Humphry Wakefield

Sir Edward Humphry Tyrrell Wakefield, 2nd Baronet, (born 11 July 1936) is an English baronet and expert on antiques and architecture.

Wakefield has made his career a study of antique furniture and historic restoration. He worked for Christie's of London, and subsequently became director and chairman of antique-dealing firms.

In 1982 he bought Chillingham Castle, Northumberland, from the Grey family of Northumberland, the family of his third wife Katherine, daughter of Lady Mary Grey. He has since restored the ruined castle to a habitable state to house a wide collection of antiquities.

Early life Wakefield is the elder son of the politician Sir Edward Wakefield, a nephew of the 1st Baron Wakefield of Kendal, and Constance Lalage Thompson, the second child of Sir John Perronet Thompson. He was educated at Gordonstoun School and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated with an MA.

Career After leaving Cambridge, Wakefield was commissioned into the 10th Royal Hussars and retired from the army with the rank of captain. He was a director of Mallett & Son (Antiques) Ltd, from 1971 to 1978 and executive vice-president of Mallett America Ltd. from 1970 to 1975. He was then chairman of Tyrrell & Moore Ltd from 1978 to 1992. He joined the New Zealand Everest Team in 1990 and was a member of Norman D. Vaughan's Antarctic Expedition of 1993. Wakefield has professed an interest in eugenics. He has stated that "in general, to be elitist, I think the quality climbs up the tree of life. In general, high things in the tree of life have quality, have skills, and they get wonderful degrees at university. And they marry each other and that gets them better again. Intelligence and talent is lovely. But I want parents and grandparents who've had hands-on success, running their battles well, and proving they're wonderful. Because one is the subject of one's genes, and I like the idea of them being successful genes, and winning through to successful puppies".

Marriages and children Wakefield's first wife was Priscilla Bagot (b. 1939), eldest daughter of Oliver Robin Gaskell, later Bagot (himself nephew and heir of Sir Alan Desmond Bagot, 1st and last Baronet, and Annette Dorothy Stephens), whom he married on 17 September 1960 and divorced in 1964. There were no children of this marriage.

Children Captain Maximilian Edward Vereker Wakefield (born 22 February 1967), a racing driver, married 1994 Lucinda Katharine Elizabeth Pipe, a daughter of Lt-Colonel and Mrs David Pipe, and has two children William Wavell Wakefield (born 1998) Edward 'Zed' Gort Wakefield (born 2000) William Wakefield (born & died 1975) Mary Elizabeth Lalage Wakefield (born 1975), married December 2011 Dominic Cummings, one son, Alexander Cedd Jack Humphry Baring Wakefield (born 1977), former director of the Firtash Foundation

The heir apparent is Wakefield's eldest son, Maximilian.