James Skinner

Colonel James Skinner CB (1778–1841) was the son of an officer of the British East India Company and an Indian mother. He entered the Mahratta army and served with distinction under Pierre Cuillier-Perron. When all Anglo-Indians were dismissed at the outbreak of the 2nd Maratha War, he joined the British Indian Army and raised a regiment of irregular cavalry called Skinner's Horse. He assisted Colonel Monson during his retreat and was present at the Siege of Bhurtpore 1805. He was rewarded with a jagir worth Rs 20,000 a year. He built St James' Church in Delhi where he was buried.

External links

• James Skinner Dictionary of Indian Biography (1906)
• James Skinner Wikipedia
• James Skinner from the National Army Museum website
• James Skinner Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Historical books online

• Military Memoir of Lieut-Col. James Skinner CB by James Baillie Fraser 1851. (Google Books)
• Sikander Sahib: Life of Colonel James Skinner 1778 – 1841 by Dennis Holman, 1961. Archive.org, mirror from Digital Library of India. Note: Incorrectly catalogued as Sinkander Sahib.
• Skinner of Skinner's Horse : a fictional portrait by Philip Mason 1979. Published in USA as Skinner's Horse by Philip Mason 1979. Both Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library.