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{{About|the Anglo-Indian soldier|other people named James Skinner|James Skinner (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = James Skinner
| honorific_suffix = [[Order of the Bath|CB]]
| image = James Skinner CB (1778 – 1841) , 19th century.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption = James Skinner, from his ''Tazkirat al-Umara'' (''Account of the Nobles of Delhi and its neighbourhood'')
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| birth_name =
| other_name =
| nickname = Sikandar Sahib
| birth_date = 1778
| birth_place = [[Calcutta]], [[Bengal Presidency]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1841|12|04|1778}}
| death_place = [[Hansi]], [[Bengal Presidency]]
| placeofburial_label =
| placeofburial =
| placeofburial_coordinates = 
| allegiance =
| branch = [[Maratha Army]] (1796–1803)<br>[[Bengal Army]] (1803–1841)
| serviceyears =
| serviceyears_label =
| rank = [[Colonel]]
| rank_label =
| servicenumber = 
| unit = [[Skinner's Horse]]
| commands =
| battles_label =
| battles = [[Second Anglo-Maratha War]]<br>[[Third Anglo-Maratha War]]
| awards =
| memorials =
| spouse = 
| relations =
| children =
| laterwork =
| signature =
| signature_size =
| signature_alt =
| website =
| module =
}}
[[Colonel (United Kingdom)|Colonel]] '''James Skinner''' {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|CB}} (1778 – 4 December 1841){{sfn|Wheeler|2004}} was an [[Anglo-Indian]] soldier of the [[Maratha Empire]] and the [[Bengal Army]] of [[British India]]. He became known as ''Sikandar Sahib'' later in life, and is most known for two cavalry regiments he raised for the British at [[Hansi]] in 1803, known as [[1st Horse (Skinner's Horse)|1st Skinner's Horse]] and [[3rd Skinner's Horse]] (formerly 2nd Skinner's Horse), which are still units of the [[Indian Army]].<ref>{{Cite web|title='Dhana/Colonel Skinner's Farm', with Colonel James Skinner CB riding in an open carriage, 1828|url=http://www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/exhibitions/shortVisits/iconic/page9.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101218033415/http://national-army-museum.ac.uk/exhibitions/shortVisits/iconic/page9.shtml|archive-date=18 December 2010|website=[[National Army Museum]]}}</ref>

Fluent in [[Persian language|Persian]], the court and intellectual language of India in his day, Skinner composed several works in the language, including an extensively illustrated manuscript ''Kitāb-i Tashrīḥ al-Aqvām'' (History of the Origin and Distinguishing Marks of the Different Castes of India), now held by the [[Library of Congress]].<ref>[https://www.loc.gov/rr/asian/guide/guide-homer.html "Manuscript Book on History of Castes in India"] Rosenwald Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, by James S. Collins of Pennsylvania</ref><ref name=glo/>

==Early life==
Skinner was born in 1778 in [[Calcutta]] (now [[Kolkata]]), India. His father was Lieutenant-Colonel Hercules Skinner ({{Circa|1735}} – 12 July 1803),{{sfn|Wheeler|2004}} an officer in the [[East India Company|East India Company Army]] of Scottish origin. Skinner claimed that his mother Jeany{{sfn|Wheeler|2004}} was an Indian aristocrat, daughter of a [[zamindar]]. She was taken prisoner at the age of fourteen, and came under the care of his father, then an [[Ensign (rank)|ensign]], who treated her with much regard{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}. Subsequently, they had seven children, two girls and five boys, Joseph, James, Hercules, Alexander, Thomas, Louisa and Elizabeth.<ref name=glo/><ref name=hind>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120915061405/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2007/03/05/stories/2007030500650200.htm Now St. James's Church in Kashmere Gate is the oldest church in Delhi] ''[[The Hindu]]'', Monday, 5 March 2007.</ref><ref name=arc>[http://www.archhistory.co.uk/taca/memsmisc.html MEMORIES...] Army Children Archive (TACA).''Sikander Sahib: The Life of Colonel James Skinner, 1778-1841'', London, 1961, ''pp.213-14.''</ref> When he was 12 years old, his mother Jeany committed suicide, because her daughters were sent to a school for children of mixed heritage.{{sfn|Wheeler|2004}}

Skinner was first educated at an English school in Calcutta, and then in 1794 sent to a boarding school.{{sfn|Wheeler|2004}}<ref>[http://www.britishempire.co.uk/forces/armyunits/indiancavalry/skinners.htm Indian cavalry - 1st Skinners - History] ''britishempire.co.uk''</ref>
[[File:Colonel James Skinner CB, 1st Regiment of Local Horse, 1836.jpg|right|thumb|Colonel James Skinner, copy of a portrait of 1836]]
[[File:Skinner's Horse party, in a folio from 'Reminiscences of Imperial Delhi’, an album by Thomas Metcalfe, 1843.jpg|right|thumb|[[1st Horse (Skinner's Horse)|Skinner's Horse]] party. Folio from ''[[Delhi Book|"Reminiscences of Imperial Delhi"]], an album by [[Sir Thomas Metcalfe, 4th Baronet|Sir Thomas Metcalfe]], 1843.'']]

