Mary Jane Skinner
Sex: F
Individual Information
Birth Date: 19 Jun 1826 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada 4843 Christening: 27 Aug 1826 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada 4843 Death: Burial: Cause of Death:
Parents
Father: Lt. Col. William Thomas Skinner 5,6060 Mother: Living
Spouses and Children
1. *James Goldsworthy 481 Marriage: 21 Sep 1852 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada 481Marriage Events
• Minister/Priest: Thomas M. Bridge, 21 Sep 1852, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Witnesses: Joseph Skinner, Henry Stone, 21 Sep 1852, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
Notes
General:
111109 from NGB: Mary Jane SKINNER Thomas & Anne b June 19 1826 bap Aug 27 1826
Monier Skinner
Sex: M
Individual Information
Birth Date: Christening: Death: Bef 11 Oct 1801 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada 4543 Burial: 11 Oct 1801 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada 4543 Cause of Death:
Parents
Father: Lt. Col. William Thomas Skinner 5,6060 Mother: Anne Williams 426,6759 Marriage Did Not Marry
Notes
General:
Monier SKINNER Oct 11 1801 The son of Captain Skinner of the Royal Artillery
Date appeared to be written over the 12th. This entry was from a fragment. He was the son of Lieut William Thomas Skinner & Anne Williams, and grandson of George Williams & Mary Monier.
Living
Sex: M
Parents
Father: Major Sir Thomas Bridges Boucher Skinner CMG, JP 2673 Mother: Georgina Burrell 2673Robert Skinner
Sex: M
Individual Information
Birth Date: 3 Jun 1824 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada 4843 Christening: 27 Aug 1826 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada 4843 Death: Burial: Cause of Death:
Parents
Father: Lt. Col. William Thomas Skinner 5,6060 Mother: Living
Notes
General:
111109 from NGB: Robert SKINNER Thomas & Anne b June 3 1824 bap Aug 27 1826
Capt. Robert Pringle Skinner
Sex: M
Individual Information
Birth Date: Cir 1786 - Gibraltar, Gibraltar 2675 Christening: Death: 3 May 1816 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ( about age 30) 6532 Burial: 5 May 1816 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada 8034 Cause of Death: Fatigue following his military engagement in War of 1812Events
• Military: Ensign, then Lieut in Royal Newfoundland Regiment, Between 2 Aug 1795 and 31 Jul 1802, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Military: Royal Newfoundland Regiment of Fencible Infantry, Between 5 Nov 1803 and 3 May 1816, Canada.
Parents
Father: Col. Thomas Skinner 6063 Mother: Jane Frances Power 6532,7612
Spouses and Children
1. *Harriet McDonald 6532 Marriage: 6 Jan 1810 - Québec, Québec, Canada 6532
Notes
General:
010312 from NGB transcript of Anglican Cathedral burial register:
Robert SKINNER 32 yrs May 5 1816 Royal Newfoundland Regiment
From Dictionary of Canadian Biography:
(Volume V) SKINNER, ROBERT PRINGLE, army officer; b. 1786 in Gibraltar, third son of Thomas Skinner and a Miss Power; m. 6 Jan. 1810 Harriet McDonald at Quebec, Lower Canada, and they had at least one child; d. 3 May 1816 in St John's, Nfld. Robert Pringle Skinner came from a family that had close ties with the British armed forces. His paternal great-grandfather William Skinner had been chief engineer of Great Britain, and his paternal grandfather an infantry captain. His father was an engineer under Robert Pringle, the commanding engineer at Gibraltar when Skinner was born and after whom he was named. Of his four brothers, three entered the army and one the navy. In 1790 the family came to Newfoundland, where Thomas Skinner had been appointed chief engineer. Five years later Thomas raised the Royal Newfoundland Fencible Regiment, which was disbanded in 1802. However, a successor unit, sometimes called the Royal Newfoundland Regiment of Fencible Infantry but more usually the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, was raised by Colonel John Skerrett the following year. Although Robert had been too young to serve in his father's regiment, the family connection secured him a lieutenancy, dated 5 Nov. 1803, in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. The unit transferred to Nova Scotia in 1805, and then in 1807 to Quebec, where it spent five years in garrison. Little is known of Skinner's life at this period save that he was in some minor trouble in 1806 and 1807 for his absence after a period of leave had expired. In November 1809 he was promoted captain. After the outbreak of the War of 1812 the Royal Newfoundland Regiment was divided into detachments for service on sea and land, and its officers and men were present on several fronts. Skinner himself spent most of the war on the upper St Lawrence around Prescott, Upper