architecture dates from Norman times. It ceased to be ...

1119–1146 * Tommy Hampson (1907–1965), runner - 800m Olympic Champion ( 1932 in Los Angeles) and World Record holder (1:49.7) * John Harmar was headmaster from 1626 to 1635 Kilvington 1970, pp. 128. *

Peter Hurford Peter John Hurford OBE (22 November 1930 – 3 March 2019) was a British organist and composer. Life Hurford was born in Minehead, Somerset, to Gladys Hurford (née James) and Hubert Hurford, a solicitor. He was educated at Blundell's School ...

(1930-2019), organist * Simon Lindley (b. 1948), organist * John Mole (b. 1941), poet, critic and jazz clarinettist.

Poet in Residence since 1998 (under the

Poetry Society The Poetry Society is a membership organisation, open to all, whose stated aim is "to promote the study, use and enjoyment of poetry". The society was founded in London in February 1909 as the Poetry Recital Society, becoming the Poetry Society ...

's ''Poet in the City'' scheme) *

(1157–1217), scientist and teacher * Herbert Edward Palmer (1880–1961), poet *

(b. 1954), organist (master of music, 1976–2001) * James Shirley (1596–1666), playwright * Dikran Tahta (taught at the school 1955–1961), mathematician who taught Stephen Hawking *

Alistair Jolly Alistair is a masculine given name. It is an Anglicised form of the Scottish Gaelic '' Alasdair''. The latter is most likely a Scottish Gaelic variant of the Norman French Alexandre or Latin Alexander, which was incorporated into English in the ...

(b. 1948), critic

In popular culture

* Some scenes, including the opening croquet game, of the BBC comedy '' All Gas and Gaiters'' were filmed at the school. * The school was used as a site of part of the film '' Incendiary'' (2008). * The school was mentioned in the 2004 film '' Alfie''. * The school featured in episode of Anneka Rice's show ''

Treasure Hunt Treasure hunt generally refers to: * Treasure hunting, the physical search for treasure, typically by finding sunken shipwrecks or buried ancient cultural sites * Treasure hunt (game), a game simulating a hunt for treasure Treasure Hunt may refer ...

'' * The school and areas around it substitute for Oxford colleges in '' Morse'' * The school and Cathedral feature in BBC children's programme Grange Hill (Series 6, Episode 6 1983)

References

External links

Official school website

Independent Schools Inspectorate – St Albans School
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Albans School Independent schools in Hertfordshire Schools in St Albans 948 establishments Educational institutions established in the 10th century Member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference 10th-century establishments in England Boarding schools