==Career==
His father originally apprenticed him to a printer in Calcutta but hating the life he ran away after three days.<ref>"Military Memoir of Lieut.-Colonel James Skinner"</ref> Because of his Indian heritage, Skinner was unable to serve as an officer in the [[East India Company]] army<ref name="Dalrymple"/> and, at the age of sixteen, he entered the [[Maratha Empire|Maratha]] army as an ensign under [[Benoît de Boigne]],<ref name=EB1911>{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Skinner, James |volume=25 |page=192}}</ref> the French commander of Maharaja [[Scindia]]'s forces of [[Gwalior State]]. Boigne was impressed by his family ancestry, Skinners having served [[William the Conqueror]] in the 11th century. Once taken in, Skinner soon showed military talent.<ref name=skin/> He remained in the same service under [[Pierre Cuillier-Perron]], who became commander-in-chief of Sindhia's army after Boigne's retirement, until 1803,<ref name=EB1911/> when, on the outbreak of the [[Second Anglo-Maratha War]], all Anglo-Indians were dismissed from Maratha service.<ref name="Dalrymple">{{cite book|last=Dalrymple|first=William|title=[[City of Djinns|City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi]]|publisher=[[HarperCollinsPublishers]]|year=1993|isbn=9780002157254|author-link=William Dalrymple (historian)|language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Portrait of Ranjit Singh, Maharaja of the Punjab, 1830.jpg|right|thumb|A folio of ''Tazkirat al-umara'' by James Skinner, 1830, depicting Portrait of Maharaja [[Ranjit Singh]] of the Punjab.]]
Eventually he joined the [[Bengal Army]] of the East India Company where [[Gerard Lake, 1st Viscount Lake|Lord Lake]] had become [[Commander-in-Chief, India|Commander-in-Chief]] of [[British India]] in 1801. Subsequently, on 23 February 1803, Skinner raised a regiment of irregular cavalry called "[[1st Horse (Skinner's Horse)|Skinner's Horse]]" or the "Yellow Boys"<ref name=EB1911/> because of the colour of their uniform.<ref name=glo>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/india/skinners-horse.htm 1st Horse / Skinner’s Horse] ''[[Global Security]]''."Eight hundred men on horses offered their services on one condition-they wished to be led by James Skinner."</ref> Later it became a famous regiment of [[light cavalry]] in the [[British Indian Army]]<ref name=EB1911/> and still exists today as part of the [[Indian Army]]. Commanding his regiment of irregular cavalry in 1805 he was present at the [[Siege of Bharatpur (1805)|Siege of Bharatpur]] and took part in the [[Pindari#Pindari War (1817-19)|Pindari War (1817–18)]].{{sfn|Wheeler|2004}} For his services he was granted a ''[[jagir]]'' of [[Hansi]] ([[Hisar district]], [[Haryana]]), yielding [[Rupee|Rs]] 20,000 a year.<ref name=EB1911/>

In 1828, Skinner was finally given the rank of [[Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|lieutenant-colonel]] in the British service, and his brother Robert that of major. Later James became a [[Colonel (United Kingdom)|colonel]],<ref name=skin/> having already been appointed [[Order of the Bath|Companion of the Order of the Bath]] on 26 December 1826.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=18319|page=2|date=2 January 1827}}</ref>

==Other works==
Skinner had an intimate knowledge of the characters of the people of India, and his advice was highly valued by successive [[Governor-General of India|governor-generals]] and [[Commander-in-Chief, India|commanders-in-chief]].<ref name=EB1911/> He commissioned paintings in the [[Company style]] on a large scale. Additionally, Skinner wrote a volume of memoirs in [[Persian language|Persian]] of his military expeditions, titled ''Tazkirat al-umara'' which contained family biographies, of princely families in the Sikh and Rajput territories and 37 portraits of their current representatives.<ref>{{Cite web|title=An illustration of Maharaja Ranjit Singh|url=https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/illustration-of-maharaja-ranjit-singh|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306171726/https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/illustration-of-maharaja-ranjit-singh|archive-date=6 March 2021|access-date=6 March 2021|website=[[British Library]]}}</ref> First translated from the original Persian by [[James Baillie Fraser|James Fraser]].

