Skillen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Early Origins of the Skillen family

The surname Skillen was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Skeleron in Rimington. 1

Rimington, a large village in the West Riding was held at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086 by William, Lord Percy, perhaps the most powerful Norman Baron of the Northland. At that time, the village was known as Renitone, but by 1182, it was known as Rimingtona. 2 Conjecturally, the Skelhorns are descended from either a son, nephew or other close relative of this Baron.

Early rolls proved the wide use of different spellings at the time: John Scalehome was listed in 1467 and Peter Skelhorne was later listed in 1574. 1

Early History of the Skillen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Skillen research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1459, 1467, 1574, 1845 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Skillen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Skillen Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Skelhorn, Skellern, Skellorn, Skillern, Skillen, Skillan, Skilland, Skellon, Skilling, Skillim and many more.

Early Notables of the Skillen family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Skellorn of Yorkshire. According to legend, William Skelhorn was a blacksmith of Mucklestone, Staffordshire who assisted in the escape of Queen Margaret of Anjou from the Battle...
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Skillen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Skillen family to Ireland

Some of the Skillen family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 94 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Skillen migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Skillen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Hugh Skillen, who landed in New York in 1833 3
Robert Skillen, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1887 3
Maggie Skillen, aged 22, who landed in America, in 1896

Skillen Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Robert Skillen, aged 26, who settled in America from Annalong, Ireland, in 1907
James Skillen, aged 20, who landed in America from Belfast, Ireland, in 1908
Samuel Skillen, aged 21, who immigrated to the United States from Filkeel, Ireland, in 1909
Maggie Skillen, aged 33, who immigrated to the United States from Belfast, Ireland, in 1910
Robert Skillen, aged 5, who immigrated to the United States from Belfast, Ireland, in 1910
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Skillen migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Skillen Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Mary Skillen, (b. 1846), aged 23, British general servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Siberia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st February 1870 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Skillen (post 1700) +

Lauren Skillen, American producer, known for To Mike (2015), These Words Illuminated and Sea Odyssey
Dr. Ralph Skillen, American Grand Marshal of the Rose Parade (1907 & 1908)
James Skillen, American Christian philosopher and author, executive director and then president of the Center for Public Justice from 1981 to 2009
James W. Skillen, American Christian theologian and author
Charles E. Skillen, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Indiana, 1952, 1956, 1960; Indiana Democratic State Chair, 1955-58 5
Keith Skillen (1948-2013), English footballer who played as a forward (1973-1976)
Erin Skillen, Canadian producer and director, known for My Son the Pornographer (2008), Canada's Next Top Model (2006) and The Outdoorsmen: Blood, Sweat & Beers (2005)
Paul Skillen, British writer, known for The Silence Between (2022)

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html