Skinner

Submitted by edpope on

Skinner 1.1.1803 at Philips / 25.4.1803 again

Probably Joseph Skinner who edited "The Present State of Peru" which was printed for Richard Phillips 1805; the Editor's Preface was signed Joseph Skinner, Tottenham Court 30.1.1805. In Watt's Bibliotheca Britannica it was ascribed to Captain Skinner. In the Annual Review Jan 1805 p49 it was suggested that Skinner had obtained the material by capturing a Spanish ship and finding copies of periodicals published in Lima. In John Timbs' London Clubs p153 Captain Skinner of elegant manners who had been in the procession of Anacharsis Cloots at Paris in 1793 was named as one of the members of the Wittenagamot club that met in the Chapter Coffee house. In Watkins & Shoberl's Biographical Dictionary Captain Skinner an officer in the army was stated to be the editor of The Present State of Peru as well as being much engaged in newspapers and periodical publications. He was probably not the Joseph Skinner Navy surgeon who translated French medical treatises in 1787 and 1792 and contributed an article on the plague in Malta to the Philosophical Magazine 1815 (Watt, Bibliotheca Britannica) as a newspaper article of 1815 stated he had lived many years in Malta. He was more lkely the Joseph Skinner Esq of 7 Gt James St Bedford Row who married 31.10.1798 Frances Godwin of Edward St Portman Sq dau of the late Capt Godwin of the East India Company's Service Bombay, and the Joseph Skinner Esq of Trincomalee, East Indies who left all to his wife Frances in a will dated 18.7.1817 which was proved by her PCC 11.9.1820. There was no Captain Joseph Skinner in the Royal Navy. He may have been a naval or army captain for the East India Company