List of Durham University people


This is a list of people associated with Durham University, divided for user convenience into multiple subcategories. This includes alumni, those who have taught there, conducted research there or played a part in its founding.
Durham University is a collegiate university, so where known and if applicable, they are shown alongside their [Colleges of Durham (UK Parliament constituency)|Durham University|associated college]. Note that college membership was not always compulsory. Staff candidates who have read for higher degrees, like the geologist Gillian Foulger or the historian Jeremy Black, did not join a college either. Alumni who did not take up membership of a college or society are therefore listed as Unattached.
This list is divided into categories indicating the field of activity in which people have become well known. Alumni who have achieved distinction in more than one field are listed in the field in which it is felt they are most associated, or have been involved in more recently.
Durham alumni are active through organizations and events such as the annual reunions, dinners and balls. By 2009, the university claimed 67 Durham associations, ranging from international to college and sports affiliated groups, catered for the more than 109,000 living alumni.

Academics

Scientific entries who are, or were, Fellows of the Royal Society, have the Post-nominal letters FRS'' listed after their name''

Astronomers and Physicists

Chemists

Classicists and Archaeologists

Computer scientists

Economists and Political scientists

Engineers and Mathematicians

Geographers and Earth Scientists

Historians and Antiquarians

Language and Literature academics

Life scientists

Entries defined as having backgrounds in Biology and its various sub-disciplines e.g. Botany, Ecology, Neuroscience, Pathology etc.

Philosophers and Theologians

Physicians and Psychiatrists

Sociologists and Social Anthropologists

Other academics

Business people

Judges and lawyers

Senators of the College of Justice

NameCollegeNotes
?Senator of the College of Justice ; Sheriff of the Edinburgh Sheriff Court

Broadcasters and entertainers

Actors

Comedians

Correspondents and Presenters

Directors and Producers

Military personnel

British Army

NameCollegeNotes
HatfieldPreviously Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Military Strategy and Operations) ; Director Special Forces
HatfieldAlso Constable of the Tower

NameCollegeNotes
ArmstrongRoyal Army Medical Corps
BedeGeneral Officer Commanding, 1st Division
Van MildertMilitary Secretary
UniversityDirector of Joint Warfare at the Directorate of Joint Warfare
GreyChief of Defence People ; Defence Services Secretary
HatfieldSerjeant-at-Arms of the House of Commons
College of MedicineDirector of Medical Services, British Army of the Rhine
St Chad'sDeputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe
UniversityCommandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
GreyDirector Special Forces
HatfieldDirector, Army Legal Services Branch

NameCollegeNotes
King'sWon Military Cross for actions during Operation Varsity
HatfieldIrish Guards officer; known for helping to expose the 2004 Equatorial Guinea coup d'état attempt
?Commanded Northumberland Hussars
King'sWon Military Cross for actions during Invasion of Sicily

Royal Air Force

NameCollegeNotes
St Chad's/St John'sArchdeacon for the Royal Air Force
ArmstrongFlying ace
?Governor of the Falkland Islands and Commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
ArmstrongInspector-General of the RAF ; Vice Chief of the Air Staff
ArmstrongDirector, RAF Educational Service
?Director, Women's Royal Air Force
UniversityDefence Services Secretary
HatfieldLieutenant Governor of Guernsey ; Commander, Joint Warfare Centre

NameCollegeNotes
UniversityPilot during Second World War; later President of the Royal Aeronautical Society

Royal Navy

NameCollegeNotes
HatfieldAssistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Capability)
UniversityCommander United Kingdom Maritime Forces
CollingwoodController of the Navy
GreyDeputy Commander-in-Chief Fleet ; Flag Officer Sea Training
Hild BedeAssistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Policy)
Van MildertCommander, Joint Helicopter Command
UniversityChief Executive, Defence Estates
HatfieldCommander Operations
St Cuthbert'sFlag Officer Sea Training
GreyGovernor of Gibraltar ; Second Sea Lord

Musicians and artists

Politicians and civil servants

Cabinet of the United Kingdom

Current members of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom
NameCollegeTitle
GreyLabour MP for Lewisham East, Shadow Secretary of State for Health, Deputy Mayor of London, MP for Swindon South, Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice, Secretary of State for Transport.

