engineer military officer civil servant
Thomas Bridges Boucher Skinner was born on 22 May 1804 at St. John's, Newfoundland, the son of Lieutenant-Colonel William Thomas Skinner of the Royal Artillery and his second wife, Mary, daughter of Dr. Monier of the Royal Artillery. In 1811 he was sent to England for schooling. He went to Ceylon in 1818 to join his father, who was stationed at Trincomalee, and began his adult career there the following year.
Skinner was educated in England after being sent there in 1811. He did not pursue a university education; in 1818 he proceeded to Ceylon, where his military appointment and subsequent work in public engineering shaped his professional development.
Skinner entered the Ceylon Rifle Regiment as a second lieutenant in 1819. Soon afterward he joined the public works of Ceylon and became involved in constructing roads, including routes to Kandy through the Kaduganava Pass and the Seven Korles. In 1825 he became staff officer of the Colombo garrison, and in 1829 he was appointed deputy assistant quartermaster-general of the forces in Ceylon. He opened a road from Aripo to Anuradhapura in 1832 and, after public works passed to the civil authorities in 1833, assisted the surveyor-general and undertook surveys of the island's mountainous regions. His surveys produced a sketch map of the Kandyan provinces and a general map of Ceylon. Promoted captain in 1836, he was placed in charge of reorganizing the surveyor-general and civil engineer's department in 1837. In 1841 he became permanent commissioner of roads in Ceylon, a position closely associated with the development of overland transport and the Colombo–Kandy highway. He retired from his regiment as a major in 1847, while continuing his civil responsibilities. In 1859 he became auditor-general, but returned to the post of commissioner of public works in 1861 after a disagreement with Governor Sir Henry Ward over the proposed railway from Colombo to Kandy. He resumed the duties of auditor-general in 1865 and retired to England in 1867. His career combined military service, engineering, surveying, and senior colonial administration, and his work materially expanded Ceylon's road and transport infrastructure.
Constructed and helped administer major roads in Ceylon, including important routes to Kandy and the Colombo–Kandy highway.
Surveyed previously unmapped mountainous regions of Ceylon and produced a sketch map of the Kandyan provinces and a general map of the island.
Reorganized the surveyor-general and civil engineer's department of Ceylon during the late 1830s.
Gave evidence before a British House of Commons committee in 1848 concerning the Matale Rebellion and the administration of Ceylon.
(Posthumously published autobiography of Thomas Skinner, e...)
1891On 19 December 1838 Skinner married Georgina, daughter of Lieutenant-General George Burrell. They had six children, including Thomas Edward Barnes Skinner, who later became Postmaster General of Ceylon, and Monier Williams Skinner, who served in the Royal Navy. His daughter Annie Skinner edited his autobiography after his death.
Wife of Thomas Skinner; they married on 19 December 1838. She was the daughter of Lieutenant-General George Burrell.
Daughter of Thomas Skinner and editor of his autobiography, Fifty Years in Ceylon.
Son of Thomas Skinner who later served as Postmaster General of Ceylon.
Son of Thomas Skinner who served in the Royal Navy.