Canada. In June 1812 he was ordered to take command of a detachment of gunboats sailing from Quebec to Montreal and he apparently continued upriver, since in October he and 40 Royal Newfoundlanders took part in the abortive assault on Ogdensburg, N.Y. His presence in that region was officially ordered on 23 March 1813, when he was appointed an acting deputy quartermaster general (a common occupation for officers of the regiment) at Prescott, with command of the gunboats and marines stationed there. During the campaign of 1813 the upper St Lawrence was a lively place, and although assigned to a non-combatant department Skinner managed to see some action. In October he and five men of his regiment captured an American Durham boat in a brief affair near Prescott, and the next month he was present at the battle of Crysler's Farm. Despite the favourable notices given him by lieutenant-colonels Joseph Wanton Morrison and George Richard John Macdonell, Skinner received no reward for his services, and indeed the following year was criticized. A certain private in his company claimed that he had received "Extremely ill treatment" when he was arrested on a minor charge, and also that Skinner had withheld the company's pay for six months. The latter charge may have been true - officers of the regiment had already been warned that their pay accounts were inadequate and late - but, since the complaints were about events as much as two years old, they do not appear to have been heeded by higher authority. Skinner was more or less permanently stationed at Prescott during 1814, although by October he had ceased to be attached to the quartermaster general's department. Most of his regiment had been ordered back to Newfoundland to recruit, but Skinner remained in Canada until after the conclusion of peace. Indeed, he was on his way to reinforce the garrison of Michilimackinac (Mackinac Island, Mich.) with a party of 50 Royal Newfoundlanders when news came that the war was over. By the fall of 1815 he had returned to the regiment, which was now at St John's, but the stresses of the war had damaged his health. On 3 May 1816, just three weeks before his regiment was ordered to Halifax, N.S., to disband, he died, worn out with fatigue. His widow and family returned to Montreal, where they were able to obtain a pension. Stuart R. J. Sutherland
ANQ-Q, CE1-61, 6 Jan. 1810. PAC, RG 8, I (C ser.), 187: 96; 224: 74-75; 231: 220; 506: 121-22; 678: 100-3; 679: 444; 695: 1-4; 721: 2-23, 72-75; 1219: 137-38; 1220: 355. PRO, WO 17/1516-18; 17/2356; 17/2361-63; WO 28/304: f.56; 28/307: f.18. DNB (biog. of William Skinner). G.B., WO, Army list. G. W. L. Nicholson, The fighting Newfoundlander; a history of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment (St John's, [1964?]). Thomas Skinner, Fifty years in Ceylon: an autobiography, ed. Annie Skinner (London and Calcutta, 1891), 320.
210118 from Fifty years in Ceylon:
The third son, Robert, was also born at Gibraltar, in 1786, and was a captain in the Newfoundland Fencibles. He distinguished himself by his daring bravery and great activity during the American War, while on the Quartermaster-General's staff in Canada, between the years 1812 and 1815. On the 11th November 1813, he was publicly thanked on the field and in General Orders for his gallant conduct. He died from over fatigue while on service.
Living
Sex: M
Parents
Father: Living Mother:
Spouses and Children
1. Living Children: 1. Lieut. General William SkinnerCol. Thomas Skinner
Sex: M
Individual Information
Birth Date: Cir 1759 - Berwick-Upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England Christening: Death: 6 Feb 1818 - Le Havre, Basse-Normandie, France ( about age 59) 440 Burial: Cause of Death:Events
• Military: Lieutenant then Major then Lieut. Colonel In Royal Engineers and Royal Newfoundland Regiment, Between 27 May 1774 and 1 Jul 1807, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Military: Engineer in British Army, Cir 1786, Gibraltar, Gibraltar.
• Emigration: From Gibraltar; to act as Chief Engineer in the Colony, Cir 1790-1804, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Also Commanding Officer of the contingent of Royal Engineers in Newfoundland.
• Military: First Commander of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, 25 Apr 1795, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Referred to at that time as Skinner's Fencibles and later as the Royal Newfoundland Fencibles after their valorous action in the War of 1812.
• Military: Old regiment of fencibles disbanded and new regiment of regular militia formed, 1803, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Departure: From Newfoundland, Cir 1805, Wallasey, Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England.