Members of the House of Commons

Excluding current members of the Cabinet and Shadow Cabinet, who are listed above, and former MPs who went on to be members of the House of Lords, who are listed below
NameCollegeNotes
TrevelyanConservative MP for Telford
?Labour MP for Blaydon ; Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
St Aidan'sLabour MP for Leicester South, Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
?Liberal MP for Gainsborough
UniversityConservative MP for Reigate
King'sLabour MP for Bishop Auckland
St Aidan'sConservative MP for Altrincham and Sale West ; Chairman of 1922 Committee
?Labour MP for Bolton West
HatfieldConservative MP for Swindon South, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
?Labour MP for Darlington
Van MildertLiberal Democrat MP for Harpenden and Berkhamsted
UniversityLiberal MP for the City of Durham
St Chad'sCo-leader of the England and Wales, Green MP for Bristol Central
UniversityConservative MP for Thurrock
?Labour MP for Sunderland North
?Conservative MP for Milton Keynes North
Hild BedeConservative MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton
UshawLabour MP for Wythenshawe and Sale East
College of MedicineConservative MP for The Hartlepools
St Mary'sLabour MP for Reading East
St John'sConservative MP for Bath
King'sLabour MP for Durham ; City of Durham
St John'sConservative ; Independent Conservative ; and Democratic Unionist Party MP for Basingstoke
TrevelyanLabour MP for Croydon Central and for Croydon West, Minister of State for Industry and Decarbonisation
?Labour MP for Liverpool Walton
College of MedicineUnionist Party MP for Newcastle upon Tyne West
UniversityConservative MP for Gainsborough and Horncastle ; Gainsborough ; Father of the House
Labour MP for Bassetlaw ; National Labour MP for Bassetlaw ; Ross and Cromarty ; Chancellor of the University of Durham
?Conservative MP for Northampton South
St Aidan'sLabour MP for Cleethorpes
?Labour MP for Mansfield
UniversityConservative MP for Newcastle upon Tyne Central ; Beckenham
UniversityConservative MP for Bexhill and Battle,
BedeConservative MP Newcastle upon Tyne East ; Brierley Hill ; Altrincham and Sale
?Independent MP for Dewsbury and Batley
TrevelyanLabour MP for Redcar ; Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
St Cuthbert'sLabour MP for Darlington
Hild BedeLabour MP for Chatham and Aylesford
St Cuthbert'sLiberal Democrat MP for Southport
College of MedicineConservative MP for Liverpool Wavertree
?Labour MP for Northampton North
StaffLabour MP for Bishop Auckland
BedeLabour MP for Barnard Castle
UniversityLiberal MP for Newcastle upon Tyne ; Newcastle upon Tyne West ; Home Secretary ; Chief Secretary for Ireland
GreyConservative MP for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner
UniversityLiberal MP for Caithness
UniversityLabour MP for Rugby
?Liberal Democrat MP for Hazel Grove
TrevelyanLabour MP for Dunfermline West
Hatfield/ArmstrongLiberal MP for Stockton-on-Tees
StaffLabour MP for the Bracknell
UniversityLiberal MP for the City of Durham
HatfieldConservative MP for Crewe and Nantwich and for Eddisbury
UniversityLiberal MP for County Waterford
St Cuthbert'sConservative MP for Boston and Skegness
College of MedicineConservative MP for Manchester Withington
St Mary'sLiberal Democrat MP for Cardiff Central
ArmstrongConservative MP for Glasgow Pollok

Members of the House of Lords

NameCollegeNotes
St Cuthbert'sParliamentary Under-Secretary of State at Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
?Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office
St Chad'sMember of the House of Lords
BedeChancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
N/AChair of Durham University council 2018–2025
BedeChair of the Parliamentary Labour Party ; Labour MP for Easington
CollingwoodLord-in-waiting
TrevelyanShadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
UniversitySecretary of State for the Colonies
King'sMinister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food ; Conservative MP for Westmorland ; Westmorland and Lonsdale
King'sChairman of Committees ; Convenor of the Crossbench Peers
St Cuthbert's
Chancellor of the University of Durham
Van MildertMember of the House of Lords
BedeLeader of the House of Lords ; Labour MP for Workington
Chancellor of the University of Durham
Professor of English Language at University of Durham ; Member of the House of Lords
UniversityChairman of Committees ; Member of the House of Lords
St Chad'sHonorary Fellow and Tutor at St Chad's College; Member of the House of Lords
CollingwoodMember of the House of Lords ; Minister of State for Investment ; Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party
BedeDeputy Leader of the Labour Party ; Labour MP for Newcastle upon Tyne Central
Chancellor of the University of Durham
St Aidan'sExecutive chairman of Iceland Foods
UniversityConservative MP for Stockton South, entered House of Lords 2020, Chair of the Office for Students

