Skeffington is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in the

Harborough Market Harborough is a market town in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, in the far southeast of the county, forming part of the border with Northamptonshire. Market Harborough's population was 25,143 in 2020. It is the ad ...

district of

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

, England. It lies 11 miles/18 km east of

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

on the A47

Uppingham Uppingham is a market town in Rutland, England, off the A47 between Leicester and Peterborough, south of the county town, Oakham. It had a population of 4,745 according to the 2011 census, estimated at 4,853 in 2019. It is known for its ep ...

road, between

Billesdon Billesdon is a village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, with a population of 745 according to the 2001 census, increasing to 901 at the 2011 census. It is just off the A47, nine miles east of Leicester. ...

and

Tugby and Keythorpe Tugby and Keythorpe is a civil parish comprising the village of Tugby and land surrounding Keythorpe Hall, Hall Farm and Lodge Farm in Leicestershire, England, part of the Harborough district. The Parish covers around 2,200 acres, situated 7 mil ...

. The population at the 2011 census (including Rolleston) was 223.

Heritage

The derivation is from the Sceaft tribe, whose name may possibly have derived from ''sceap'', meaning sheep. The first written record of the village appeared as Scifitone in the Domesday Book in 1086, when it was under royal ownership and housed 186 villagers, 112 smallholders, 204 freemen and 1 priest. It was recorded as "Sceaftinton" in 1192. The village's church is dedicated to St

Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was an English nobleman who served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then ...

and is a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. It dates from the 13th century, but underwent a rebuild in 1860. There is jumbled medieval stained glass in the east chapel window, with damaged figures from a monument to Thomas Skeffington, M. P., sheriff of the county in Elizabethan times. There is also a 1651 monument to Sir John Skeffington; several floor slabs commemorate other members of the family.

Skeffington Hall Skeffington Hall is a 15th-century Manor House which stands in parkland off the main street of the village of Skeffington, Leicestershire, England. It is a Grade II* listed building and is privately owned. The house was originally constructed in a ...

, adjacent to the church, is also Grade II* listed. It has some Tudor features. The estate passed in 1786 to an Irishman named Farrell who took the name Skeffington. He pulled down 21 houses in the village to improve his view from the Hall, but overspent, so that the estate was sold again in 1811. In 1860 it was bought by William Tailby, who founded the Billesdon fox hunt, of which he became master. The village lay historically in the hundred of

East Goscote East Goscote is a modern village and civil parish in the Borough of Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England, just north of the market town of Syston. It is a medium-sized village, with a population measured at 2,866 in the 2011 census. ...

Amenities

The

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

church is part of a group benefice with Keyham,

Goadby Goadby is a village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, about 8 miles north of Market Harborough. It had a population of 204 according to the 2011 census. The village's name means 'farm/settlement of Gauti' ...

Hungarton Hungarton (or Hungerton) is a small village and civil parish in the Harborough district, in the county of Leicestershire, England, about north-east of Leicester and south-west of Melton Mowbray. The population of the civil parish was 269 at t ...

and Rolleston. There are no commercial or educational facilities in the village. The nearest nursery school, primary school, public houses, shops, filling station and sports facilities are at Houghton on the Hill (4 miles/6.4 km). There is an hourly daytime bus service from Skeffington Turn to Leicester and

, Mondays to Fridays.Traveline South and Eas
Retrieved 26 November 2015
/ref> The nearest railway station is at

(10 miles/16 km). The nearest scheduled air services are at

East Midlands Airport East Midlands Airport is an international airport in the East Midlands of England, close to Castle Donington in northwestern Leicestershire, between Loughborough (), Derby () and Nottingham (); Leicester is () to the south and Lincoln () nort ...

(30 miles/48 km).

Notable people

In order of birth: *Sir William Skeffington (c. 1465–1535),

Lord Deputy of Ireland The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish executive (government), executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and then the Kingdom of Ireland. He deputised prior to 1523 for the Viceroy of Ireland ...

*Leonard Skeffington or Skevington (fl. first half of 16th century), son of William, was

Lieutenant of the Tower of London The Lieutenant of the Tower of London serves directly under the Constable of the Tower. The office has been appointed at least since the 13th century. There were formerly many privileges, immunities and perquisites attached to the office. Like the ...

and inventor of

Scavenger's Daughter The Scavenger's daughter was a type of torture device invented during the reign of King Henry VIII of England. History The Scavenger's Daughter (or Skevington's Daughter) was invented as an instrument of torture in the reign of Henry VIII by Sir ...

or Skevington Maiden, an instrument of torture. * Anthony Skeffington, cousin of William, (died after 1535), Master of the Rolls in Ireland *

Sir John Skeffington, 2nd Baronet Sir John Skeffington, 2nd Baronet (c. 1590 – 19 November 1651) was an English landowner and politician, elected to the House of Commons of England, House of Commons in 1626. He was fined a high sum for supporting the Cavaliers, Royalist cause in ...

(c. 1590–1651), Staffordshire landowner and

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...

politician, died at Skeffington. His wife was Cicely Skeffington, who came from the parish.

References

External links

Skeffington on the Leicestershire Villages website2001 census data
{{authority control Villages in Leicestershire Civil parishes in Harborough District