Parents
Father: Capt. William Skinner 439,440 Mother: Hester Lawder 439
Spouses and Children
1. *Jane Frances Power 6532,7612 Marriage: Children: 1. Living 2. Capt. George Skinner 3. Lt. Col. William Thomas Skinner 4. Mary Ann Skinner 5. Harriet Skinner 6. Capt. Robert Pringle Skinner 7. Charles Skinner 8. Frederick Skinner
Notes
General:
010312 from Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online:
(Volume V) SKINNER, THOMAS, military engineer; b. 1759 in England, son of William Skinner and Hester Lawder of Berwick-upon-Tweed; m. a Miss Power, and they had five sons and three daughters; d. 6 Feb. 1818 at Le Havre, France. A grandson of William Skinner, chief engineer of Great Britain in the mid 18th century, Thomas Skinner joined the engineers as an ensign on 27 May 1774. He was stationed for many years at Gibraltar, where the eldest of his children were born. In the late summer of 1790, now a captain, he arrived in Newfoundland as chief engineer. For the next 13 years, serving successively under six governors, he was responsible for maintaining Newfoundland's fortifications and other military works so far as funds pried from the Treasury would permit. Following the outbreak of war with France in 1793, the departure of an expedition to occupy Saint-Pierre and Miquelon seriously depleted the garrison at St John's [see James Ogilvie]. Skinner then raised at his own expense four companies numbering some 150 officers and men and named the Royal Newfoundland Volunteers. In the summer of 1796 the appearance of a French squadron off the coast put St John's in a state of alarm, and the Volunteers acquitted themselves with credit when called out to strengthen the regular garrison. A year later they seized the opportunity presented by a mutiny aboard the Latona in St John's harbour to proclaim their readiness "to sacrifice their lives and property in defence of King and Country and their present glorious constitution." But no such demand was to be made of them, and some time after 1796 the Volunteers quietly disbanded. In the mean time, in April 1795 Skinner had been promoted lieutenant-colonel and authorized to raise immediately a regiment of fencible infantry for service in North America only, similar to those already raised in Nova Scotia by Sir John Wentworth and in New Brunswick by Lieutenant Governor Thomas Carleton. His vigorous recruiting quickly brought the Royal Newfoundland Fencible Regiment to its full strength of 650 men. In 1796 the warlike preparations put in hand by Skinner and Governor Sir James Wallace persuaded the French admiral to abandon any idea of an attack. Soon afterwards, however, the fortunes of Skinner's regiment went into a decline. In its ranks were many who had taken the oath of the Society of United Irishmen, which pledged to achieve Irish independence, and there is evidence that the mutineers on the Latona commanded considerable sympathy from the troops on shore. The strict disciplinary measures taken by Brigadier-General John Skerrett, who was placed in command of the garrison in 1799 over the head of Skinner, brought increasing disaffection, many desertions, and a plot to mutiny and assassinate Skinner and his officers. The uprising, planned for 20 April 1800, failed, and the ringleaders were tried by court martial, eight of them being hanged. All of the regiment except two picked companies was transferred to Halifax, and a regular British regiment was sent to garrison St John's for the remainder of the war. With peace in 1802 the Royal Newfoundland Fencible Regiment was disbanded. Skinner, who while in command of the Volunteers and the fencible regiment had continued to serve as chief engineer, relinquished that appointment on being recalled to England in 1803. He retired with full pay on 1 July 1807. As chief engineer of Newfoundland Thomas Skinner brought the defences of St John's to a high level of efficiency. As a regimental commander his task was not an easy one, and his tendency to act independently of Governor William Waldegrave during the 1790s more than once brought him a sharp reprimand. The governor of Newfoundland was also, by virtue of his commission, commander-in-chief of the troops on the island, and successive governors had upheld this position against the claims of the senior army officers in North America. In 1799 Waldegrave's refusal to recognize the authority of Prince Edward Augustus, commander-in-chief of the army in North America, over the troops in Newfoundland, placed Skinner in the unenviable position of trying to serve two masters. While Waldegrave censured him for withholding information he had received from the prince, Skinner was threatened with a general court martial by the commander-in-chief for not following his orders. "All the officers of my own Regiment, nay, the officers of the Navy themselves," he mournfully informed the prince, "have witnessed my chagrin in not being allowed to follow your Highness's commands." Thomas Skinner's departure from Newfoundland did not end the military contribution made by his family to the island. His eldest son served there as senior officer of the Royal Artillery from 1821 to 1827, and his third son, Robert Pringle, was a captain with the Royal Newfoundland Regiment that fought in the War of 1812. A daughter, Harriet, was married to an officer of the 7th Foot, and on hearing of her husband's death in the battle of Salamanca dressed herself in male attire and sought his body on the field. The incident formed the subject for a tragedy performed on the London stage, The heroine of Salamanca.
G. W. L. Nicholson
PANL, GN 2/1, 12-15, 17. PRO, CO 194/43 (mfm. at PAC); WO 40, bundle 6. Gentleman's Magazine, July-December 1812: 297. DNB (biog. of William Skinner). G.B., WO, Army list, 1775. Roll of officers of the Corps of Royal Engineers from 1660 to 1898. . . , ed. R. F. Edwards (Chatham, Eng., 1898). G. W. L. Nicholson, The fighting Newfoundlander; a history of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment (St John's, [1964?]). Thomas Skinner, Fifty years in Ceylon: an autobiography, ed. Annie Skinner (London and Calcutta, 1891). [This biography of a grandson of Skinner has brief details about the latter's family. g.w.l.n.] D. A. Webber, Skinner's Fencibles: the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, 1795-1802 (St John's, 1964). [This work reproduces much of the correspondence dealing with the affairs of Skinner's regiment. g.w.l.n.]
