Rt. Rev. William Skinner, Bishop of Aberdeen

William Skinner, Episcopalian Bishop of Aberdeen, shown as 'Executor of Lambie' for the Friendship estate in St Thomas-in-the-East. William Lambie died c. 1832, but Skinner is more likely to have been a representative of an earlier William Lambie or of the heirs of the co-owner of Friendship, Charles Irvine. Two of the other three men in the same capacity in the claim (John Robert Skinner of Edinburgh and Robert Alcock of Aberdeen, each of whom q.v.) are also identifiable as resident in Scotland: the third, William Henderson, was also almost certainly resident in Scotland.

Rt. Rev. William Skinner was the second son of John Skinner (1744–1816), bishop of St. Andrews. Educated at Marischal College, Aberdeen and Wadham College, Oxford (1798-1801). He was ordained by Bishop Samuel Horsley of St. Asaph's in March 1802, before moving St Andrew's Church, Aberdeen. Returning to Scotland, he officiated as assistant, and afterwards as colleague, to his father in the incumbency of St. Andrew's Church, Aberdeen. On 11 September 1816 he was elected by the clergy of the diocese as successor to his father in the see of Aberdeen, and was consecrated at Stirling on 27 October. Skinner did much during to strengthen the Episcopal party in Scotland. In 1804 he married the youngest daughter of James Brand, cashier of the Aberdeen Banking Company. He died at 1 Golden Square, Aberdeen, and was buried in the Spital cemetery on 22 April.

G. C. Boase, rev. H. C. G. Matthew , 'Skinner, William (1778–1857), Scottish Episcopal bishop of Aberdeen', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/25690?docPos=2.

We are grateful to Anne Shearer for her assistance with compiling this entry.