Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield

Founding

Queen Elizabeth’s School Wakefield dates back to 19 November 1591 when a charter was granted to fourteen men to act as governors of the new school. In 1598, it moved into a purpose-built building, now the Elizabethan Gallery.

The charter read:

Of our especial grace, certain knowledge and mere motion, we do, will grant and ordain for us, our heirs and successors, that hereafter there be and shall be one Grammar School of Queen Elizabeth at Wakefield, for the teaching, instructing and bringing up of children and youth in grammar, and other good learning, to continue to that use forever.

Five of the fourteen men designated to be governors bore the name Saville. Generations of the Saville family have played important roles in the school's history and hence the reason why the Old Boys' Association is called the Old Savilians' Club.^[4]

Coat of arms

Coat of arms of Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield

Notes The arms have been in use since 1591, but it is unknown if or when they were granted.[5] Crest On a wreath Argent and Azure, an owl Argent. Escutcheon Per fess, in the upper half parted per pale, Gules a lion statant guardant Or, and Sable an owl Argent, the lower half Azure a Bible Argent with clasps Or. Motto 'Turpe Nescire'

The school arms came into existence soon after the school was founded and features a lion, an owl and a Bible. The golden lion on a red field refers to the royal foundation; the silver owl on black is taken from the arms of the Savile family (one of the founding families) and the Bible indicates the religious side of education. The school motto, "Turpe Nescire", means "It is a disgrace to be ignorant".^[4]

School song

Around 1900, H. G. Abel, then the senior classics master, composed "Floreas, Wakefieldia" and Matthew Peacock, headmaster and honorary choirmaster at the cathedral, set the words to music. It was seen as fitting that the song should be written in Latin, thereby evoking echoes of traditional scholasticism. The song is still sung today – at Founders' Day, Speech Day and at all Old Savilian Club dinners.

Academia

• T.D. Barnes (born 1942), Professor of Classics in the University of Toronto (1976–2007)^[11]
• John Barron (1934–2008), classicist and Master of St Peter's College, Oxford^[12]
• Stuart Jones, British historian, Professor of Intellectual History at the University of Manchester^{[citation needed]}
• Professor Sir Hans Leo Kornberg (1928-2019), British biochemist and master of Christ's College, Cambridge (1982–1995)^[13]
• David May (born 1951), Professor of Computer Science at the University of Bristol, former lead architect of the transputer and Chief Technology Officer and founder of XMOS.^{[citation needed]}
• Joseph Moxon (1627–1691), Mathematician and Hydrographer to King Charles II.^[14][15]
• Benjamin Pulleyne (1785–1861), mathematician, Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge, and headmaster of Gresham's School^[16][15]
• Charles Ross (1924–1986), Professor of Medieval History, Bristol University, and author^{[citation needed]}
• Alan M. Taylor (born 1964), economist, Columbia University, and external member of the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee.^[17]
• John Wolfenden, Baron Wolfenden (1906–1985), Vice Chancellor of the University of Reading, and chair of the Committee on Homosexual Offences and Prostitution, which in 1957 published the Wolfenden Report that recommended the decriminalisation of homosexuality.^[18]
• Hector Munro Chadwick (1870–1947), English philologist and historian, fellow of Clare College, Cambridge and professor of Anglo-Saxon at the University of Cambridge (1912–41)^[19]
• John Hopkins (1936–2018), Cambridge University academic^[20]
• Roger Clifford Carrington (1906–1971), English classical scholar, archaeologist and teacher^{[citation needed]}
• Anand Menon (born 1965), European Politics and Foreign Affairs, King's College London^[21]

Arts

Art

• Thomas Hartley Cromek (1809–1873), English artist^[22]

Literature

• Thomas Armstrong (1899–1978), novelist^{[citation needed]}
• Richard Bentley (1662–1742), theologian, classical scholar and critic^[23][15]
• Dusty Hughes (born 1947), English playwright and director^{[citation needed]}
• Robert Munford III (1737–1783), American playwright^[24]
• AJ Quinnell (real name Philip Nicholson; 1940–2005), author^[25]
• David Storey (1933–2017), playwright and novelist, winner of the Booker Prize in 1976 for Saville^[26][27]

Music

• Andrew Cocup (born 1972), aka Andy Cato from the band Groove Armada^{[citation needed]}
• Noel Gay (1898–1954), composer of popular music^[28]
• Kenneth Leighton (1929–1988), classical and Anglican church music composer^[29]
• John Scott (1956–2015), choirmaster and organist^[30]
• Lukas Wooller, keyboardist with the band Maxïmo Park^{[citation needed]}

Criminals

• Adam Britton (born 1971), zoologist and zoosadist who sexually abused, tortured and killed around 40 dogs^[31]
• Stephen Griffiths (born 1969), serial killer, from Dewsbury, known as the "Crossbow Cannibal"^[32]
• John George Haigh (1909–1949), serial killer in England in the 1940s, known as the "Acid Bath Murderer"^[32]

Miscellaneous

• George Allan (1736–1800), English antiquary and lawyer. Co-writer of History and Antiquities of the Country Palatine of Durham.^[33]
• Edmund Cartwright (1743–1823), inventor of the power loom^[34][15]
• Sidney Hayward (1896–1961), British barrister and legal writer^{[citation needed]}
• David Hepworth (born 1950), journalist and magazine publisher^[35]
• Charles Hoole (1610–1667), English cleric and educational writer^[15]
• William Alfred Ismay (1910–2001), librarian, writer and collector^[36]
• Nicholas Lavender (born 1964), English Justice of the High Court of England and Wales^[37]
• Joseph Hirst Lupton (1836–1905), English schoolmaster, cleric and writer^[38]
• Francis Smith (1847–1912), Puisne judge^[15]
• Sir Frank Standish, 3rd Baronet (1746–1812)^[15]
• Thomas Zouch (1737–1815), clergyman and antiquary^[15]

