Origin of the name

The history of Skerton begins in Saxon times, a village having existed on the North bank of the River Lune

River Lune

The River Lune is a river in Cumbria and Lancashire, England.It is formed at Wath, in the parish of Ravenstonedale, Cumbria, at the confluence of Sandwath Beck and Weasdale Beck...

 since time immemorial

Time immemorial

Time immemorial is a phrase meaning time extending beyond the reach of memory, record, or tradition, indefinitely ancient, "ancient beyond memory or record"...

. First reliably recorded in the Domesday book

Domesday Book

Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...

 as being, 'Schertune'; literally 'Scar Town'.

Skerton features again in the records, being recorded as 'Skerton' in 1200, 'Skereton' in 1292, with variations on the name recorded in 1201, as 'Storton' and again in 1292, 'Sherton'.
Of those four incarnations of the original Saxon name, 'Skerton' is the version that has survived the Ages and, (One might be inclined to think), is the version that will be around for a few hundred years yet.

1066 to 1297

After the Conquest of 1066, which saw the Realm of England seized from Saxon control and placed under the benevolent savagery of William the Conqueror, the town of Lancaster

Lancaster, Lancashire

Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...

 was seized as the personal fiefdom of the Norman King. The historic hill that now plays host to the Castle had previously been the site of a Roman fort and, following the Norman Conquest, was designated as the site upon which to build what is now Lancaster Castle

Lancaster Castle

Lancaster Castle is a medieval castle located in Lancaster in the English county of Lancashire. Its early history is unclear, but may have been founded in the 11th century on the site of a Roman fort overlooking a crossing of the River Lune. In 1164, the Honour of Lancaster, including the...

.

The land being carved up by the Norman Aristocracy, the land playing host to 'Schertune' was granted to the Halton fee, of which Earl Tostig, (See Tostig Godwinson

Tostig Godwinson

Tostig Godwinson was an Anglo-Saxon Earl of Northumbria and brother of King Harold Godwinson, the last crowned english King of England.-Early life:...

), was a member. Tostig, having been loyal to the Norman King was rewarded in this instance with personal possession of Skerton, (Amongst other rewards of land). During his possession, the Skerton was assessed as being 'Six-plough lands'.

After Tostig's possession, Skerton was retained in demesne

Demesne

In the feudal system the demesne was all the land, not necessarily all contiguous to the manor house, which was retained by a lord of the manor for his own use and support, under his own management, as distinguished from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants...

 by the Lords of Lancaster; in 1094, demesne tithe

Tithe

A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...

s from Skerton were granted to St Martin's at Sees by Count Roger of Poitou, (See Roger the Poitevin

Roger the Poitevin

Roger the Poitevin was born in Normandy in the mid-1060s and died before 1140 . He was an Anglo-Norman aristocrat, who possessed large holdings in both England and through his marriage in France....

). The land surrounding Skerton remained more or less 'Virgo intacta', an exception being made when half a Plough-land was granted to William De Skerton, (Reeve from 1201 to 1202), to be held by this Serjeanty.

It has being revealed that around this time, the ancient assize rent of the vill for ten Oxgang

Oxgang

An oxgang or bovate is an old land measurement formerly used in Scotland and England. It averaged around 20 English acres, but was based on land fertility and cultivation, and so could be as low as 15.Skene in Celtic Scotland says:...

s of land in bondage was seven Shillings and Sixpence, (7s 6d). By 1200, this had increased considerably to forty-two Shilling

Shilling

The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...

s and nine Pence, (42s 9d), or, more accurately, (£2 2s 9d). It is also recorded that allowance was made for the want of Plough teams between 1200 and 1202, at the rate of six Shillings and eight Pence, (6s 8d), per team.

Skerton contributed to the Tallage

Tallage

Tallage or talliage may have signified at first any tax, but became in England and France a land use or land tenure tax. Later in England it was further limited to assessments by the crown upon cities, boroughs, and royal domains...

 between 1205 and 1206, paying thirty-nine Shillings, (39s), or, (£1 19/-). Similar contributions were made in 1226 and by 1240 to 1260, was making a contribution of around £20 per Annum. During 1246-1248, the Lune Mill, (Held by the Lords of Lancaster), the farm at Skerton and other issues of the Manor were, (Over the course of a year and-a-half), of the sum total of thirty-one Pounds, eighteen Shillings and nine-and-a-half Pence, (£31 18s 9.5d). Pleas and perquisites of the court came to sum total of eighteen Shillings, (18s). Due to the possession of the land by the Lords of Lancaster, all proceeds, (and later possession of the land), ultimately came back to the English Crown.

In 1297, it has been recorded that there were three free tenants, (That is to say, those not in bondage to another master but free citizens in their own right.), these being Alan de Paries, the Abbot of Furness and Lawrence, the son of Thomas De Lancaster.

Education

In 1235, the 19th year of the Reign of Henry III, (House of Plantagenet

House of Plantagenet

The House of Plantagenet , a branch of the Angevins, was a royal house founded by Geoffrey V of Anjou, father of Henry II of England. Plantagenet kings first ruled the Kingdom of England in the 12th century. Their paternal ancestors originated in the French province of Gâtinais and gained the...

), the Lancaster Royal Grammar School

Lancaster Royal Grammar School

Lancaster Royal Grammar School is a voluntary aided, selective grammar school for boys in Lancaster, England. The school has been awarded specialist Technology College and Language College status. Old boys belong to The Old Lancastrians...

 was established. Coincidentally, there has been a school in Skerton since 1734, meaning that Skerton is the second-oldest provider of education in Lancaster. The oldest existing school buildings still in Skerton are those built for the Parish of St. Luke's in 1870, making Skerton the location of the third oldest school in Lancaster. Meanwhile, the buildings that comprise the current secondary school for the area date from 1932, making Skerton Community High School

Skerton Community High School

Skerton Community High School is a secondary school in Skerton, Lancaster, England.-Foundation:Skerton Community High School was built by the Corporation of Lancaster in the early years of the 1930s, the foundation stone being laid on the 21st September 1932 and the building itself completed by...

the fourth oldest secondary school in Lancaster. Such is its current ranking.