Sir Francis Sykes, 1st Baronet
Sir Francis Sykes, 1st Baronet (1732–1804) was an English landowner, Member of Parliament and sometime Governor of Kasimbazar in India, being styled an English nabob by his peers.
Sir Francis was born in Thornhill in the West Riding of Yorkshire in 1732.[1] He joined the British East India Company and amassed a fortune in Bengal, at the court of the Nawab. He became Governor of Kasimbazar and was good friends with both Warren Hastings and Lord Clive. Upon his return to England, he purchased Ackworth Park in Yorkshire and Basildon Park in Berkshire. He was for many years Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury and then for Wallingford, and acquired a baronetcy in 1781. Sir Francis lived at Basildon, although he died before the building was complete. His son, Francis William Sykes (1767–1804) was also member of parliament for Wallingford. Both Sir Francis and his son, Francis William, are commemorated in an unusual memorial at St Bartholomew's Church, Lower Basildon in Berkshire.
References
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William Chaffin Grove Ralph Payne |
Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury 1771–1775 With: William Chaffin Grove 1771–74 Thomas Rumbold 1774–75 |
Succeeded by Thomas Rumbold Hans Winthrop Mortimer |
| Preceded by Hans Winthrop Mortimer George Rous |
Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury 1780–1784 With: Sir Thomas Rumbold 1780–81 Hans Winthrop Mortimer 1781–84 |
Succeeded by Hans Winthrop Mortimer Adam Drummond |
| Preceded by Sir John Aubrey Chaloner Arcedeckne |
Member of Parliament for Wallingford 1784–1801 With: Thomas Aubrey 1784–90 Nathaniel Wraxall 1790–94 Francis Sykes 1794–96 The Lord Eardley 1796–1801 |
Succeeded by Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by Parliament of Great Britain |
Member of Parliament for Wallingford 1801–1804 With: The Lord Eardley 1801–02 William Hughes 1802–04 |
Succeeded by William Hughes George Galway Mills |
| Baronetage of Great Britain | ||
| New creation | Baronet (of Basildon) 1781–1804 |
Succeeded by Francis William Sykes |