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200615:
There is a monograph entitled "Skinner's Fencibles: The Royal Newfoundland Regiment 1795-1802" by David A. Webber, then the Curator of the Newfoundland Naval & Military Museum, an organisation which does not exist as such any more. The document was published on May 5, 1964 as Volume Number 2, Number 1 of a short lived series of mongraphs, all written by Webber I believe. I purchased an original copy of this monograph this month hoping to learn more about the possibility that Mom's ancestor, Joseph Wheeler, who was supposed to have been in the RNR, might be named therein. Unfortunately it did not contain a nominal roll for this force. The group that came later as the second incarnation of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, which fought with distinction in the war of 1812 under Brigadier General Skerrett, did publish its nominal roll and his name does not appear on that roll.
Here is what Webber had to say in a summary biography of Skinner:
Colonel Thomas Skinner 1759-1818
Thomas Skinner was a member of a family long associated with the Corps of Royal Engineers. Son of William Skinner, Captain in the 94th Regiment and Hester Lawder of Berwick-on-Tweed, he was the grandson of Lieut. General William Skinner (1700-1780) Chief Engineer of Great Britain. Thomas Skinner first appears in the Newfoundland records in the year 1790, he was then serving as a Captain and commanding officer of the Royal Engineers in Newfoundland and was responsible for the mainteance of existing fortifications and barracks in Newfoundland and the de-sign of new ones. He brought the defences of St. John's to an unparalleled state of efficiency during his service in Newfoundland. Skinner continued as Colonel of the regiment and commanding officer of the detachment of two companies of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment which were left in the garrison of St. John's after the removal of the regiment to Halifax. He also continued as Chief Engineer of Newfoundland until 1804. Colonel Skinner had five sons, the eldest Colonel William Skinner R.A. (1780-1829) married Anne, daughter of Chief Surrogate Williams of St. John's, Nfld., and served in Newfoundland as the senior officer of the Royal Artillery 1821-1827. The other four sons also served either in the Royal Navy or the British Army. The third son Robert, served in the Royal Nfld. Regiment of Fencible Infantry as Captain during the War of 1812.
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210118:
From "Fifty Years in Ceylon", by Maj. Thomas Skinner, CMG:
Colonel Thomas Skinner, R.E., married a daughter of Barry Power, Esq., and had eight children, the eldest, William Thomas Skinner, Colonel, Royal Artillery, being my father. He was born at Gibraltar in 1780, during the siege, my grandmother being the first to be wounded, by a shell bursting over the castle, while she was nursing her son.
The third son, Robert, was also born at Gibraltar, in 1786, and was a Captain in the Newfoundland Fencibles. He distinguished himself by his daring bravery and great activity during the American War, while on the Quartermaster-General's staff in Canada, between the years 1812 and 1815. On the 11th November 1813, he was publicly thanked on the field and in General Orders for his gallant conduct. He died from over fatigue while on service.
The second son, George, was a captain in the navy. The fourth and fifth were both in the army, the former of whom, Charles, died from his wounds, and the latter, Frederick, in the West Indies.
Even the daughters seemed imbued with the soldier's spirit. Harriet married Captain George Prescott of the 7th Fusiliers, who on the 12th July 1812 fell, " when nobly leading his men to the charge at the battle of Salamanca." Mrs. Prescott had followed her husband's marches with his regiment, from the time of its embarbation at Cork. When the tidings of his death reached her, in an agony of grief, and dressed in male attire, she sought his body on the field of battle and recovered it. This incident I have been told formed the subject of a tragedy called " The Heroine of Salamanca," which was subsequently acted in London. The beautiful Mrs. Prescott afterwards married Edward, the fourth son of Sir William Gibbons, Bart., LL.D.
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100418:
The Miscellaneous Deeds and Wills (GN169) at The Rooms contain many documents pertaining to this Col. Skinner and his son, who was also a Col. Skinner, potentially leading to confusion if one did not read the contents carefully enough.
Here are some of those documents, copies of which are found in the media gallery:
Vol. 2, Page 123 and 131
Lt. Col. Thomas Skinner is known as one of the fathers of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. He was in Newfoundland for a number of years as a part of the Royal Engineers building fortifications against possible renewed hostilities with the French, or more imminently, as it turned out, the Americans. During his brief stay in Newfoundland from 1799 to 1804, he recruited four companies, called the Royal Newfoundland Volunteers , to bolster the defence of St John's. Later recruited and took command of the Royal Newfoundland Fencible Regiment which was disbanded with the peace of 1802.
