Skinner Estates
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Skinner Estates
A group of estates held by the descendants of Lieutenant-Colonel James Skinner, C.B., in the Districts of Hissar, Delhi, and Karnal, Punjab. The area of the estates is 251 square miles in Hissar, 2.6 in Delhi, and 21.4 in Karnal; and the total revenue of the estates in Hissar is Rs. 62,683. James Skinner, the son of a Scottish officer in the East India Company's service and a Rajput lady, was born in 1778 and received his first commission from De Boigne, the famous Savoyard adventurer, who had organized Sindhia's brigades. After many years' service under the Marathas, during which he was employed against the adventurer George Thomas, Skinner joined the British forces under Lord Lake in 1803, and received the command of 2,000 of Perron's Hindustani Horse, who came over to the British after the battle of Delhi. This body served with great distinction under Skinner for thirty years, and is now repre- sented by the ist Lancers and 3rd Cavalry (Skinner's Horse) of the Indian Army. Rising to be a Lieutenant-Colonel in the British service, Skinner obtained large grants of land in the Delhi territory, and settled at Hansi in Hissar District, where he died in 184 1. He built St. James's Church at Delhi in fulfilment of a vow. Major Robert Skinner, his younger brother, also served under Perron and eventually entered the Company's service.
