Sir Tatton Sykes, 5th Baronet (13 March 1826 – 4 May 1913) was an English landowner, racehorse breeder, church-builder and eccentric. ''Includes substantial section on 5th baronet'' He was the elder son of

Sir Tatton Sykes, 4th Baronet Sir Tatton Sykes, 4th Baronet (1772–1863) was an English landowner and stock breeder, known as a patron of horse racing. Life A younger brother of Sir Mark Masterman Sykes, he was educated from 1784 at Westminster School. Matriculating at Bras ...

and Mary Ann Foulis, and succeeded to the Sykes baronetcy on his father's death in 1863. His brother was the

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 ...

MP Christopher Sykes. He lived at Sledmere, near York and served as Deputy Lieutenant of the

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, often abbreviated to the East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, S ...

, and later High Sheriff of Yorkshire for 1869–70. On 3 August 1874, at the age of 48, he married novelist Christina Anne Jessica Cavendish-Bentinck (d.1912), daughter of George Augustus Frederick Cavendish-Bentinck and Prudentia Penelope Leslie. His wife was 30 years younger than him, and was later convicted of issuing cheques in her husband's name. They had one son, Sir Tatton 'Mark' Sykes (1879-1919). Sykes died in May 1913 at age 87, and was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son. He owned of land in the

Churches

Between 1856 and 1913, 18 rural churches were built, rebuilt or restored in East and North Yorkshire, chiefly in the Wolds, by Sykes, and his father, the fourth baronet. Sykes worked with architects C. Hodgson Fowler, G.E.Street and

Temple Moore Temple Lushington Moore (7 June 1856 – 30 June 1920) was an English architect who practised in London but whose work can be seen across England, particularly in the North. He is famous for a series of fine Gothic Revival churches built betwe ...

. The churches included St Michael and All Angels, Garton on the Wolds, St Edith at Bishop Wilton and St Andrew’s at Weaverthorpe. Sykes has been described as "England’s greatest 19th century church builder".

References

1826 births 1913 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of Great Britain High sheriffs of Yorkshire Sykes family {{GreatBritain-baronet-stub