Matthew Skinner (22 October 1689 – 21 October 1749) was an English serjeant-at-law, judge and politician who sat in the

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from 1734 to 1738.

Life

A great-grandson of Bishop Robert Skinner, Skinner was born on 22 October 1689, the third and youngest son of Robert Skinner of Welton, Northamptonshire, and of the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

. His father was judge of the Marshalsea court, and law reporter. Skinner entered

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at the age of 14. Elected to a studentship at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

, he matriculated on 18 June 1709, and entered

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

on 20 June 1709. Skinner was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

on 21 April 1716, and joined the

Oxford circuit The assizes (), or courts of assize, were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes ex ...

. In 1719 he purchased from Simon Urling (later recorder of London), a place as one of the four common pleaders of the city of London, who then enjoyed the exclusive right and privilege of practising in the lord mayor's court. He was chosen as recorder of Oxford on 30 May 1721 and gave up his place as common pleader in 1722 to Thomas Garrard (later common serjeant of London). Skinner's practice grew rapidly, and he was called to the rank of serjeant-at-law in Easter term, 1 February 1724, was made one of the king's serjeants on 11 June 1728, and became his majesty's prime (or first) serjeant by letters patent on 12 May 1734. He served as treasurer of Serjeants' Inn in 1728. After trying unsuccessfully to enter parliament for

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at the

1727 British general election The 1727 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 7th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election was trigg ...

, Skinner, who lived at Oxford from 1722 to 1739, was chosen Member of Parliament for the Oxford constituency at the general election of 1734. He was chosen as a Tory, but he soon went over to the Government. On 16 May 1737, he spoke in favour of the bill against the provost and city of Edinburgh after the Porteous riots. Skinner was appointed

chief justice of Chester The Justice of Chester was the chief judicial authority for the county palatine of Chester, from the establishment of the county until the abolition of the Great Sessions in Wales and the palatine judicature in 1830. Within the County Palatine ( ...

, and of the great sessions for the counties of Flint, Denbigh, and Montgomery and vacated his seat in Parliament on 26 November 1738. He occupied this judicial position, together with the recordership of Oxford, for the rest of his life. He was the second counsel for the Crown in the prosecution of Jacobite rebels on the northern circuit in July 1746; and led for the crown at

Arthur Elphinstone, 6th Lord Balmerinoch Arthur Elphinstone, 6th Lord Balmerino and 5th Lord Cupar (1688 – 18 August 1746) was a Scotland, Scottish nobleman and Jacobitism, Jacobite, or supporter of the claim of the exiled House of Stuart to the British throne. As a military officer ...

's trial in the House of Lords the same year. Skinner died at Oxford on 21 October 1749, and was buried in Oxford Cathedral.

Works

Skinner published his father's ''Reports of Cases decided in the Court of King's Bench, 33 Charles II to 9 William III'' in 1728.

Family

Skinner married, in 1719, Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Whitfield of Watford Place,

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. His eldest son died on 8 April 1735; while another son, Matthew Skinner, was also a barrister of Lincoln's Inn.

Notes

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Skinner, Matthew 1689 births 1749 deaths Serjeants-at-law (England) 18th-century English judges Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1734–1741 People educated at Westminster School, London Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Members of Lincoln's Inn