Ambassadors and High Commissioners

NameCollegeNotes
St Cuthbert'sBritish High Commissioner to Jamaica and the Bahamas ; British Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines and Palau ; British Ambassador to the Kingdom of Laos ; British Ambassador to Thailand
St John'sBritish High Commissioner to Malta
HatfieldBritish High Commissioner to Bangladesh
?Governor of the Cayman Islands
British Ambassador to Peru
British High Commissioner to Bangladesh
GreyBritish High Commissioner to Zambia
British Ambassador to Liberia
British High Commissioner to Malawi
British High Commissioner to the Seychelles
Neil CromptonUniversityBritish Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
HatfieldBritish Ambassador to the United States
National Security Advisor
UK Permanent Representative to the European Union
Van MildertBritish Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina
HatfieldBritish High Commissioner to Jamaica
British High Commissioner to the Bahamas
CollingwoodBritish Ambassador to Georgia
King'sHer Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
Governor of British Honduras
High Commissioner to Uganda
Ambassador to Rwanda
?British Ambassador to Japan
British High Commissioner to Australia
British High Commissioner to Singapore
UniversityBritish Ambassador to Yemen
High Commissioner to Kenya
?British Ambassador to Tunisia
UniversityBritish High Commissioner to Malawi
HatfieldBritish High Commissioner to Cameroon
Graduate SocietyBritish Ambassador to Lebanon
British Ambassador to Sudan
British Ambassador to Morocco
British Ambassador to Sudan
British Ambassador to Kuwait
St John'sActing British Ambassador to the United States
King'sBritish Ambassador to Nepal
British High Commissioner to Malawi
British High Commissioner to Bangladesh
St Cuthbert'sBritish Ambassador to Azerbaijan
British Ambassador to Kazakhstan
CollingwoodBritish Ambassador to the Czech Republic
UniversityBritish Ambassador to Iraq
British Ambassador to Oman
British Ambassador to Yemen

NameCollegeNotes
UniversityGhanaian Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg, and the European Economic Community
Ghanaian Ambassador to Switzerland and Australia
?Kenyan Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union
Graduate SocietyAmbassador of Indonesia to the United Kingdom
Permanent Representative of Indonesia to the United Nations
King'sIraqi Ambassador to the United States
Permanent Representative of Iraq to the United Nations

Civil Service

NameCollegeNotes
?Director of Parliamentary Archives
UniversityDirector, Defence Innovation, Ministry of Defence
Hild BedeChief Executive of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
?Second Permanent Secretary, Home Office
UniversityChief Economist, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
St Chad'sPermanent Secretary, Government Legal Department
HatfieldHead of Defence & Security Organisation
Education Officer, London County Council
St Aidan'sChief Plant Health Officer, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
?Chief Inspector at Ofsted

NameCollegeNotes
HatfieldSecretary for Housing, British Hong Kong
HatfieldHong Kong Commissioner in London

Others

NameCollegeNotes
CollingwoodEurosceptic campaigner; 1997 general election Referendum Party candidate for North West Durham, 1999 European Elections UK Independence Party candidate for the North East Region
HatfieldSecretary-General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature
Non-CollegiatePresident of the National Secular Society
ArmstrongChairman of the Independent Labour Party ; Chairman of the Common Wealth Party
UniversityChief Executive of Save the Children

Religion

Archbishops and Primates

NameCollegeNotes
UniversityArchbishop of Yukon
St Chad'sArchbishop of the West Indies
HatfieldPrimus of the Scottish Episcopal Church
St John'sArchbishop of Kaduna
UniversityArchbishop of West Africa
CodringtonArchbishop of the West Indies
St John'sPrimate of the Anglican Church of Nigeria
Van Mildert Professor of Divinity ; Archbishop of Canterbury
UniversityPatriarch of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem
St John'sArchbishop of Canterbury
UshawArchbishop of Southwark