The Skinner family was closely associated through marriage with both the Morrys and the Carters.
During his time in Newfoundland he did like many other British officers assigned to England's far flung colonies and acquired much property and, in the process, ran up much debt. Both before and after his retirement to England in 1804, there were many forced sales of his property to cover unpaid debts.
His son, Col. William Thomas Skinner of the Royal Artillery, was also in Newfoundland during his father's stay and married there to Anne Williams. Here is the first of several documents pertaining to the elder Thomas Skinner and to his son which are found in the Miscellaneous Deeds and Wills. In this document, Thomas Skinner Senior and George Williams jointly commit to providing £100 a year to Col. William Thomas Skinner and his wife to be, Anne Williams, their respective children. Thomas Skinner commits to the lion's share of £70 a year.
Vol. 3, Page 8
This document is an indenture involving both Skinners, father and son. It is an indenture in which the son, herein referred to as Lieut. Thomas Skinner (without the William, just to confuse matters) of the Royal Artillery (which clears things up) and another man, William Ellmes Esq., Merchant, are acting as the agents for Col. Thomas Skinner in a matter involving Thomas George William Eaststaff, Royal Military Surveyor and Draughter. They are essentially acting as estate agents in the rental of the properties of Col. Thomas Skinner Senior to various other military officers, including Eaststaff. The terms and conditions of the rental are laid out. The property being rented in this case is apparently the house and surrounding lands that were occupied by Col. Thomas Skinner Senior when he was in St. John's at the head of Quidi Vidi Lake.
Vol. 3, Page 135 and 146
Another document involving Col. Thomas Skinner. In this case, the Colonel and his wife are in the throes of moving back to England so initially he confers a power of attorney on her to conduct business in Newfoundland on his behalf and then ultimately as she is leaving she passes on those powers to Thomas Coote. Note that the day and month of the original power of attorney were not entered but the second power of attorney was signed on 18 December 1805.
Vol. 3, Page 178
Again we see the affairs of the Skinner family being tidied up in the next document. In 1806, the year after their departure, their agent, Thomas Coote grants an indenture to William Carter for a debt of £100 owed to him by Col. Thomas Skinner. This indenture binds the premises on Kings Rd. owned by Skinner and occupied by fellow officer Lieut. Col. John Murray and tenants Patrick Catsey (?), John Leary and John Burrows. Unfortunately we may never know if the debt was paid off or if William Carter took permanent possession of this valuable property for only £100.
Vol. 3, Page 415
Here we have another example of Lt. Col. Thomas Skinner having apparently skipped town owing money to a number of people, in this case a Merchant named James Macbraine. The latter obtained an injunction for the repayment of the debt of £200 plus interest by attaching the home and properties of Skinner on the north side of Quidi Vidi lake known as the Cottage Farm. Again, we do not know if Skinner eventually paid off these debts or simply allowed his property to fall into the hands of his debtors.
Indenture Lieut. Col. Thomas Skinner by Thomas Coote to James Macbraine 2 Aug 1805
Vol. 6, Pages 115, 119 and 121
This document is actually three related indentures. They are of particular interest because they involve two of the people who figure prominently in these papers - Judge William Carter and Col. Thomas Skinner. Although these two well known gentlemen were contemporaries, they were not related to one another by blood, but the Judge's son, Arthur Hunt O'Brien Carter, was married to Harriet Maria Skinner, the daughter of Lt. Col. William Thomas Skinner, the Colonel's son. Like most officers of the Royal Navy and British Army stationed in St. John's, Skinner accumulated much property during his stay. He also accumulated much debt. And the two wound up being exchanged for one another through many such transactions before and after his return to England. In this case he is effectively mortgaging for £500 to cover his debts and expenses a 100 acre property on the south side of Quidi Vidi Lake to Thomas Stabb and William Carter and then giving them his Power of Attorney to rent out that property in his name.
Indentures Wm Carter & Thos Stabb from Thos Skinner 19 Sep 1811
Vol. 8, Page 163
Here we have another indenture involving Thomas Skinner, but which Thomas Skinner? No rank is given and he is referred to not as a member of the military garrison, just Esq. It is probably Col. Thomas Skinner Sr. I am of that opinion because an earlier indenture pertaining to the property known as "The Cottage" on Quidi Vidi Lake, which was known to be the property of Col. Thomas Skinner, refers to him only as Thomas Skinner. It seems that once he left Newfoundland and retired to private life in England he was no longer accorded the epithet "Col."
