The tiny village owned by one family for hundreds of years

One family in Yorkshire is so wealthy that they own an entire village.

For 255 years, the Sykes family have owned the tiny Yorkshire village of Sledmere after they acquired it in 1748. The hamlet, which is located in East Yorkshire, was bought by merchant Mark Kirkby over the course of 12 purchases starting in 1721 and continuing over the span of some 25 years.

Richard Sykes would then marry Mark's sister Mary Kirkby, and when Mark died in 1748 the entire village passed over to Richard Sykes, as married women would not be able to own land in their own right until 1882. Sledmere has stayed with the family since then, YorkshireLive reports .

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The village has stayed in the hands of the Sykes family since then, and has around 400 resid