James Skene of Rubislaw was born 7 March 1775 in Scotland, United Kingdom to George Skene of Rubislaw (1736-1776) and Jane Moir of Stoneywood (1740-1820) and died 27 March 1864 Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom of unspecified causes. He married Jane Forbes (1787-1862) 1806 in Scotland, United Kingdom.
The Archives Hub gives this biographical history: "James Skene (1775 - 1864) was the second son of George Skene of Rubislaw and Jean Moir of Stoneywood. He studied in Germany and was admitted to the Scottish bar on returning to Edinburgh in 1797. Much of his life thereafter was spent in Edinburgh, where he maintained a close friendship with Sir Walter Scott, and was for a time curator of the library and museum of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Subsequent travels took him to Greece, where he settled near Athens, 1838 - 1844. In 1844 he returned to Britain, settling near Oxford where he died, on 27 Mar 1864. The estate of Rubislaw, which had been acquired by Thomas Skene, brother of Sir George Skene, a Danzig merchant and Provost of Aberdeen, 1679 - 1688, in the late seventeenth century, was inherited by James in 1791. During his absence from Aberdeen, he was represented by Sir Henry Jardine, who had married his sister, Catherine. "
The Scots Connection site says he provided some illustrations for (name misspelled) Walter Scott novels.
Electric Scotland says much more under its "Skene" entry, more about ideas for novels than about illustrations, and includes the following quotation from Walter Scott's 1826 diary: “Mr. and Mrs. Skene, my excellent friends, came to us from Edinburgh. Skene – distinguished for his attainments as a draughtsman, and for his highly gentlemanlike feelings and character – is laird of Rubislaw in Aberdeen. Having had an elder brother, his education was somewhat neglected in early life, against which disadvantage he made a most gallant fight, exerting himself much to obtain those accomplishments which he has since possessed. Admirable in all exercises, there entered a good deal of the cavalier into his early character. Of late he has given himself much to the study of antiquities. His wife, a most excellent person, was tenderly fond of Sophia. They bring so much old-fashioned kindness and good humour with them, besides the recollection of other times, that they must be always welcome guests.”
The Skene history written by his son in 1887 has over three pages about him, including much detail of children and grandchildren.
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Margaret Skene (1767-) | |||
| Helen Skene (1768-1841) | |||
| Catherine Skene (1769-1838) | |||
| George Skene (1770-1791) | |||
| Jean Skene (1771-c1772) | |||
| Maria Skene (1773-c1774) | |||
| James Skene (1775-1864) | 7 March 1775 Scotland, United Kingdom | 27 March 1864 Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom | Jane Forbes (1787-1862) |
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| George Skene (1807-1875) | |||
| William Forbes Skene (1809-1892) | 7 June 1809 Rubislaw, Scotland, United Kingdom | 29 August 1892 Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, United Kingdom | |
| Eliza Skene (1810-1886) | |||
| James Henry Skene (1812-1886) | |||
| Catherine Skene (1815-aft1886) | |||
| Caroline Christian Skene (1818-1878) | |||
| Felicia Mary Frances Skene (1821-aft1886) | |||
Residences
Footnotes (including sources)
| ‡ General |
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| ¢ Children |
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