Ashley Lodge and Lt-Col. Harry Sykes, 1872-1955 Alan Payne March 2026
Historic photo of Ashley House (courtesy former employee)
Ashley Erling Sykes (1872-1955) was a regular soldier who served in West Africa, the Boer War, and in Flanders in World War I. He came to Box with his wife Evlyn and built their home in Ashley which they called Ashley Lodge and Harry took an active role in air raid precautions in the Second World War. But it was Harry's work in providing employment for ex-servicemen in the inter-war years that was perhaps his finest achievement.
Family and Childhood
Harry Erling Sykes was born in Wharfedale, Yorkshire, on 16 September 1872. He was the son of Alfred Wilberforce Sykes (1834-1916), Esq, of Cookridge Tower, Adel, Leeds, Yorkshire (a revival mansion built in the 1860s. His father was a wealthy woollen manufacturer and wool merchant operating in partnership under the name Hudson, Sykes and Bousfield between 1866 and 1884.[1] Alfred was sufficiently respected to become a Justice of the Peace for the West Riding in the 1870s, and a director of the Scottish Widows’ Fund in 1868.[2] Harry’s mother was Alice Mary Scholfied (1846-1930),[3] the fourth daughter of John Scholfield of Faxfleet Hall, Howden, an ancient house, originally part of a Knights Templar estate.[4] Harry's unusual middle name, Erling, possibly derived from his mother's family and their claimed Norse heritage.
Alfred and Mary were married in 1862. As well as Harry, they had two sons, Cyril Scholfield (1869-1910, who took over the worsted manufacturing business and died in Buenos Aires) and Leslie Norman (1875-1930, who served as a trooper in the Imperial Light Horse Regiment in the Boer War). They also had a daughter, Eva Scholfield Sykes (1864-1876), who died aged 12. The parents moved to 30 Forester Road, Bath, before 1906, and on his death, Alfred left the Bath house to his son, Harry, subject to allowing Alice to live there.
Harry Sykes was a military man. He joined the Somerset Light Infantry as a young man and was appointed Second Lieutenant by the age of 20 in 1892. In 1900 he transferred from the 3rd Battalion, York & Lancaster Regiment to the Army Service Corps.[5] He served in South and West Africa during the Boer War, attached to supply columns in the Cape and Orange Free State. He was involved in the relief of Kimberley in 1900. He served in the Royal Army Service Corps for the rest of his career, responsible for vital logistical command. In 1911 and 1912 he was a Captain, living in the Army Barracks, Chapeltown Road, Leeds. During the First World War, Harry served in the infantry and Army Service Corps (ASC) as captain, lieutenant-colonel, and major. He was awarded the Queen's South Africa medal and clasp, and was mentioned in dispatches in 1917.
Harry had married Evlyn Maud White (1878-1955) at the Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart, Hove, Sussex, in December 1906.[6] She was a British national who had been born in Shanghai in 1878, where her father was serving as a consul. Her mother, Evelyn Constance (1853-1926), was born in Turin, Italy, the third daughter of the Honourable Edward Morris Erskine, Queen Victoria’s Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Greece.[7] Her father was Francis William White (-1894 at Foochow, China), a fellow of the Royal Geographic Society and part of the Imperial Maritime Customs Service in China. Evlyn Maud was brought up in middle-class affluence with a German governess, Augusta Keal. By 1891 the family had moved to Sussex where her mother, Evelyn Constance, became a lodging house keeper at Ventnor Villas, Hove. At her wedding Evlyn Maud was given away by her cousin Lord Erskine, in a ceremony officiated by Monseigneur Canon Connelly.[8] The list of presents was recorded as numerous and costly. As Harry was still serving in the forces, Evlyn was billeted in separate military accommodation at Chapeltown in the 1911 census. By 1915 he was appointed as a Major in the ASC.
Harry Erling Sykes was born in Wharfedale, Yorkshire, on 16 September 1872. He was the son of Alfred Wilberforce Sykes (1834-1916), Esq, of Cookridge Tower, Adel, Leeds, Yorkshire (a revival mansion built in the 1860s. His father was a wealthy woollen manufacturer and wool merchant operating in partnership under the name Hudson, Sykes and Bousfield between 1866 and 1884.[1] Alfred was sufficiently respected to become a Justice of the Peace for the West Riding in the 1870s, and a director of the Scottish Widows’ Fund in 1868.[2] Harry’s mother was Alice Mary Scholfied (1846-1930),[3] the fourth daughter of John Scholfield of Faxfleet Hall, Howden, an ancient house, originally part of a Knights Templar estate.[4] Harry's unusual middle name, Erling, possibly derived from his mother's family and their claimed Norse heritage.