Bishops

NameCollegeNotes
St Chad'sBishop of Wangaratta
St John'sBishop of Stockport
St Chad'sBishop of Whitby ; Bishop of Selby
UniversityBishop of Mashonaland
St John'sBishop of Knaresborough
St Cuthbert'sBishop of Barbados
St John'sBishop of Warrington
HatfieldBishop of Kimberley and Kuruman
?Bishop of Birkenhead
St John'sBishop of Jarrow
St Chad'sBishop of Penrith ; Bishop of Carlisle
St Cuthert'sBishop of St Helena
St Chad'sBishop of Melanesia
St Chad'sBishop of Blackburn
St John'sBishop of Sheffield ; Bishop of Oxford
?Bishop of Sherwood
HatfieldBishop of Bangor
UshawRoman Catholic Bishop of Shrewsbury
HatfieldBishop of Derby
Bishop of Swindon
HatfieldBishop of Aberdeen and Orkney
St John'sBishop of Bolton
UniversityBishop of Portsmouth
UniversityBishop of North Queensland
St Chad'sBishop of Beverley
St John'sBishop of Doncaster
St John'sBishop of Chelmsford
St Chad'sBishop of Burnley
HatfieldBishop of Glasgow and Galloway
HatfieldBishop of Accra
HatfieldBishop in Cyprus and the Gulf
HatfieldBishop of Bunbury
HatfieldBishop of Tasmania
UniversityBishop of South Tokyo
St Chad'sBishop Suffragan of Warrington
UniversityBishop of British Columbia
CollingwoodBishop of Salisbury
UniversityBishop of Wakefield
St Chad'sBishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane
BedeBishop of Croydon
St Chad'sBishop of Worcester
St Chad'sBishop of Woolwich ; Bishop of Lichfield
HatfieldBishop of Egypt
Non-CollegiateBishop of Hulme
Non-CollegiateBishop of Sodor and Man
HatfieldBishop of Antigua
St John'sBishop of Stockport
St John'sBishop in Persia
UniversityBishop of Stepney
St Chad'sBishop of Taunton
St John'sBishop of the Church of Uganda, serving as Assistant Bishop for Mission in the Diocese of London
St Chad'sBishop of Masasi
St John'sBishop of Sodor and Man
St John'sBishop of Lancaster
St Chad'sBishop of Dorchester ; Bishop of Ely
Hild BedeBishop of Shrewsbury
St John'sBishop of Stockport ; Bishop at Lambeth
St John'sBishop of Ludlow ; Bishop of Lincoln
UniversityBishop of Kensington ; Bishop of Southwark
St Cuthbert'sBishop of Stockport ; Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich ; Bishop at Lambeth ; Bishop to the Forces and Bishop for the Falkland Islands
St John'sBishop of Jamaica
HatfieldBishop of Guyana ; Bishop of Barbados and the Windward Islands
HatfieldBishop of Grahamstown
St John'sBishop of Bristol
St John'sBishop of Durham
UniversityBishop of Grafton and Armidale
HatfieldBishop of Lebombo
St John'sBishop of Birmingham
St Chad'sBishop of Chichester
Van MildertBishop of Newcastle
St Aidan's/St John'sBishop of Hull
GreyBishop of Brentwood
GreyBishop of Kensington ; Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham
St John'sBishop of Sheffield

Archdeacons

NameCollegeNotes
HatfieldArchdeacon of Lahore
HatfieldArchdeacon of Carlisle
HatfieldArchdeacon of Northern Melanesia
HatfieldArchdeacon of Madras
HatfieldArchdeacon of Port Elizabeth
St Chad'sArchdeacon of Macclesfield
HatfieldArchdeacon of Monmouth
HatfieldArchdeacon of Huntingdon
HatfieldArchdeacon of Worcester
HatfieldArchdeacon of Norwich
HatfieldArchdeacon of Bermuda
HatfieldArchdeacon of Belize
HatfieldArchdeacon of Surrey
HatfieldArchdeacon of Warwick
HatfieldArchdeacon of Limerick
HatfieldArchdeacon of Dorset
HatfieldArchdeacon of Lahore
HatfieldArchdeacon of Lichfield
?Archdeacon of Sherborne
HatfieldArchdeacon of Cardigan

Deans

NameCollegeNotes
St Chad'sDean of Brisbane
?Dean of Cloyne
HatfieldDean of York
St John'sDean of Lichfield
St John'sDean of Exeter
UniversityDean of Guernsey
St Chad'sDean of Westminster
St John'sDean of Norwich
HatfieldDean of Edinburgh
?Dean of Newcastle
St Chad'sDean of Jersey
?Dean of Rochester
UniversityDean of Hereford

Other clerics

NameCollegeNotes
?Principal of Ridley College
St Chad'sProvost of Derby
Principal of St Chad's College, Non-Residentiary Canon of Durham Cathedral
?Professor of Patristics at Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology
Chaplain and Tutor at St Chad's College ; crossword puzzle writer, 'Araucaria' of The Guardian
UniversityHeld Curacy at Wakefield and Flaxton, noted antiquarian
HatfieldRector of Hillington, Norfolk, Chaplain-in-Ordinary to King George V
St Chad'sProvost of St Andrew's Cathedral, Inverness
HatfieldProvost of Blackburn Cathedral
UshawNielsen Professor of Church History, Union Theological Seminary
HatfieldProvost of St Mary's Cathedral, Glasgow
St Chad'sRegius Professor of Ecclesiastical History, University of Oxford
BedeFounder of Banner of Truth Trust
King'sArminianism minister and Bible teacher
St John'sCMS missionary in Southern Sudan; Canon of Khartoum
St John'sPrincipal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford
UniversityRector of Holy Trinity, Eastbourne
HatfieldProvost of Coventry Cathedral

Royalty

NameCollegeNotes
Guillaume VUniversityGrand Duke of Luxembourg
?Prince of the House of Merode; Director of Virunga National Park
?Emir of Sharjah
?Prince of the House of Saud; Governor of Al-Qassim Province

Sports people

Basketball players

Cricketers

Footballers

Field Hockey players

Rowers

Rugby players

Runners

Tennis players

Other sports people

Writers

Authors

Journalists

Poets, dramatists and translators

Miscellaneous

Explorers

Other notable people