Robert Skynner

Alan Ray-Jones writes:

I visited Little Malvern Church - a small but beautiful church in a beautiful location - in April 2003, and spoke to a churchwarden there. Sad to say, I was unable to verify the existence of the window dedicated to Robert Skynner and his wife Isobel circa 1480, mentioned in 'Facts', though I have no reason to disbelieve the information given by Allan Maclean Skinner in 'Sketch of the Military Services of Lieutenant-General Skinner and his sons'. The churchwarden said there was still a window to do with an Isobel in the church, but it was Queen Isobel. I didn't follow this up or look at the window in question. A lot of stained glass windows have been lost from Little Malvern Church and replaced by clear glass. The churchwarden said that none have been lost since 1901, but I didn't ask whether any had been lost since 1860. A history of Little Malvern Church (Priory) by Ronald Bryer (1993) is available, but a quick look through it revealed no mention of Skynner.

According to 'Burkes Landed Gentry 1849, account of Skinner of Shirley Park', Robert's uncle, who was also called Robert Skynner, was Prior of Malvern, but no Skynner was listed amongst the Priors of Little Malvern Priory shown on a board on the wall. The churchwarden said that Little Malvern Priory and Great Malvern Priory, though both were Benedictine foundations, were not connected administratively. I then visited Great Malvern Church, but found no list of Priors there. There is a substantial book giving detailed information on the windows, which also incidentally mentions the names of some of the priors, but I didn't buy it.