Alfred and Mary were married in 1862. As well as Harry, they had two sons, Cyril Scholfield (1869-1910, who took over the worsted manufacturing business and died in Buenos Aires) and Leslie Norman (1875-1930, who served as a trooper in the Imperial Light Horse Regiment in the Boer War). They also had a daughter, Eva Scholfield Sykes (1864-1876), who died aged 12. The parents moved to 30 Forester Road, Bath, before 1906, and on his death, Alfred left the Bath house to his son, Harry, subject to allowing Alice to live there.
Harry Sykes was a military man. He joined the Somerset Light Infantry as a young man and was appointed Second Lieutenant by the age of 20 in 1892. In 1900 he transferred from the 3rd Battalion, York & Lancaster Regiment to the Army Service Corps.[5] He served in South and West Africa during the Boer War, attached to supply columns in the Cape and Orange Free State. He was involved in the relief of Kimberley in 1900. He served in the Royal Army Service Corps for the rest of his career, responsible for vital logistical command. In 1911 and 1912 he was a Captain, living in the Army Barracks, Chapeltown Road, Leeds. During the First World War, Harry served in the infantry and Army Service Corps (ASC) as captain, lieutenant-colonel, and major. He was awarded the Queen's South Africa medal and clasp, and was mentioned in dispatches in 1917.
Harry had married Evlyn Maud White (1878-1955) at the Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart, Hove, Sussex, in December 1906.[6] She was a British national who had been born in Shanghai in 1878, where her father was serving as a consul. Her mother, Evelyn Constance (1853-1926), was born in Turin, Italy, the third daughter of the Honourable Edward Morris Erskine, Queen Victoria’s Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Greece.[7] Her father was Francis William White (-1894 at Foochow, China), a fellow of the Royal Geographic Society and part of the Imperial Maritime Customs Service in China. Evlyn Maud was brought up in middle-class affluence with a German governess, Augusta Keal. By 1891 the family had moved to Sussex where her mother, Evelyn Constance, became a lodging house keeper at Ventnor Villas, Hove. At her wedding Evlyn Maud was given away by her cousin Lord Erskine, in a ceremony officiated by Monseigneur Canon Connelly.[8] The list of presents was recorded as numerous and costly. As Harry was still serving in the forces, Evlyn was billeted in separate military accommodation at Chapeltown in the 1911 census. By 1915 he was appointed as a Major in the ASC.
Not easily legible but the 1906 wedding was recorded in The Gentlewoman, 22 December 1906
By 1921, Harry had retired from the army as a Lieutenant-Colonel and the couple were tenanting a property called Quarrycliffe, Ashley, Box. Initially, this name resembles the name Clift Quarry on Box Hill, but that is not correct as it was listed next to the Sully family at Sheylor’s Farm, Ashley, in the census of 1921. Their mother, Evelyn Constance White, later moved to the West Country to be closer to her children, and she died in 1926 in the Fraser Forbes Hospital, Bath. A requiem mass was held at St John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Bath.[9]
Great Stankley field shown as ref 554 shown in the 1840 Tithe map (courtesy Know Your Place)
Ashley Lodge
Harry and Evlyn Sykes lived at Ashley Lodge during their time in Box. In the 1840 Tithe details this plot of land was part of a larger field reference 554 owned by the lords of the manor, the Northey Trust whose executors were Edward Richard and William Brook Northey. The land was tenanted by Joseph Pocock and was called Great Stankley (meaning a meadow of stone). It is still recognisable from current maps by the woodland on the roadside. Joseph Pocock (born 1806) ran a mixed farm of dairy cows, sheep and corn based at Ashley Farm with a few outlying fields but he retired shortly after the Tithe record. His brother Jacob Pocock ran a more successful agricultural business from Sheylor’s Farm. The family continued to live at Sheylor’s for several generations but agriculture was not a commercially successful enterprise in the High Victorian and Edwardian periods. The Northey family started to actively dispose of their local landholdings in the years around the First World War. In 1919 the Northey Trust sold Great Stankley field to the Sulley family at Sheylor's.
