Skelton (St. Mary)
SKELTON (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Penrith, Leath ward, E. division of Cumberland; containing, with the townships of Lamonby and Unthank, 788 inhabitants, of whom 314 are in Skelton township, 6¾ miles (N. W. by W.) from Penrith. Freestone and limestone are obtained here. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £43. 3. 6½.; net income, £294; patrons, the President and Fellows of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. The tithes of Skelton township have been commuted for £110, and the glebe consists of 33 acres. The church is an ancient structure, thoroughly repaired in 1794: it formerly contained a richly-endowed chantry. A free school, erected in 1750 by Isaac Milner, was endowed in 1817 by the Rev. Joseph Nelson with £1000, now producing upwards of £32 a year.
Transcribed from A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858.