in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, one of the major public (privately endowed) schools in England, founded in 1552 by Edward VI. Thomas Ashton, the first headmaster, gave it a classical and humanistic tone that has been retained, though sciences and other studies are now also prominent in the curriculum. Its students have included Sir Philip Sidney, soldier, statesman, and author; Fulke Greville Brooke, poet and humanist; and Charles Darwin, naturalist.