Whilst living with Evlyn at Ashley Cottage, Harry resolved to stay in the hamlet and in December 1933 he purchased a three-acre plot for £289.8s from Reginald James Sulley, part of the land shown as ref 554 above. Harry built a brand new dwelling in the plot, which he named Ashley Lodge.
Harry and Evlyn Sykes lived at Ashley Lodge during their time in Box. In the 1840 Tithe details this plot of land was part of a larger field reference 554 owned by the lords of the manor, the Northey Trust whose executors were Edward Richard and William Brook Northey. The land was tenanted by Joseph Pocock and was called Great Stankley (meaning a meadow of stone). It is still recognisable from current maps by the woodland on the roadside. Joseph Pocock (born 1806) ran a mixed farm of dairy cows, sheep and corn based at Ashley Farm with a few outlying fields but he retired shortly after the Tithe record. His brother Jacob Pocock ran a more successful agricultural business from Sheylor’s Farm. The family continued to live at Sheylor’s for several generations but agriculture was not a commercially successful enterprise in the High Victorian and Edwardian periods. The Northey family started to actively dispose of their local landholdings in the years around the First World War. In 1919 the Northey Trust sold Great Stankley field to the Sulley family at Sheylor's.
Whilst living with Evlyn at Ashley Cottage, Harry resolved to stay in the hamlet and in December 1933 he purchased a three-acre plot for £289.8s from Reginald James Sulley, part of the land shown as ref 554 above. Harry built a brand new dwelling in the plot, which he named Ashley Lodge.
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The garden pools (courtesy Carol Payne)
The area was well-supplied with water which now runs off into two pools at different levels on steeply rising topography. The house was a grand edifice for the austerity of the 1930s. It had a servants’ staircase and separate facilities for live-in help with a bell-ring when the owners needed service. The Sykes built a driveway and garage for their motor car, reputedly large and coloured yellow at one time.[10] Evlyn and Harry were sufficiently wealthy to employ a cook-general in 1935 and general maid live-in or daily in 1943.[11]
Work in Box
Evlyn and Harry had personal experience of First World War tragedy when Evlyn’s brother Edward Erskine White, survivor of service in the West Indies and Rhodesia, was killed in France in 1914. With his administrative ability, Harry became president of the Box branch of the British Legion and a founder member of the Comrades Club, a social club for ex-servicemen held in Hardy House on Box High Street. He was renowned for visiting disabled veterns, paying off rent arrears for ex-servicemen, and providing small relief payments to servicemen's widows.
Comradeship was only part of the problem for veterans of the Great War; they needed an income at a time when employment was limited by a recession in the quarry trade in the 1920s, followed by a general economic recession in the 1930s. Harry launched a Box Employment Scheme in May 1933, in conjunction with the British Legion, and he administered the funds to ensure that it was servicemen, particularly disabled men, who received the money.[12] The aim was to make work for men in Box who were unable to find employment. It was not simply a charity but paid for tools and provided meaningful work for the umemployed.[13] By August 1933 4,000 hours of work had been supplied and the fund had reserves of £47. But there were continual problems when summer work in agriculture gave way to annual winter unemployment.[14] The scheme raised additional funds from whist drives held in the Comrades Legion Club. Mr AH Hillier of the Market Place and Captain RA Legard of Kingsdown started a register of the unemployed in Box, especially those who have no claims on insurance benefits, to match with employers looking to take on staff.
Not content with his service in the Boer War and the First World Wat, Harry also took an active role in Box during World War II.[15] He went on a training course in London and disseminated detailed air raid precaution (ARP) instructions to residents in the Box Schools in January and February 1938. His talk was combined with first-aid instructions from John King of the Box Ambulance Brigade.[16] The talks covered three types of attack, high explosive shells, incendiary bombs and gas bombs.
As war became closer, Harry was appointed ARP Group Warden for Box in 1938. He worked on preparations for the Home Guard and was involved in recruitment and training, and was responsible for the appointment of air-raid wardens.[17] A Rover Scout party was stationed at Kingsmoor House, The Ley, charged with sounding alerts to enable church bells to be rung warning of invading parachutists. With the threat of German air bombing, Harry built an Anderson shelter in the garden.
Evlyn and Harry had personal experience of First World War tragedy when Evlyn’s brother Edward Erskine White, survivor of service in the West Indies and Rhodesia, was killed in France in 1914. With his administrative ability, Harry became president of the Box branch of the British Legion and a founder member of the Comrades Club, a social club for ex-servicemen held in Hardy House on Box High Street. He was renowned for visiting disabled veterns, paying off rent arrears for ex-servicemen, and providing small relief payments to servicemen's widows.
Comradeship was only part of the problem for veterans of the Great War; they needed an income at a time when employment was limited by a recession in the quarry trade in the 1920s, followed by a general economic recession in the 1930s. Harry launched a Box Employment Scheme in May 1933, in conjunction with the British Legion, and he administered the funds to ensure that it was servicemen, particularly disabled men, who received the money.[12] The aim was to make work for men in Box who were unable to find employment. It was not simply a charity but paid for tools and provided meaningful work for the umemployed.[13] By August 1933 4,000 hours of work had been supplied and the fund had reserves of £47. But there were continual problems when summer work in agriculture gave way to annual winter unemployment.[14] The scheme raised additional funds from whist drives held in the Comrades Legion Club. Mr AH Hillier of the Market Place and Captain RA Legard of Kingsdown started a register of the unemployed in Box, especially those who have no claims on insurance benefits, to match with employers looking to take on staff.
Not content with his service in the Boer War and the First World Wat, Harry also took an active role in Box during World War II.[15] He went on a training course in London and disseminated detailed air raid precaution (ARP) instructions to residents in the Box Schools in January and February 1938. His talk was combined with first-aid instructions from John King of the Box Ambulance Brigade.[16] The talks covered three types of attack, high explosive shells, incendiary bombs and gas bombs.
As war became closer, Harry was appointed ARP Group Warden for Box in 1938. He worked on preparations for the Home Guard and was involved in recruitment and training, and was responsible for the appointment of air-raid wardens.[17] A Rover Scout party was stationed at Kingsmoor House, The Ley, charged with sounding alerts to enable church bells to be rung warning of invading parachutists. With the threat of German air bombing, Harry built an Anderson shelter in the garden.
The Anderson shelter in the garden of Ashley Lodge (courtesy Carol Payne)
Retirement to Bath
Harry and Evlyn lived at Ashley Lodge until 1950 when they sold the property to Commander Richardson. They moved to Maryland, 30 Forester Road, Bath, taking over the home of Harry’s late mother. Harry died in Bath on 7 March 1955, leaving his assets in trust to his wife Evlyn for life, a specific bequest to Mrs Frances Jones in recognition of the kind way she has looked after my wife, and the balance of his estate to his cousin, John Sykes OBE, military college lecturer, who lived at Crowthorne, Berkshire.[18]
Harry and Evlyn lived at Ashley Lodge until 1950 when they sold the property to Commander Richardson. They moved to Maryland, 30 Forester Road, Bath, taking over the home of Harry’s late mother. Harry died in Bath on 7 March 1955, leaving his assets in trust to his wife Evlyn for life, a specific bequest to Mrs Frances Jones in recognition of the kind way she has looked after my wife, and the balance of his estate to his cousin, John Sykes OBE, military college lecturer, who lived at Crowthorne, Berkshire.[18]
The family plot at Bathwick (courtesy Bath Burial Index Evelyn Constance White | Bath Record Office)
In a tragic coincidence, Evlyn died 24 hours after her husband.[19] They were buried together in St Mary’s Churchyard, Bathwick, plot JM10, the same plot as Harry’s mother. It was also the burial place of Katherine Martha Lush in 1926. Katherine was the widow of William Lush, MD, and the sister of Harry’s mother, in other words Harry’s aunt.[20] Their connection with Box just about continues, as they had two dogs, Don and Max, who were bitten by vipers in the garden in 1938. Their gravestones are still in the garden of Ashley Lodge with the dogs’ names inscribed.
The graves of the Sykes’ dogs (courtesy Carol Payne)
Sykes Family Tree
Alfred Wilberforce Sykes (1834–1916) JP; married Alice Mary Scholfield (1846–1930). Children:
Scholfield Family Tree
John Scholfield of Faxfleet Hall married (name unknown). Children included:
Erskine-White Family Tree
David Erskine (1776-1855), 2nd Baron Erskine, married Frances Cadwalader (1781–1843). 12 children including:
Alfred Wilberforce Sykes (1834–1916) JP; married Alice Mary Scholfield (1846–1930). Children:
- Eva Scholfield Sykes (1864–1876)
- Cyril Scholfield Sykes (1869–1910), wool merchant; died in Buenos Aires
- Lt‑Col. Harry Erling Sykes (1872–1955) married Evlyn Maud White (1878–1955)
- Leslie Norman Sykes (1875–1930) Boer War veteran.
