Richard Sykes (11 May 1839 – 31 May 1923) was a pioneering rugby player who helped found two major clubs and became a landowner in

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

, founding five towns there. He was the fourth son of Richard Sykes, owner 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 Jane Hardcastle. He was born at Edgeley House,

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 ...

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 ...

, and was known as Dick. He went 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 ...

in Rugby,

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

where he was Captain of Rugby in 1857. The following extract is from the ''First 125 years Liverpool Football Club Rugby Union 1857–1982'' by I R A Daglish.

In the Autumn of 1857, Frank Albert Mather, who had recently left Rugby School, wrote to his friend Richard Sykes the Captain of Football at Rugby School inviting him to take part in a game of football in Liverpool and bring with him one of the balls in use at the school, made by Linden a Rugby bootmaker. The game was arranged for Saturday 19 December 1857 on the Liverpool Cricket Ground at Edgehill. Fifty players arrived and they decided to play Rugby versus the World. Liverpool club was founded there and then.

Dick Sykes spent 18 months in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

. He returned to England and helped to form the Manchester Football Club in 1860, being the club's first Captain. He was a partner in a textile firm in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

'Callender, Sykes & Mather' until it failed in 1878. Then he went to America and over the years acquired considerable land holdings. He continued to live in England, but made annual trips to the States where he founded and named five North Dakota towns, * Sykeston, after his family * Bowdon, after his hometown * Edgeley, after his birthplace *

Chaseley Chaseley is an unincorporated community in southwestern Wells County, North Dakota, United States. It lies along North Dakota Highway 200 southwest of the city of Fessenden, the county seat of Wells County. It formerly had a post office ...

, after the English home of an old friend * Alfred, "because it was a good English name". He introduced rugby football to colleges and universities in the west of America and also introduced golf links to the northwest In 1904, at the age of 65 he married Fanny Elizabeth Walton of Broughton,

Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...

, and sailed for the United States on their wedding day to make their future home, settling at

Montecito, California Montecito (archaic use of Spanish for woodland or countryside) is an unincorporated town in Santa Barbara County, California, United States.McCormack, Don (1999). ''McCormack's Guides Santa Barbara and Ventura 2000''. Mccormacks Guides. p. 58. ...

. They had two sons. Sykes was the brother 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, ...

and uncle of Sir Alan Sykes, 1st Baronet MP 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 ...

, Cheshire, and Sir Percy Sykes the geographer and explorer of central Asia.

External links

rugby

Dakota
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sykes, Richard 1839 births 1923 deaths English rugby union players People educated at Rugby School Rugby union players from Stockport