In this instance the other party being Hunt, Stabb, Preston and Company, a prominent firm involved in the fish trade and commerce in general in Newfoundland and closely associated with the Newman interests. Thomas Skinner is ceding to Hunt, Stabb, Preston and Company for one year his lease to Striplings Plantation between Fort William and Kingsbridge Rd. bordering on what was later known as Rennie's Mill River for the paltry sum of 5 Shillings for the first year and one peppercorn each year thereafter if he did not reclaim the property in the meantime. What this may in fact constitute is a means of repaying debts, though no sum is mentioned, with the company to whom the money was owed having the right to use this land but not actually take over the fifty year lease given to Skinner by Mrs. Stripling. Presumably Skinner hoped to clear his debt later on and reacquire custody and full tenure of the property.
Of note here is that one of the partners of Hunt, Stabb, Preston and Company is named as Thomas Stabb of Torquay and it is said that it was he who brought in the documents to the Court Registry Office. I had not known previously that he, the father of Ewen Stabb and his other brothers who had emigrated to, and remained in Newfoundland sometimes came there himself, though it seems clear that he never emigrated. He is buried in Torquay.
Indenture Thos Skinner to Hunt Stabb Preston & Co 16 Dec 1813
Vol. 8, Page 203
In this Bill of Sale our old friend, Col. Thomas Skinner, is securing for the rather paltry sum of £110 paid to John Bulger a farm in St. John's known as Gaden's Marsh, which Bulger had acquired by grant from then Governor William Waldegrave on October 13, 1797. Because the property was fully described in the original grant, unfortunately we do not learn its location from this document. Note that this document was lodged with the Supreme Court on the 18th of February 1814 by a person named Graham Little but that the Bill of Sale itself was dated the 6th April 1802. I assume that Graham Little was a later owner establishing the chronology of prior ownership. The next two documents are a part of that chronology as well.
Bill of Sale Thomas Skinner from John Bulger 18 Feb 1814
Vol. 8, Page 205
We now learn what the above Bill of Sale was all about. In this instance at least, Col. Skinner was not simply amassing property in his own right but, by this Deed of Gift, he was transferring the Gaden's Marsh Farm to his daughter, Jane Hester Allen. Notably, the gift is to her in her own right and not to her husband, which was common enough in those days, women not being equal in most respects to men in the eyes of the law.
Deed of Gift Jane Hester Allen from Thomas Skinner 16 Dec 1813
Vol. 8, Page 206
On the very next entry page, we see that this gift was not intended as a domicile for Skinner's daughter and her husband, John Carter Allen, but rather as a transfer for the purpose of sale. The sale price was £188, so really only a small profit was made in the sale to Graham Little. Whether this sale was indeed to their own benefit or to their mutual benefit with Thomas Skinner is unknown. Considering his seemingly rather shaky financial status, this "gift" to his daughter may have been a thinly disguised way of selling property that might otherwise be claimed by his debtors. It is also a notable feature of this Bill of Sale that the names of both husband and wife are given whereas the Deed of Gift named only her as the person receiving this property. In other words, to make sure that there were no legal loopholes obstructing the sale, the husband's name had to be added to the Bill of Sale. So while a woman might acquire property by gift or bequest, if she was married she was still considered her husband's chattel and any property she chose to dispose of would have to be done with his concurrence.
Bill of Sale Jane Hester Allen et al to Graham Little 18 Feb 1814
Vol. 8, Page 376
This is a particularly interesting document because it entails Skinner's leasing of all of Little Bell Island from the then owners, Stephen Woolcock & Co. There is no plausible explanation for this purchase as the island was inaccessible and not of much value for farming or settling. Another curiosity is the term of the lease - 15 years, 4 months and 9 days. Why such precision? The rent was a modest £42 per annum, but still, if one had no economic interest in developing the island such an amount was wasted money. If there were any question of the island being used for fishing purposes that was dispelled by a notation after the text which removes the words "Flakes and Stages" from the description of the premises and leaves only mention of fences that are obliged to be kept in repair by Skinner. So it seems as if the island may have been intended primarily for grazing animals.
Indenture Col Thos Skinner from Stephen Woolcock 11 June 1813
Vol. 8, Page 380
And now for the rest of the story! In this Bill of Sale Col. Skinner is disposing of his interest in the lease of Little Bell Island to Richard Langley to cover a debt owed to him of only £42, plus a cash payment back to Skinner of £4. Thus it would appear that Skinner had possession or occupancy of Little Bell Island for only about 18 months from 11 June 1813 until 26 December 1814.
