Magdalen College School, Brackley

The site now occupied by the school was originally the Hospital of St. James and St. John, founded around 1150 by Robert le Bossu, Earl of Leicester. In 1484 it was given to Magdalen College, Oxford. By 1548 there was a school at the site, its initial purpose being to allow pupils of the college in Oxford to escape the plague affecting the city at the time.

In September 1973 MCS merged with the Girls Grammar School (Brackley High) and Brackley Secondary Modern School to form a new comprehensive school on two sites, while the girls' school was converted into the new Southfield Primary school. This school has approximately 1500 students

Formerly a chapel for the hospital of St. James and St. John, the earliest datable parts are late-12th century, although many parts are 13th century. The chapel underwent a major restoration between 1869 and 1870 by Buckeridge.

It is constructed of stone rubble and is one of the largest school chapels, and the oldest school chapel still in use in England. It remains in regular use by the school, Church of England and local community.

• 1548–1552 – Thomas Godwin
• 1552–1558 – Robert Bede
• 1571–1576 – John Bede
• 1576–1588 – Roger Webster
• 1588 – Laurence Humphreys
• 1653 – Mr Perkins
• 1675–1687 – John Gibbs
• 1692–1715 – Rev. Thomas Yeomans
• 1715–1721 – Moses Loveday
• 1721–1752 – Richard Cooper
• 1765–1777 – Rev. John Young
• 1777–1784 – William Bannister
• 1784–1821 – Thomas Bannister
• 1821–1825 – Mr Walker
• 1826–1856 – Thomas Hawkins
• 1860–1864 – Rev. F. B. Falkner
• 1864–1870 – Rev. Thomas Russell
• 1871–1879 – Rev. Frank Taylor
• 1879–1882 – Rev. John William Boyd
• 1882–1899 – Rev. Isaac Wodhams
• 1900–1910 – Rev. William Holdgate
• 1910–1929 – Rev. Robert Forster Ashwin
• 1930–1936 – A.H.B. Bishop
• 1937–1952 – Rev. A Bolton
• 1952–1973 – Eric G. Forrester
• 1973–1993 – Keith Marsh
• 1993–2006 – Elaine Wotherspoon
• 2006–2023 – Ian Colling
• 2023–Present – Tom Hollis

Notable former pupils include:

• Robert Addie, actor
• Meyrick Chapman, 1908 Olympic athlete (100m)
• Sir John Coles, Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mrs. Margaret Thatcher, 1981–1984; British Ambassador to Jordan, 1984–1988; British High Commissioner to Australia, 1988–1991; Head of the British Diplomatic Service (Permanent Secretary, Foreign and Commonwealth Office) 1994–7.
• Michael Dudley, circuit judge
• Robin Dunbar, evolutionary psychologist
• Michael Ipgrave, Anglican bishop
• Allan Leighton, former Chief Executive Officer, Asda Group, and former Chairman, Royal Mail Group
• Jon-Paul Pittman, footballer
• Anna Reynolds, playwright

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Category:Chapel of SS John and James, Brackley.

• School official Site
• Alumni and Old Brackleians Society
• Chapel history and photographsArchived 6 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine