Sir Vincent Skinner (1543 – 28 February 1616) was an English politician, who sat in Parliament for numerous constituencies. He was born the son of John Skinner, a

mercer Mercer may refer to: Business * Mercer (car), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925) * Mercer (consulting firm), a large human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City * Mercer (occupation), a merchant or trader, ...

of Thorpe-by-

Wainfleet, Lincolnshire Wainfleet All Saints is an ancient port and market town on the east coast of England, in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire,OS Explorer map: Skegness, Alford & Spilsby: (1:25 000): on the A52 road south-west of Skegness and north-ea ...

. He matriculated at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

in 1557, graduated B.A. in 1561 and M.A. in 1564 and entered Lincoln's Inn in 1565. He held a number of public offices, including Constable of

Bolingbroke Castle Bolingbroke Castle is a ruined castle in Bolingbroke (now Old Bolingbroke) in Lincolnshire, England. Construction Most of the castle is built of Spilsby greenstone, as are several nearby churches. The local greenstone is a limestone that pr ...

and

Lincoln Castle Lincoln Castle is a major medieval castle constructed in Lincoln, England, during the late 11th century by William the Conqueror on the site of a pre-existing Roman fortress. The castle is unusual in that it has two mottes. It is one of only ...

in 1583. He was secretary to

William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley (13 September 15204 August 1598) was an English statesman, the chief adviser of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State (1550–1553 and 1558–1572) and Lord High Treasurer from 1 ...

from c. 1575 to 1593, after which was appointed to the Exchequer as an auditor of the receipt. He was a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for

Truro Truro (; kw, Truru) is a cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is Cornwall's county town, sole city and centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its population was 18,766 in the 2011 census. People of Truro ...

in 1571. Subsequently, he sat for Barnstaple in 1572,

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

three times from 1584; for

Boroughbridge Boroughbridge () is a town and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is north-west of the county town of York. Until a bypass was built the town lay on t ...

in 1592; for St Ives in 1597 and for Preston in 1604. He was knighted in 1603 and received the manor of Thornton, including

Thornton Abbey Thornton Abbey was a medieval abbey located close to the small North Lincolnshire village of Thornton Curtis, near Ulceby, and directly south of Hull on the other side of the Humber estuary. Its ruins are a Grade I listed building, including not ...

, in Lincolnshire in consideration of his service to

Sir Oliver Cromwell Sir Oliver Cromwell ( – 28 August 1655) was an English landowner, lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1589 and 1625. He was the uncle of Oliver Cromwell, the Member of Parliament, general, and Lord Pr ...

. He commissioned the architect John Thorpe to build a stately home on the foundations of the ruined abbey, which unfortunately collapsed shortly after its completion. Skinner compiled a schedule of the

Crown Jewels of England The Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, originally the Crown Jewels of England, are a collection of royal ceremonial objects kept in the Tower of London which include the coronation regalia and vestments worn by British monarchs. Symbols of o ...

in 1606.Thomas Rymer, ''Foedera'', vol. 7 part 2 (Hague, 1739), pp. 148–9
On his death he was buried at St Andrew's, Holborn, London. He had married twice, firstly Audrey, the daughter of Richard Ogle of Pinchbeck, Lincolnshire and the widow of John Man of Bolingbroke, Lincolnshire (and a cousin of Lord Burghley's wife) and secondly Elizabeth the daughter of Robert Fowkes of Symondsbury, Dorset and the widow of

Henry Middlemore Henry Middlemore (d. 1592) was an English courtier and diplomat. Career He was a younger son of Henry Middlemore of Hawkesley (d. 1549) and Margery Gatacre. His home was at Enfield in Middlesex. He leased the manor from the crown from 1582, includ ...

of Enfield, Middlesex, with whom he had a son.

References

* * 1543 births 1616 deaths People from East Lindsey District Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Members of Lincoln's Inn Members of the pre-1707 English Parliament for constituencies in Cornwall English knights 16th-century births English MPs 1571 English MPs 1572–1583 English MPs 1584–1585 English MPs 1586–1587 English MPs 1589 English MPs 1593 English MPs 1597–1598 English MPs 1604–1611 Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Barnstaple {{17thC-England-MP-stub