==St. James' Church==
[[File:St. James' Church, Delhi, India.jpg|right|thumb|[[St. James' Church, Delhi|St. James' Church]] or Skinner's Church, [[Kashmiri Gate, Delhi|Kashmiri Gate]], [[Delhi]]]]
[[St. James' Church, Delhi|St. James' Church]], also known as Skinner's Church, was commissioned by Skinner after he had vowed, while lying wounded in the battlefield of [[Uniara]] in 1800,<ref name=hind/> to build one if he survived. It was built at his own expense and at a cost of Rs 95,000. Designed by Major Robert Smith it was built between 1826–36 to a cruciform plan, with three [[portico]]ed porches and a central octagonal dome.<ref>[http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/n/019pho000000032u00003000.html No.3. Skinner's Church, Delhi.] ''[[British Library]]''.</ref> It was consecrated on 21 November 1836 by the [[The Right Reverend|Right Reverend]] [[Daniel Wilson (bishop)|Daniel Wilson]], the [[Diocese of Calcutta (Church of North India)|Bishop of Calcutta]], making it the oldest church in [[Delhi]].<ref name=skin/> Skinner is also reported to have built a temple and a mosque, though details of them are unknown.

[[File:James Skinner tomb (St James, Delhi).JPG|thumb|right|upright|Marble slab of Skinner's tomb in St James' church, Delhi]]
He had also lived at [[Jahaj Kothi Zonal Museum|Jahaj kothi]] in Hisar after the defeat of Irish mercenary adventurer [[George Thomas (soldier)|George Thomas]] ({{Circa|1756}} – 22 August 1802). Skinner, while serving Maratha, had earlier fought against George Thomas. Skinner died at [[Hansi]] (in [[Hisar district]], Haryana), on 4 December 1841, at the age of 64. He was first buried in the Cantonment Burial Ground at Hansi and after a period of 40 days was disinterred, and his coffin brought to Delhi, escorted by 200 men of [[1st Horse (Skinner's Horse)|Skinner's Horse]]. Subsequently, he was buried in Skinner's Church on 19 January 1842 in a vault of white marble immediately below the [[Communion table]].<ref name=skin>[http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/addorimss/s/019addor0005475u00008vrb.html Skinner's Tomb, St. Jame's Church, Delhi] ''[[British Library]]''.</ref><ref>[http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/addorimss/s/019addor0005475u00007vrb.html St Jame's Church, with tomb of William Fraser] ''[[British Library]]''.</ref>

==Personal life==
[[File:Delhi-lond-illust-1858.jpg|thumb|[[Old Delhi]] in 1858. "Skinner's House" is marked as #27, on the edge of the city below the Jammi Masjid]]
All his three sisters married gentlemen in the East India Company's service, while his elder brother, David, went to sea, and his younger brother, Robert, also became a soldier. [[Emily Eden]], sister of Governor General George Auckland records in 1838 that Major Robert Skinner, was "the same sort of melodramatic character" as his elder brother and made a tragic end. Suspecting his wife of infidelity he killed several of his servants and then shot himself.<ref>Chapter XII, "Up the Country" Emily Eden, Delhi, 20 February 1838</ref>

It is said that James Skinner had fourteen wives and many children, one of whom was Mrs. Wagentreiber, who managed to escape the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]] due to the fact that he was greatly revered by the Indian Army regiments.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.indian-cemeteries.org/cemetery_details.asp?town=Delhi&cem=St%20James%20Church |title=Cemetery Details - St. James' Church |access-date=15 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205211712/http://www.indian-cemeteries.org/cemetery_details.asp?town=Delhi&cem=St%20James%20Church |archive-date=5 February 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> His eldest son, Hercules Skinner, was commissioned into the [[Nizam's Contingent]]; another son, James Skinner, became an officer in Skinner's Horse and was killed in action during the [[First Anglo-Afghan War]]. Many of his family members and their descendants are buried in Skinner's family plot, north of St. James' Church, Delhi.<ref name=HC>Herbert Compton ''A Particular Account of the European Military Adventurers of Hindustan'' (Unwin, 1893), [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=gA4NAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA396 pp. 396–397]</ref>