Bill of Sale Lt Col Thos Skinner to Richard Langley 26 Dec 1814
Vol. 9, Page 62
We continue with another sale of land, once again involving three of the figures seen above, Col. Thomas Skinner, Thomas Stabb and Judge William Carter. What has happened is that Lt. Col. Thomas Skinner, who has apparently quit Newfoundland by this time and returned to England, left owing a large sum of money jointly to William Carter and Thomas Stabb (£2,216 8 Shillings and 7 Pence) in the form of mortgages on properties he occupied in St. John's as well as the aforementioned "Cottage Farm" on the north side of Quidi Vidi Lake. In order to recover the funds owed to them, these properties were auctioned and sold to Graham Little for the amount owed and this was returned to Carter and Stabb. This document is of particular interest because, in order to establish the legitimacy of the land transaction, there are appended transcripts of the grants from the Governors in power at the times at which Skinner originally occupied these properties.
Sale Lands of Lt Col Thos Skinner by Wm Carter & Thos Stabb to Graham Little 31 Oct 1815
Major Sir Thomas Bridges Boucher Skinner CMG, JP
Sex: M
Individual Information
Birth Date: 22 May 1804 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada 2673,2675 Christening: Death: 24 Jul 1877 - Bath, Somerset, England ( at age 73) 2673,8035 Burial: 28 Jul 1877 - Bathwick, Somerset, England 8036,8037 Cause of Death:Events
• Interesting: Author of Fifty Years in Ceylon, published posthumously in 1891, London, Greater London, England.
• Occupation: Commissioner of Public Works, 1866, Sri Lanka. Then called Ceylon.
• Property: Deed of Gift to Carter heirs of the Williams Estate, 28 Oct 1874, Bath, Somerset, England. Thomas Bridges Boucher Skinner gifted title to his share of the vast Williams Estate in St. John's to his nieces and nephews in the Carter family, namely: William Thomas Skinner Carter, Sarah Weston Carter, Catherine Annie Skinner Carter, and Harriet Elizabeth Felicia Carter, the children of Arthur Hunt O'Brien Carter and Harriett Maria Cosby Skinner. This gift was done in trust through the trustees of the above legatees, namely: William Thomas Skinner Carter, George Hutchings and James Carter.
• Residence: 7 Grosvenor Place, 28 Oct 1874, Bath, Somerset, England.
• Alt. Burial: After 24 Jul 1877, Bath, Somerset, England. Bathwick Cemetery
.
Parents
Father: Lt. Col. William Thomas Skinner 5,6060 Mother: Anne Williams 426,6759
Spouses and Children
1. *Georgina Burrell 2673 Marriage: 19 Dec 1838 2673 Children: 1. Living 2. Living 3. Marianne Theresa Skinner
Notes
General:
110114:
From Rootsweb Sri Lanka Burgher Family Genealogy (of British origin)
Major, CMG, J.P. Ceylan See book 50 years in Ceylan
Boase: Skinner, Thomas. Son of Lt Col. William Thomas, RA (d. 1829). b. St John's, Newfoundland, 22 May 1804. 2nd Lt, 1st Ceylon Regiment, 2 Dec. 1819; Capt. 3 Apr. 1836; brevet Maj. 9 Nov. 1846; sold out Feb. 1847. Commissioner of Public Works, Ceylon, 1841-59, 1861-65; Auditor General 1859-61, 1865-67. Lived in England from 1867. CMG 15 Feb. 1869. d. 7 Grosvenor Place, Bath, 24 July 1877.
Thomas Skinner was an engineer. He was born at St. John's, Newfoundland, on 22 May 1804, was the son of Lieutenant--colonel William Thomas Skinner, R.A. (d. 1829), by his second wife, Mary, daughter of Dr. Monier of the royal artillery [for the father's family see under SKINNER, WILLIAM, 1700--1780]. In 1811 Thomas was placed at school in England, and remained there until in 1818 he proceeded to Ceylon, and obtained a second lieutenancy in the Ceylon rifles. In 1820 he was employed in constructing two roads to Kandy, one by the Kadugannawa Pass, the other through the Seven Korales (Sath Korale), and was thenceforth connected with that branch of public works. In 1825 he was appointed staff officer of the garrison of Colombo, and on 27 Nov. 1829 deputy assistant quartermaster-general of the forces in Ceylon. In 1832 he opened a road from Aripo, on the western coast of Ceylon, to Anuradhapura. In the following year the public works of the colony were transferred to the civil authorities, and Skinner accompanied the surveyor-general over the country to initiate him in his duties. Subsequently Skinner undertook a survey of the mountain zone, the result of which was embodied in a one-inch sketch-map of the Kandyan provinces and in a general map of Ceylon. In 1836 he was promoted captain, and in the following year was employed to regulate the surveyor-general and civil engineers department, which had fallen into great confusion. This business occupied him until 1840 ; but as the department became again disorganized when he ceased directing it, he was appointed permanent commissioner for the roads in Ceylon in 1841. In 1847 he retired from his regiment with the rank of major, and in 1850 the civil engineer's department was incorporated with his own. In 1859 he was appointed auditor-general, but in consequence of a difference of opinion with the governor, Sir Henry Ward, as to the cost of a railway from Colombo to Kandy, he was superseded in 1861, and returned to his former post of commissioner of public works, which he continued to hold until, in 1865, he resumed the duties of auditor-general. Skinner retired to England in 1867, and was made a companion of the order of St. Michael and St. George on 15 Feb. 1869. He took up his residence at Bath, where he died at 7 Grosvenor Place on 24 July 1877. His services to Ceylon were very great in opening up the country and rendering overland transport possible. He married Georgina, daughter of Lieutenant-general George Burrell, C.B., on 19 Dec. 1838. By her he had, with other children, Monier Williams Skinner, now lieutenant-colonel, R.E. Skinner was the author of an autobiography entitled ' Fifty Years in Ceylon,' edited by his daughter Annie Skinner (London, 1891, Svo), to which his portrait is prefixed. The book contains an outline of the history of his branch of the Skinner family.
