Sir Edward Humphry Tyrrell Wakefield, 2nd Baronet,

FRGS The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

(born 11 July 1936) is an English

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

and expert on antiques and architecture. Wakefield has made his career a study of antique furniture and historic restoration. He worked for

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...

of London, and subsequently became director and chairman of antique-dealing firms. ^references? In 1982 he bought

Chillingham Castle Chillingham Castle is a medieval castle in the village of Chillingham in the northern part of Northumberland, England. It was the seat of the Grey and Bennett (later Earls of Tankerville) families from the 15th century until the 1980s, when it b ...

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

, from the Grey family of Northumberland, the family of his third wife Katherine, daughter of Lady Mary Grey. He has since restored the ruined castle to a habitable state to house a wide collection of antiquities.

Early life

Wakefield is the elder son of the politician Sir Edward Wakefield, a nephew of the 1st Baron Wakefield of Kendal, and Constance Lalage Thompson, the second child of Sir John Perronet Thompson. He was educated at

Gordonstoun School Gordonstoun School is a co-educational independent school for boarding and day pupils in Moray, Scotland. It is named after the estate owned by Sir Robert Gordon in the 17th century; the school now uses this estate as its campus. It is located ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

Career

After leaving Cambridge, Wakefield was commissioned into the 10th Royal Hussars and retired from the army with the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. He was a director of Mallett & Son (Antiques) Ltd, from 1971 to 1978 and executive vice-president of Mallett America Ltd. from 1970 to 1975. He was then chairman of Tyrrell & Moore Ltd from 1978 to 1992. He joined the New Zealand Everest Team in 1990 and was a member of Norman D. Vaughan's

Antarctic The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other ...

Expedition of 1993. He has been a director of the

Tree of Life Foundation In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are u ...

since 1976 and patron of

The Wilderness Foundation The Wilderness Foundation UK is a British charity which "harnesses the power of wilderness to change lives, and the positive power of humanity to save wilderness". The charity works with vulnerable young people and adults, bringing thousands of p ...

since 1999. He is also president of the Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team, the Avison Trust, and the Tibetan Spaniel Association. He was a director of the Spoleto Festival of the Two Worlds (United States and Italy) from 1973 to 1980 and is a

fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the

Pierpont Morgan Library The Morgan Library & Museum, formerly the Pierpont Morgan Library, is a museum and research library in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It is situated at 225 Madison Avenue, between 36th Street to the south and 37th ...

and the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

. He is a life member of the

Scott Polar Institute The Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) is a centre for research into the polar regions and glaciology worldwide. It is a sub-department of the Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Department of Geography in the University of Ca ...

and the Harlequin Football Club. (Rugby). He is also a member of the Standing Council of the Baronetage and of the

Society of Dilettanti The Society of Dilettanti (founded 1734) is a British society of noblemen and scholars that sponsors the study of ancient Greek and Roman art, and the creation of new work in the style. History Though the exact date is unknown, the Society is b ...

. He belongs to the

Beefsteak A beefsteak, often called just steak, is a flat cut of beef with parallel faces, usually cut perpendicular to the muscle fibers. In common restaurant service a single serving has a raw mass ranging from . Beef steaks are usually grilling, gr ...

, Cavalry and Guards, and Turf Clubs. Wakefield, whose father-in-law,

Lord Howick Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey (13 March 1764 – 17 July 1845), known as Viscount Howick between 1806 and 1807, was a British Whig politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1830 to 1834. He was a member of the nob ...

, acted as

Governor of Kenya This article contains a list of chairmen, administrators, commissioners and governors of British Kenya Colony. The office of Governor of Kenya was replaced by the office of Governor General in 1963 and then later replaced by a President of Kenya ...

during the Mau Mau crisis, owns a horse called Barack, named after the half-Kenyan American President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

, 'because the horse is half black and half white'. Wakefield has professed an interest in the heritability of success and intelligence. He has stated that 'in general, to be elitist, I think the quality climbs up the tree of life. In general, high things in the tree of life have quality, have skills, and they get wonderful degrees at university. And they marry each other and that gets them better again. Intelligence and talent is lovely. But I want parents and grandparents who've had hands on success, running their battles well, and proving they're wonderful. Because one is the subject of one's genes, and I like the idea of them being successful genes, and winning through to successful puppies.'

Marriages and children

Wakefield's first wife was Priscilla Bagot (b. 1939), eldest daughter of Oliver Robin Gaskell, later Bagot (himself nephew and heir of Sir Alan Desmond Bagot, 1st and last Baronet, and Annette Dorothy Stephens), whom he married on 17 September 1960 and divorced in 1964. There were no children of this marriage. He married, for a second time, on 1 July 1966 (divorced 1971) Hon. Elizabeth Sophia Sidney (b. 12 March 1941) daughter of the 1st Viscount De L'Isle, V.C., K.G. and former wife of George Silver Oliver Annesley Colthurst (by whom one daughter, now wife of the 9th Baron Latymer). They had one son, the present

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

to the baronetcy. In December 1974 Wakefield married, for a third time, the Hon. Katherine Mary Alice Baring (b. 30 March 1936), elder daughter of the 1st Baron Howick of Glendale and his wife Lady Mary Cecil Grey (died 2002), elder daughter of the 5th Earl Grey. They have one son and one daughter; another son died shortly after birth. ;Children *

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Maximilian Edward Vereker Wakefield (born 22 February 1967), a racing driver, married 1994 Lucinda Katharine Elizabeth Pipe, a daughter of Lt-Colonel and Mrs David Pipe, and has two children ** William Wavell Wakefield (born 1998) ** Edward 'Zed' Gort Wakefield (born 2000) * William Wakefield (born & died 1975) * Mary Elizabeth Lalage Wakefield (born 1975), married December 2011

Dominic Cummings Dominic Mckenzie Cummings (born 25 November 1971) is a British political strategist who served as Chief Adviser to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson from 24 July 2019 until Cummings resigned on 13 November 2020. From 2007 to 2014, he was a ...

, one son, Alexander Cedd * Jack Humphry Baring Wakefield (born 1977), former director of the Firtash Foundation The heir apparent is Wakefield's eldest son, Maximilian.

Arms

Notes

References

* *

External links

* Profile of Sir Humphrey Wakefield as an expert on furniture.
Obituary of Lalage, Lady Wakefield (1906-2001)
''Daily Telegraph'', 31 October 2001. {{DEFAULTSORT:Wakefield, Humphrey 1936 births Living people Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom British television personalities People educated at Gordonstoun Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society

Humphry Humphry is a masculine given name and surname. It comes from the Old Germanic name Hunfrid, which means "friend of the hun". The name may refer to: People First name *Humphry Berkeley (1926–1994), British politician * Humphry Bowen (1929–20 ...