Politics

• Jonathan Baume (born 1953), trade unionist^{[citation needed]}
• Samuel Gledhill (1677-1735/1736, lieutenant-governor of Placentia, Newfoundland (1719-c.1730)^[39]
• Tony Greaves (1942–2021), Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords^[40]
• William J. Howard (1799–1862), American-born politician and Free Trade activist^{[citation needed]}
• Richard Henry Lee (1732–1794), signer of the United States Declaration of Independence and US Senator^[41]
• Frank Marshall, Baron Marshall of Leeds (1915–1990), British lawyer, politician, and member of the House of Lords^[42]
• Sir Francis Molyneux, 7th Baronet (1765–1812), Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod^[15]
• Bertram Lamb Pearson (1893–1984), senior British civil servant^[43]
• Edward Thompson, Member of Parliament for York and later the Commissioner of the Admiralty
• Henry Zouch (c. 1725–1795), English antiquary and social reformer^[15]

Religion

• Thomas Adam (1701–1784), Church of England clergyman and religious writer^[44]
• John Ashton (1866–1964), Anglican Bishop of Grafton^{[citation needed]}
• James Bardsley (1805–1886), English cleric and honorary canon of Manchester Cathedral^{[citation needed]}
• Joseph Bingham (1668–1723), English scholar and divine^[15]
• Daniel Cresswell (1776–1844), English divine and mathematician^[45]
• Hugh Paulinus de Cressy (c.1605–1674), English Benedictine monk^[15][45]
• Rev Jack Cunningham (1926–1978), inaugural Anglican Bishop of Central Zambia^{[citation needed]}
• John Disney (1746–1816), Unitarian Minister^[15]
• Thomas Doughty (1636–1701), Canon of Windsor^{[citation needed]}
• The Ven. John Duncan (born 1933), Archdeacon of Birmingham^{[citation needed]}
• Robert Maynard Hardy (1936–2021), Anglican Bishop^[46]
• David Hope, Baron Hope of Thornes (born 1940), former archbishop of York^[47]
• Barnabas Oley (1602–1686), English churchman and academic^[15]
• John Potter (1674–1747), Archbishop of Canterbury^[15]
• Jeremiah Whitaker (1599–1654), English Puritan clergyman^[15]
• Rev Arnold Lomas Wylde (1880–1958), Bishop of Bathurst during the mid 20th century^[48]

Science and medicine

• Andy Harter (born 1961), British computer scientist^[49]
• Herbert Haslegrave (1902–1999), British engineer^[50]
• Julian Norton (born 1972), British surgeon, author and TV personality^[51]
• John Radcliffe (1652–1714), British physician^[15]
• William Sharp (1805–1896), English surgeon and physician.^[52]
• Robert Smith (1840–1885), Assistant Colonial Surgeon of Sierra Leone^[53]

Sport

• Reg Bolton (1909–2006), rugby union footballer who played in the 1930s for England, Yorkshire, Wakefield and Harlequins^[27]
• Gordon Bonner (1907–1985), British and Irish Lions rugby union footballer who toured New Zealand and Australia in 1930^[54][27]
• Geoffrey Clarkson (1943–2001), English rugby union and rugby league player in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s^[27]
• Matt Crooks (born 1994), English footballer currently playing for Hull City in the EFL Championship^[55]
• Harry Duke (born 2001), English cricketer^[56]
• Martin Dyson (1935–2019), English cricketer and schoolmaster who played first-class cricket for Oxford University (1958–1960)^[57]
• Jack Ellis (1912–2007), English rugby union player^[27]
• Andy Forsyth (born 1990), rugby union player who currently plays for Coventry R.F.C. in the RFU Championship^[58]
• William Guest (1903–1991), rugby union footballer who played in the 1920s and 1930s for Yorkshire, South Elmsall and Wakefield^{[citation needed]}
• Mike Harrison (born 1956), former captain England national rugby union team^[27]
• Phillip Hodson (born 1951), cricketer and former president of the Marylebone Cricket Club^{[citation needed]}
• Jonathan Lowe (born 1977), cricketer^{[citation needed]}
• Alister MacKenzie (1870–1934), British golf course designer known for designing Augusta National Golf Club^[59]
• Roger Pearman (born 1939), rugby union, and rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s for Sandal, Headingley, Loughborough University, Wakefield Trinity and Canterbury-Bankstown, and coached in the 1960s for Canterbury-Bankstown^[27]
• Adam Pearson (born 1964), current Hull City chairman, former commercial director of Leeds United football club and former chairman of Derby County^{[citation needed]}
• Roy Pollard (1927–2012), rugby league footballer^[27]
• Ronald Rylance (1924–1998), World Cup winning rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s and 1950s, for England, Yorkshire, Wakefield Trinity, Dewsbury and Huddersfield^[27]
• Mike Smith (born 1967), England and Gloucestershire cricketer^{[citation needed]}
• Mike Tindall (born 1978), Rugby Union World Cup winning rugby union player, ex-England captain^[27]
• Frank Williams (1910–1959), Welsh rugby union player^[27]
• Greg Wood (born 1988), former England U19 cricket captain^[60]
• Ben Woods (born 1982), flanker for Newcastle Falcons and England Saxons rugby union^[61]