(Skinner's Autobiography; United Service Mag. 1877, iii. 110.] E. I. C.
A statue was erected in Ceylon to his memory.
Lieut. General William Skinner
Sex: M
Individual Information
Birth Date: Cir 1700 - St. Kitts And Nevis 440 Christening: Death: 25 Dec 1780 - Greenwich, Kent, England ( about age 80) 172,440 Burial: After 25 Dec 1780 - Greenwich, Kent, England 2675 Cause of Death:Events
• Military: Military Service culminating in rank of Lieut General, Royal Engineers, After 11 May 1719, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
• Occupation: Chief Engineer of Great Britain and Gibraltar, Cir 1750, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
• Military: Promoted to rank of Capt., 1 May 1757, Wallasey, Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England.
• Appointment: Chief Engineer of England, 19 May 1757, Wallasey, Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England.
Parents
Father: Living Mother: Living
Spouses and Children
1. Living Children: 1. Capt. William Skinner
Notes
General:
110114 from Wikipedia and other sources quoted:
Lieutenant-General William Skinner (1700 – 25 December 1780) was Chief Engineer of Great Britain. He was well known for his work on the fortifications of Minorca and Gibraltar although he considered his work on Fort George to be his "monument"
Skinner was born in St. Kitts in 1700. Before he was an adult he lost his father, Thomas, and his mother, Elizabeth, and he was adopted by his aunt, Mrs Lambert. She remarried Captain Talbot Edwards who was the chief engineer in Barbados and the Leeward Islands. He was educated in Paris and Vienna[1] and was trained by his adopted father as his father was promoted to be the second engineer of Great Britain. When his father died on 22 April 1719 Skinner inherited not only the plans and maps of his adopted father but also those of Sir Martin Beckman and Sir William Beckman. In less than a month of his father dying Skinner was recognised as a practitioner engineer on 11 May 1719.[2]
In 1720 he was in Devonport working for Colonel Christian Lilly. In 1722 he was helping with fortifying Minorca and in 1724 he started his association with Gibraltar. He first helped Captain Jonas Moore with a survey of the peninsula which stood him in good stead for the 1727 Thirteenth Siege of Gibraltar where he was rewarded with additional pay for his achievements.[1] He was promoted steadily serving eventually as Director of engineering in Gibraltar.[2]
In 1746 he was sent to Scotland where the government intended to increase the fortifications now that the Jacobite Rebellion had been ended. In 1751, he began work on Fort George which cost over 100,000 pounds and was made to Skinner's design.[2] Skinner was to refer to the fort as his "monument" and would manage every detail which John Adam oversaw as the main contractor.
James O'Hara, 2nd Baron Tyrawley became Governor of Gibraltar in 1756[3] and set about improving the fortifications. These changes came under the notice and criticism of Lord George Sackville and Skinner wrote a report describing their inefficiency and arbitrariness. The two of them attended the House of Commons in 1858 where O'Hara harangued Skinner who took the anger in good humour.[4] There appears to have been no long term damage as O'Hara was given the rank of field marshal in 1763.[3]
Skinner died in Greenwich still working on Christmas Day 1780. His widow, Margaret, and his granddaughter both received exceptional annuities as there was some regret that Skinner had not been as well as he might have been. Despite spending huge sums his personal wealth at his death was a single house and a £500 annuity. Skinner's son was drowned in 1861 but his grandson, William Campbell Skinner was a successful American engineer.[1]
William Skinner
Sex: M
Individual Information
Birth Date: 6 Apr 1820 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada 426 Christening: 27 Aug 1826 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada 426 Death: Burial: Cause of Death:
Parents
Father: Lt. Col. William Thomas Skinner 5,6060 Mother: Living
Notes
General:
111109: William SKINNER Thomas & Anne b Apr 6 1820 bap Aug 27 1826 Married 1801.
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