Hatfield College, Durham is one of the constituent colleges of Durham University.
Founded in 1846 by the reformist clergyman David Melville as Bishop Hatfield's Hall, the college is known for pioneering the system of catered student halls with prices for board and lodgings fixed in advance.
While early Hatfield students tended to follow careers in the church, contemporary alumni also include figures in academia, government, business, the arts, and sport. The following is a list of notable people to have matriculated.
Academia
Academic administrators Gordon Cameron – Master of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge (1988–1990) Sidney Holgate – Master of Grey College, Durham (1959–1980) David Jasper – Principal of St Chad's College, Durham (1989–1991) Stephen Moulsdale – Principal of St Chad's College, Durham (1904–1937) Philip Ogden – Acting Principal of Queen Mary University of London (2008–2009) Arthur Prowse – Principal of Van Mildert College, Durham (1965–1972) Ian Taylor – Principal of Van Mildert College, Durham (1999–2000)
Professors and researchers Humanities and Social Science John Atkinson – Emeritus Professor of Classics at the University of Cape Town Philip Booth – Dean of the Faculty of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences at St Mary's University, Twickenham Richard Calland – Emeritus Associate Professor of Public Law at the University of Cape Town; Head of Political Monitoring & Information Service at IDASA (1995–2011) Tim Carter – David G. Frey Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Music at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill"Hatfield Association Members News". 1998, p. 39 Sam Challis – Director of the Rock Art Research Institute (RARI) at the University of the Witwatersrand Cecil William Davidge – Professor of English at University College of Commerce, Kobe (1907–1930); Tutor of Hirohito Roy W. Davies – historian of the Roman army; Service in the Roman Army (1989) Brian Dobson – Reader Emeritus of Archaeology at Durham University; President of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Paul du Gay – Professor, Department of Organization at Copenhagen Business School Paul Edwards – Professor of English and African Literature at the University of Edinburgh Robert Malcolm Errington – Emeritus Professor of Ancient History at the University of Marburg Allan M. Findlay – Emeritus Professor of Geography at the University of St Andrews Simon J. Gathercole – Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity and Director of Studies at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge George Gretton – Lord President Reid Professor of Law at the University of Edinburgh (1994–2016); Commissioner of the Scottish Law Commission (2006–2011) Mark Reginald Hull – archaeologist and curator of the Colchester and Essex museum Michael Jarrett – Professor of Archaeology at Cardiff University Peter Manning – Professor of Music at Durham University (1996–2015) Paul D. Murray – Professor of Systematic Theology at Durham University Harold Orton – Professor of English Language and Medieval English Literature, University of Leeds (1946–64) Angelo Raine – clergyman scholar active in the Yorkshire Philosophical Society David Reeder – Lecturer in Urban History, University of Leicester John Spaul – epigrapher and scholar on the Army of the Roman Empire Gareth Stansfield – Professor of Middle East Studies at University of Exeter Maurice Whitehead – Director of Heritage Collections and Schwarzenbach Research Fellow at English College, Rome Adrian Woodruffe-Peacock – pioneering ecologist and former President of the Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union Ted Wragg – Professor of Education at the University of Exeter (1978–2003)
Science Cliff Addison – Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at University of Nottingham (1960–78) Richard Arculus – Professor in School of Earth Sciences at Australian National University David Axon – Professor at the University of Hertfordshire and Rochester Institute of Technology Gilbert Ronald Bainbridge – Wolfson Professor of Energy Studies at Newcastle UniversityHatfield Record, 1988, p. 58 Christopher Burn – Emeritus Chancellor's Professor of Geography at Carleton University; Polar Medal of Canada (2018) Tristram Chivers – Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at University of Calgary Keith Clark – Emeritus Professor in the Department of Computing at Imperial College London Bethan Davies – Professor of Glaciology at Newcastle University Kingsley Dunham – Director of the British Geological Survey (1967–75); Wollaston Medal (1976) Nigel Glover – Professor of Physics at Durham University Rebecca Goss – Professor of Organic Chemistry at University of St. Andrews (2018–) Joseph Holden – Professor of Physical Geography at University of Leeds (2007–) Joanne Johnson – British Antarctic Survey geochemist; Polar Medal (2023) Basil Charles King – Professor of Geology at Bedford College; Bigsby Medal (1959) Geoffrey King – Senior Research Professor in Geophysics at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris Peter Kyberd – Biomedical engineer; Head of the School of the Built and Natural Environment at University of DerbyHatfield Record, 1988, p. 56 Nicholas Long – Sir Edward Frankland BP Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at Imperial College London (2011–) Mosobalaje Oyawoye – Professor of Geology at the University of Ibadan (1966–1977) Ian Parsons – Emeritus Professor of Mineralogy at the University of Edinburgh Brian Scarlett – Professor of Chemical Technology at Delft University of Technology (1983–2000) Joe Smartt – Reader in Biology at Southampton University (1990–96) Graham Smith – Particle physicist; Head of Instrumentation Division at Brookhaven National Laboratory (2012–2017) Mark A. Smith – Professor of Pathology at Case Western Reserve University W C Swinbank – Meteorological physicist; Chief Research Scientist at CSIRO Australia (1961–1971) David Vaughan – Scientist at British Antarctic Survey; Lead Author on IPCC Fourth Assessment Report Howard Wilson – Director of Science and Technology for the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) programme (2025–)Moyes, 1996, p. 315 Stan Woodell – Lecturer in Botany at Oxford University (1959–88); emeritus Fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford (1989–2004) Philip Woodworth – Oceanographer; former Director of the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level
