Sir Alan Sykes, 1st Baronet
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Sir Alan John Sykes, 1st Baronet (11 April 1868 – 21 May 1950) was an English businessman in the bleaching industry and
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
politician in
Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
.


Biography

Sykes was born at Cringle House Cheadle, the second son of
Thomas Hardcastle Sykes Thomas Hardcastle Sykes (15 February 1833 – 25 April 1901) was an English bleacher and businessman and was High Sheriff of Cheshire. Sykes was born at Edgeley House Stockport, the third son of Richard Sykes, owner of the Sykes Bleaching Company, ...
of the
Sykes Bleaching Company The Sykes Bleaching Company was a cotton bleaching business established in Edgeley, near Stockport in 1792 which grew to become one of the largest bleaching enterprises in the United Kingdom. Origins The bleaching business was established in 1792 ...
and his wife Mary Platt daughter of John Platt MP for Oldham. He was known as Jack. He was left motherless in 1875, and in 1881 went away to
Rugby School Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...
, following his brothers and cousins. He then went to
Oriel College, Oxford Oriel College () is Colleges of the University of Oxford, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title for ...
and while at Oxford joined the Freemasons, to which he remained deeply committed in his adult life. He entered the family bleaching company at the age of 23 and worked his way through the various departments of the bleachworks before becoming manager. Sykes played cricket for Cheshire Gentlemen and hunted with the Cheshire hounds. He became a Justice of the Peace in 1897 and was active in the 3rd Volunteer Battalion,
Cheshire Regiment The Cheshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The 22nd Regiment of Foot was raised by the Henry Howard, 7th Duke of Norfolk in 1689 and was able to boast an independent existence ...
until 1904. After his father died in 1901, he took on a number of local civic positions in
Stockport Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt, Rivers Goyt and River Tame, Greater Manchester, Tame merge to create the River Mersey he ...
, becoming treasurer of the Infirmary and a Governor of the Grammar School. Sykes was interested in agriculture, running
Edgeley Edgeley is a suburb of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. Edgeley is characterised largely by Victorian terraced housing around Alexandra Park. The population in 2021 was 14,182. Edgeley Park is home to Stockport County F.C. History ...
Home Farm and the family's estates in Canada of in
Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...
. He travelled extensively in his early years to America and Canada, and also to South Africa, Egypt, India and Russia and was an early enthusiast for motoring and flying. In 1907 Sykes was adopted as the Conservative candidate for
Knutsford Knutsford () is a market town and civil parish in the Cheshire East district, in Cheshire, England; it is located south-west of Manchester, north-west of Macclesfield and south-east of Warrington. The population of the parish at the 2021 Uni ...
and a year later gave up the management of the Edgeley Bleachworks, while remaining director of the Bleachers' Association. In April 1910, he was appointed deputy lieutenant of Cheshire, and from 1910 to 1911 he was mayor of Stockport, the fourth generation of the family to hold this office. Before and after the first world war, Sykes was a leading Conservative organizer in the North West, chairing the Lancashire and Cheshire Federation of Junior Unionist organization. In January 1910, as a keen Tariff Reformer, he was elected MP for Knutsford, taking control from the Liberal. Unsatisfied with the political support he was receiving from the local press, in 1912 he gained control of the Stockport Advertiser Group, which was in fact owned by Swain & Co under the direction of an uncle. In parliament he kept up persistent questioning in support of local interests, and was a leading member of a group of MPs critical of the Government's neglect of Territorial Army and the Volunteer Forces before and during the First World War. In 1916 he served the Government as commissioner reviewing permits for aliens. At the beginning of
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
he returned to command the local volunteers as lieutenant-colonel of the reformed 6th Battalion, the Cheshire Regiment TF. He was unfit for active service in 1914 but served as secretary to the County Committee of the Cheshire Volunteer Regiment and Staff commandant from 1916 until the force's disbandment in 1920. He was awarded a
baronetcy 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 ...
in June 1917. Sykes resigned as an MP in 1922 but continued to be active in local party organizations. He was chairman of the Cheshire division of the National Union from 1913, of the Lancashire and Cheshire Division of the Conservative Association from 1930 to 1932, of the North West Provincial Association from 1933 to 1947, and of Knutsford Conservative Association 1922–1946. After retiring as an MP, he became involved in the bleaching business again. Outside the Bleacher's Association, Sykes held, mostly by inheritance, a number of directorships, of which the principal one was of Williams Deacons Bank held between 1918 and 1948. Others were land holding companies and Swain & Co the newspaper group. He was Chairman of the governors of
Stockport Grammar School Stockport Grammar School is a co-educational private day school in Stockport, England. Founded in 1487 by Sir Edmund Shaa, a former Lord Mayor of London, it is the second oldest in the North of England, after Lancaster Royal Grammar School, ...
from 1921 to 1950, Chairman of the Stockport Infirmary from 1918 to 1948, president of Manchester Northern Hospital from 1901 and chairman thereof from 1942 to 1950, chairman of the Ephraim Hallam Trust and president of the Oldham Blue Coat School. As early as 1923 he was noted as holding "more offices than he can remember"Manchester Guardian Commercial 17 May 1923 He was involved in the local government of Cheadle. For many years he was also president of the Lancashire and Cheshire Economic League and was an early supporter of the FBI and other business associations which the Bleachers' Association had helped to fund. In 1948, he succeeded the 17th Earl of Derby as Grand Superintendent of Lancashire (East Division) Provincial Grand Chapter of the Royal Arch Masons. He remained a confirmed bachelor, with plutocratic tastes - for example yellow Rolls Royces and annual gastronomic tours of France followed by taking the waters at Vichy. Sykes was the nephew of Richard Sykes the rugby player who founded towns in America and cousin of Sir Percy Sykes the geographer and explorer of central Asia. Prior to his death he lived at South View Cheadle and was buried in the family vault at Cheadle St Mary's Parish Church graveyard


Publications

* ''Concerning the Bleaching Industry'' Falkner 1925


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sykes, Alan 1868 births 1950 deaths Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Cheshire Regiment officers Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Deputy lieutenants of Cheshire People educated at Rugby School UK MPs 1910–1918 UK MPs 1918–1922 Mayors of Stockport UK MPs 1910