John Skinner (3) (1772–1839)

John Skinner was an antiquarian, an Oxford graduate, and an Anglican priest at Camerton, Somerset from 1800 to 1839. He kept a journal for the majority of his time there, writing about parish affairs, village life, the encroachment of Methodism, the decline of respect for the higher classes, working conditions in the nearby colliery, and the grasping miserliness of the those charged with handing out parish money to the indigent. He became despondent at the deaths of so many family members: his wife, his brother Fitz Owen, and his son Joseph. He showed respect to authority and anger at those who did not respect him, even to his own children who he considered rebellious and ungrateful. He treated his horses, dogs, and the house cat well as evidence by his concern about their treatment by others. His life was as a pail filled with holes which drained away his spirit but wasn’t replenished sufficient to his needs. Eventually his depression overwhelmed him and he committed suicide. His journals are a wealth of genealogical information which has given rise to several webpages dedicated to recording every person written of by him. One cannot help but feel sorry for him.… (más)