Skelton, Humphrey

London; upholder (fl.1698–1736)

Free of the Upholders’ Company, 1698

At Haymarket from 1709–23, Strand in 1727 and Exeter Street, Strand in 1734.

In August 1723 a fire broke out at the Haymarket premises "caused by an experiment which was being carried on to smother bugs". A Commission of Bankruptcy against him was reported in 1727 but he was still trading in 1734 in which year he was elected Beadle of the Upholders’ Company.

When Skelton became ill in 1736 one guinea was paid by his Company to his landlady for looking after him. His portrait after H. Hussing and engraved by J. Faber was first published in 1728. Up to the date of his bankruptcy in 1727 he held three small copyhold farms in the manor of Woodham Walter and Ingatestone in Essex.

He worked extensively for William Blathwayt (1649-1717) at Dyrham Park, Gloucestershire. Between May and August 1702, he arranged for dismantling beds in Whitehall, Blaythwayt’s London residence, transporting and setting them up at Dyrham Park. In July 1702 he charged for a man sent to put up gilt leather hangings in the vestibule. In the same year he billed £7 10s ‘For a very large Sofaw, for 3 persons, y^e frame varnished black, and well Carved, back and Eares Stufft wth Curled haire, and 3 Cusheons filld wth ffine ffeather’. He supplied Blathwayt’s daughter Anne’s bed chamber with ‘5 pieces of worsted dam^k Hangings’, two chairs and two round stools covered in worsted damask and put up a window curtain and valance ‘in y^e worsted Damask Room’. In October 1703 his bill included ‘For a Large Wainscott Bedstead w^th 4 very high Pillars, Sacking=bottome, Coveing Teaster wth breakes att y^e Topp, a Sett of Coveing Cornishes w^th Capitalls, a head=Board w^th a Carved Moulding, and a Sett of Base Mouldings [£]07=10=0’. A gilt leather covered couch was also sent to Dyrham.

Humphrey Shelton (probably Skelton) was paid £187 for work at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, 1699–1702 [Wren Society, vol. XIX, p. 83]

Skelton's name also appears in the Monson archives. A payment of £4 10s was made on 15 March 1705 and is listed in the Honorable Wrey and Lady Mary Saunderson's house book.

Sources: DEFM; Walton, ‘An Inventory of 1710 from Dyrham Park’ Furniture History (1986); Kirkham, ‘The London Furniture Trade 1700-1870’, Furniture History (1988).