Scholfield Family Tree
John Scholfield of Faxfleet Hall married (name unknown). Children included:
- Alice Mary Scholfield (1846–1930) married Alfred Wilberforce Sykes (see above).
Erskine-White Family Tree
David Erskine (1776-1855), 2nd Baron Erskine, married Frances Cadwalader (1781–1843). 12 children including:
- Hon. Edward Morris Erskine (1817–1908) envoy to Greece married Caroline. Children included:
- Evelyn Constance Erskine (1853–1926) married Francis William White (d. 1894) Commissioner of Customs. Children:
- Evlyn Maud White (1878–1955) married Lt‑Col. Harry Erling Sykes (1872–1955)
- Edward Erskine White (1876–1914) West Indies & Rhodesia service; killed in France in WWI.
- Evlyn Maud White (1878–1955) married Lt‑Col. Harry Erling Sykes (1872–1955)
- Evelyn Constance Erskine (1853–1926) married Francis William White (d. 1894) Commissioner of Customs. Children:
Conclusion
Harry and Evlyn had no children of their own and were deeply committed to their closest family. However, it is also undeniable that many ex-servicemen in Box regarded Colonel Harry Erling Sykes in the same way as their own father – a role model, their supporter in the darkest of times, and a patron who could help when finances were difficult. Perhaps that was Harry and Evlyn’s legacy.
Harry and Evlyn had no children of their own and were deeply committed to their closest family. However, it is also undeniable that many ex-servicemen in Box regarded Colonel Harry Erling Sykes in the same way as their own father – a role model, their supporter in the darkest of times, and a patron who could help when finances were difficult. Perhaps that was Harry and Evlyn’s legacy.
References
[1] Hudson, Sykes and Bousfield - Graces Guide
[2] The Yorkshire Post, 21 July 1868
[3] Yorkshire Post, 9 March 1955
[4] The Bath Chronicle, 24 May 1930
[5] The York Herald, 15 September 1900 and The London Gazette, 1892
[6] The Cheltenham Examiner, 12 December 1906
[7] The Coventry Herald, 25 December 1926
[8] The Brighton Gazette, 6 December 1906 and The Gentlewoman, 22 December 1906
[9] Nottingham and Midland Catholic News, 1 January 1927
[10] Personal anecdote from former employee
[11] The Wiltshire News, 6 September 1935 and 10 December 1943
[12] Parish Magazine, March 1934
[13] The Wiltshire Times, 7 July 1933
[14] Parish Magazine, July 1933
[15] The Wiltshire Times, 22 January 1938
[16] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 22 January 1938 and The Wiltshire Times, 26 February 1938
[17] Claire Higgens, Box Wiltshire: An Intimate History, p.51
[18] The Wiltshire News, 3 June 1955
[19] The Wiltshire News, 11 March 1955
[20] The Leeds Mercury, 27 February 1926
[1] Hudson, Sykes and Bousfield - Graces Guide
[2] The Yorkshire Post, 21 July 1868
[3] Yorkshire Post, 9 March 1955
[4] The Bath Chronicle, 24 May 1930
[5] The York Herald, 15 September 1900 and The London Gazette, 1892
[6] The Cheltenham Examiner, 12 December 1906
[7] The Coventry Herald, 25 December 1926
[8] The Brighton Gazette, 6 December 1906 and The Gentlewoman, 22 December 1906
[9] Nottingham and Midland Catholic News, 1 January 1927
[10] Personal anecdote from former employee
[11] The Wiltshire News, 6 September 1935 and 10 December 1943
[12] Parish Magazine, March 1934
[13] The Wiltshire Times, 7 July 1933
[14] Parish Magazine, July 1933
[15] The Wiltshire Times, 22 January 1938
[16] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 22 January 1938 and The Wiltshire Times, 26 February 1938
[17] Claire Higgens, Box Wiltshire: An Intimate History, p.51
[18] The Wiltshire News, 3 June 1955
[19] The Wiltshire News, 11 March 1955
[20] The Leeds Mercury, 27 February 1926