Skidmore, Charles

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Skidmore, Charles

Watercolour portrait of Charles Skidmore
Born April 30 1839 at Wakefield. Called to the bar 1863. Practiced NE Circuit.
Appr. Stipendiary Magistrate for Bradford 1889

from John Sowden's notebooks:

"Was the son of Mr J A Skidmore of Wakefield. Mr Skidmore was educated at the West Riding Preparatory School, Wakefield and at Dr Moore’s High School, Stonegate, Sheffield. Mr Skidmore was first intended for the medical profession, and was attached to the staff of Wakefield Hospital, but the study of medicine did not prove congenial to his taste and in 1859 he entered as a student of the Inner Temple, being called to the bar in 1863. At the age of 24 – he joined the Northern Circuit and practised at Wakefield until his marriage four years later to a daughter of the late Mr Alfred Thomas Hague, a former mayor of the city.

In 1868 Mr Skidmore went to reside and practice at Darlington, and on the North Eastern Circuit being formed out of the Northern Circuit in 1876 he became a member of the former. He had an extensive practice apart from circuit work. For 10 years he was Vicar’s warden at the parish church of Saint Cuthbert. He was a governor of the Grammar School and a member of the Durham Diocesian Central Council in London.

He took his seat on the Bradford bench in 1889. He lived a semi retired life, devoting much of his leisure to the collection of rare books and china. His affection for the city of his birth found a noble(?) expression in his unique Wakefield library of which he was very proud. This collection containing more than 2000 books and pamphlets associated with Wakefield was handed to the authorities of the city by Mr Skidmore on the occasion of the opening of the Carnegie Free Library. Mr Skidmore was a chairman and prominent Freemason and a member of the Northern Bar Lodge. He died in 1908 leaving a widow but no issue."

Year

1890

Creator

John Sowden

Image filename

sowden-175