Skinner was a close friend of William Fraser, and was buried next to him in Skinner’s Church,<ref name=HC/> and of his brother [[James Baillie Fraser]], the author of ''Military Memoirs of Col. James Skinner'' (1851).<ref name="rsa">{{cite journal|author=Falk|first=Toby|date=December 1988|year=1988|title=The Fraser Company Drawings|journal=RSA Journal|volume=137|issue=5389|pages=27–37|jstor=41374777}}</ref>

==Descendants==
A grandson is mentioned, also called James Skinner, who erected a statue of [[Queen Victoria]] upon her death, at his own expense at [[Chandni Chowk]], [[Delhi]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=cZe7-1YTGgcC&pg=PA207&dq=Col.+James+Skinner&as_brr=0 Notes # 16] ''Indigenous modernities: negotiating architecture and urbanism'', by Jyoti Hosagrahar. Published by Routledge, 2005. {{ISBN|0-415-32375-4}}. ''Page 207''.</ref>

In 1960, Lt-Col Michael Skinner, a great-great-grandson, took command of Skinner's Horse, and was the first Skinner to command the [[Skinner's Horse]] regiment since its founder's death.<ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19990517/ai_n14232560 Lt-Col Michael Skinner] ''[[The Independent]] (London), 17 May 1999.</ref> In 2003, when a special service was held at [[St. James' Church, Delhi]] to commemorate 200 years of [[1st Horse (Skinner's Horse)|Skinner's Horse]], the cavalry regiment raised by Skinner in 1803, amongst those present was Patricia Sedwards (née Skinner), niece of Lt-Col Michael Skinner.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20040225010349/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2003/11/24/stories/2003112400430200.htm Skinner's Horse... the memory lives on] ''[[The Hindu]]'', Monday, 24 November 2003.</ref>

==In popular culture==
[[Vikram Chandra (novelist)|Vikram Chandra]]'s debut novel, ''Red Earth and Pouring Rain'' (1995), was inspired by the autobiography of James Skinner. In 1979, [[Philip Mason]] published ''Skinner of Skinner’s Horse: a fictional portrait'', based upon Skinner's life.

==Works==
* {{Cite book|last=Skinner|first=James|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/2014658650/|title=Kitab-i tasrih al-aqvam|year=1825|language=Persian|trans-title=History of the origin and distinguishing marks of the different Castes of India}}
* {{Cite book|last=Skinner|first=James|url=http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Add_MS_27254|title=Tazkirat al-umara|year=1830|language=Persian|trans-title=Account of the Nobles of Delhi and its neighbourhood|author-mask=7}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book|last=Archer|first=Mildred|title=Between Battles: The Album of Colonel James Skinner|publisher=Al-Falak and Scorpio|year=1982|isbn=9780905906348|location=London|author-link=Mildred Archer}}
* {{Cite book|last=Fraser|first=James Baillie|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DWQLAAAAIAAJ|title=Military Memoir of Lieut.-Col. James Skinner, C.B.|publisher=Smith, Elder and Co.|year=1851|volume=I|location=London|doi=10.1017/CBO9781139199148|isbn=9781139199148|author-link=James Baillie Fraser}}
* {{Cite book|last=Fraser|first=James Baillie|url=https://archive.org/details/militarymemoirl00frasgoog|title=Military Memoir of Lieut.-Col. James Skinner, C.B.|publisher=Smith, Elder and Co.|year=1851|volume=II|location=London|doi=10.1017/CBO9781139199155|isbn=9781139199155|author-link=James Baillie Fraser}}
* {{Cite book|last=Holman|first=Dennis|title=Sikander Sahib: The Life of Colonel James Skinner, 1778–1841|publisher=Heinemann|year=1961|isbn=9780598460745|location=London}}
* {{Cite book|last=Mason|first=Philip|title=Delhi Through the Ages: Essays in Urban History, Culture, and Society|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|year=1986|isbn=978-0195617283|editor-last=Frykenberg|editor-first=Robert Eric|location=Delhi|pages=278–286|chapter=A meditation on the life of Colonel James Skinner|author-link=Philip Mason|language=en}}
* {{cite DNB|wstitle=Skinner, James (1778-1841)|last=Wheeler|first=Stephen Edward}}
* {{cite ODNB|last1=Wheeler|first1=Stephen Edward|title=Skinner, James (1778–1841)|year=2004|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/25676}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11212052 James Skinner], findagrave.com
{{commons category|James Skinner}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skinner, James}}
[[Category:1778 births]]
[[Category:1841 deaths]]
[[Category:British East India Company Army officers]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Anglo-Indian people]]
[[Category:Indian memoirists]]
[[Category:British people in colonial India]]

James Skinner (East India Company officer) - Revision history

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