William Skinner of Corra

William Skinner of Corra WS FRSE DL JP (1823–1901) was a 19th-century Scottish lawyer and author. He was Town Clerk of Edinburgh from 1874 to 1895.[1]

Life

He was born on 26 July 1823 the son of John Robert Skinner WS and his wife, Ann Black. The family lived at 3 Roxburgh Place in Edinburgh's South side.[2]

William was educated at Edinburgh Academy. He was then apprenticed as a lawyer to John Hunter WS at 47 George Street in Edinburgh's New Town.[3]

In 1848 he qualified as a Writer to the Signet and joined his father at 2 Elder Street.[4]

In 1852 he set up his own practice at 12 Forth Street in the New Town.[5]

From 1874 he served as Town Clerk for Edinburgh, serving consecutively the Lord Provosts: Sir James Falshaw, Sir Thomas Jamieson Boyd, Sir George Harrison, Sir Thomas Clark, Sir John Boyd of Maxpoffle, Sir James Alexander Russell and Sir Andrew McDonald.[6]

In 1876 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Philip Kelland, John Hutton Balfour, Robert Christison, and Arthur Mitchell.[7]

On 31 August 1877 he wrote to Ulysses S. Grant to confer upon him the Freedom of the City of Edinburgh (in his capacity as Town Clerk).[8]

He died at 35 George Square on 4 May 1901.[9]

Family

In 1850 he married Johann (Ann) Farish Kirk (d.1866) daughter of Robert Kirk of Drumstinchnell. They were parents to the eminent accountant William Henry Kirk Skinner (WHKS) and at least three other sons.[10]

In 1880 he married Charlotte Eremengarde Warren (d.1931) of Market Drayton.[11]

His brother Hercules Skinner was a Captain in the East India Company in Bengal.

Publications
  • Edinburgh Municipal and Police Act 1879

References
  1. The Seekers of Truth: The Scottish Founders of Modern Public Accountancy by Gary Previts and Robert Bricker
  2. Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1823
  3. Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1840
  4. Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1848
  5. Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1852
  6. Lord Provosts of Edinburgh
  7. Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002 (PDF). The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006. ISBN 0 902 198 84 X.
  8. The Papers of Ulysses S Grant November 1876 to September 1878
  9. Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1901
  10. The Development of the American Public Accounting Profession: T A Lee
  11. http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/society-of-writers-to-hm-signet-great-britain/a-history-of-the-society-of-writers-to-her-majestys-signet-electronic-resource-hci/page-28-a-history-of-the-society-of-writers-to-her-majestys-signet-electronic-resource-hci.shtml


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