George Skutt ca 1593-1653

[G Skutt, merchant of Poole. Mayor 1621, 1631, 1635, 1644, 1652. Will devising Furzes Farm & land Grays Inn Lane. PR.Mar 20 1653/4 by son George Scutt & P.R. son William.] [G Skutt (senior) MP from Poole - House of Commons Journal Volume 3-10 February 1644 & House of Lords Journal Volume 11-29 June 1661 & Volume 10-6 September 1648.] [28 Dec 1653 George Scutt, Esq., father to Mrs Bowcher of this parish.] [1653 Dec 21 also noted as burial date.] [Whatever the origin of the name, in the mid 17th century the property belonged to George Skutt, a wealthy merchant and leading citizen of Poole during the civil war. He was mayor of the town several times and also M.P. for Poole when the previous member, William Constantine, was arrested for throwing his lot in with the royalists and trying to persuade the town to do the same. George Skutt was a brewer and ran a trading business with his two eldest sons consisting of parts of shipping adventures at sea. He also owned property in Grey's Inn Lane, Middlesex, land at Sterte, a farm at Thickfurzes (Heckford), a cellar (store), brewhouse and two dwelling houses in Poole. In his will of 1653, George left his houses to his eldest son, William and his other property to his second son, George. The rest of his 6 sons and 5 daughters each received sums of money ranging from £100 to £500. William Skutt had been captain of the local volunteers during the civil war and retained his military title of colonel after the war. A tax assessment of 1662 shows Col. Skutt's mansion house and brewhouse as the most valuable property in the town. It is not surprising, therefore that when King Charles II visited Poole on 15th September 1665, he was entertained at this house (in spite of its owner having been a leading local opponent of the King's father). After having lunch at the house of Peter Hiley, the party took Colonel William Skutt's boat to Brownsea, steered by the said Colonel and rowed by six masters of ships. When they returned to the Quay, the King and his entourage walked up High Street to Skutt's house, the sheriff going before and the Mayor and Edward Man, Senior Bailiff bearing their maces before him. There they enjoyed a stately banquet and the king was pleased there and then to nominate and appoint the said colonel for the future mayor of Poole. When the king left, however, in a shower of compliments and good will, the Corporation quickly reversed this appointment in case it infringed their rights to appoint the mayor themselves! H. P. Smith identified the room where the banquet probably took place in what was by the 1950s, part of the Grosvenor Dining Rooms. Over the next century, the property passed to Allen Skutt and then Benjamin Skutt, William's grandson. Eventually Benjamin sold it to John Watkinson of Ringwood, a mercer (or cloth dealer) and in 1764, his heirs sold it to Thomas Jubber. In the indenture of sale, the property was described as all that capital messuage or tenement called the Priory with the garden yard or backside thereto belonging, situate and being in High Street in Poole. To the west of the property was a house occupied by Peter Street while the house to the east and an old house and void piece of ground to the north had all belonged to Benjamin Skutt and were now owned by Thomas Jubber.]