Business
David Arkless – Founder and Chairman of ArkLight Consulting Group; President of End Human Trafficking Now (2011–) Mohammad Faiz Azmi – Executive Chairman of Securities Commission Malaysia (2024–) Jonathan Beckett – Chief Executive of Burgess Yachts Richard Burge – Founder of ESG Validation; CEO of Countryside Alliance (1999–2003) Mark Cunliffe-Lister, 4th Earl of Swinton – Owner of Swinton Park Hotel George Guise – gold-mining executive and policy adviser to Margaret Thatcher (1986–1990) Simon Hill-Norton – co-founder and CEO of Sweaty Betty Tony Laithwaite – Chairman of Laithwaites Wine Ian Marchant – Chairman of Thames Water (2018–2023) Peter Owen Edmunds – telecoms entrepreneur in Russia; co-founded Peterstar Richard Paniguian – Group Vice-president at BP (2002–2008), Head of Defence and Security Organisation (DSO) (2008–2015) Richard Pease, 4th Baronet – Head of Crux Asset Management (2015–2023) Rachel Skinner – President of the Institution of Civil Engineers (2020–2021) Tim Smit – co-creator of Lost Gardens of Heligan and the Eden Project Oliver Tress – founder and CEO of Oliver Bonas Michael Warrender, 3rd Baron Bruntisfield – Director at Concordia Advisors (2005–2014) Stephen Welton – CEO of Business Growth Fund (2011–)
Media and performing arts
Film, radio, television and theatre George Auckland – longtime BBC television and digital media executive Delaval Astley, 23rd Baron Hastings – played Cameron Fraser on The Archers Kieron Barry – playwright; Stockwell (2009) Fergus Beeley – BBC Natural World producer and documentarian Benedict Bermange – Sky Sports cricket statistician Bill Bunbury – ABC radio producer James Cary – TV and radio comedy writer, Think the Unthinkable and Bluestone 42"Hatfield Association Members News". 1998, p. 39 Stuart Draper – theatre actor and director Mark Durden-Smith – Channel 5 sports presenter Ed Gamble – stand-up and performer, The Peacock and Gamble Podcast and Mock the Week Jonathan Gould – sports presenter; MLB on Five (1997–2008) Mark Pougatch – ITV Sport presenter Ian Sharp – film and television director known for Who Dares Wins (1982) and his second-unit work on GoldenEye (1995) Jeremy Vine – broadcaster and journalist; Panorama (2007–2010) Eggheads (2008–present)
Music Jonathan Darlington – Generalmusikdirektor of the Duisburg Philharmonic (2002–2011) Tim Exile – drum and bass producer Malcolm Goldring – conductor and musical director Paul Keenan – composer of contemporary classical music Shelly Knotts – composer and performer of electronic, live coded and networked music Alec Roth – composer best known for Arion and the Dolphin (1994) Riva Taylor – jazz singer-songwriter; This Woman's Heart .1 (2020) and This Woman's Heart .2 (2021) Jake Thackray – folk musician; The Last Will and Testament of Jake Thackray (1967)
Writing and journalism Poppy Adams – author and television director; The Behaviour of Moths (2008) Oliver Balch – author and freelance journalist; Viva South America! A Journey Round a Restless Continent (2009) Thomas Blackburn – poet, novelist and memoirist; A Clip of Steel (1969) Dominic Carman – legal affairs journalist; former feature writer for The Times Alexander Frater – author and travel editor; Chasing the Monsoon (1990) Frederick Grice – writer of children's literature; The Bonny Pit Laddie (1960) John Kay – chief reporter for The Sun Colin McDowell – former Fashion Editor of The Sunday Times Stephen Pern – travel writer; The Great Divide: A Walk Through America Along the Continental Divide (1987) Katharine Preston – writer and public speaker; Out With It: How Stuttering Helped Me Find My Voice (2013) Rosa Rankin-Gee – novelist; The Last King of Sark (2011) and Dreamland (2021) Ian Rodger – radio critic for The Listener and The Guardian Alan Schom – popular historian; Napoleon Bonaparte, A Biography (1997) Ruth Sherlock – journalist; international correspondent for NPR David Shukman – Science Editor of BBC News (2012–2021); Reporting Live from the End of the World (2010) Owen Slot – sports journalist; Chief Rugby Correspondent at The Times
Military and law enforcement
British Army General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith – Chief of the General Staff (2018–2022) General Sir Richard Dannatt – Chief of the General Staff (2006–2009) Major-General Peter Grant Peterkin – Military Secretary (2000–2004) Major-General Alex Taylor – Director, Army Legal Services (2019–2024)
Royal Air Force Air Marshal Peter Walker – Commander of Joint Warfare Centre (2005–2007); Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey (2011–2015)
Royal Navy Rear Admiral Andrew Burns – Fleet Commander (2021–) Rear Admiral Matthew Parr – Commander Operations (2013–2015)
Police Laurence Taylor – Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service and Head of Counter Terrorism Policing Giles York – Chief Constable of Sussex Police (2014–2020)
Politics and government
Parliament of the United Kingdom Members of the House of Commons Robert Buckland – Conservative MP for South Swindon (2010–2024); Secretary of State for Justice (2019–2021) Robert Strother Stewart – Liberal MP for Stockton-on-Tees (1923–1924) Edward Timpson – Conservative MP for Crewe and Nantwich (2008–2017) and for Eddisbury (2019–2024); Solicitor General for England and Wales (2022)
Members of the House of Lords Patrick Carter, Baron Carter of Coles – Labour Party life peer (2004–) James Timpson, Baron Timpson – Minister of State for Prisons, Parole and Probation (2024–2026)
European Parliament