Transcript of letter written by George Skelton* Anderson to his daughter, Mary Penny ( cooper) my grandmother, from :- Cluny Lodge,West Hill Road, Bournemouth on 28th of Aug. 1921.

My dear Mary,

I have received your letter of the 27th dated from Rexton ( home of Uncle Dick Cooper) ,and all I can dois to writeit's receipt to say I am relieved to see your man is back at Talawakelle.It is such an odd thing in Ceylon,when the superintendent takes a holiday to find his billet taken up on his return. I would require longer time to write a history of the ' Stow ' case,when I was claimant of my Uncle James Innes on his death in 1841 or 2. he was the only surviving next of kin to Gilbert Innes & Jane Innes of Edinburgh who both died in the thirties,leaving all their wealth by will to their next of kin. Another family named Mitchell by some means stepped into possession. My Uncle was received by Miss Innes in Edingurgh as her heir,after her brother Gilbert's death in1832 and they were the last survivors of the Innes branch who owned Stow and other estates in Scotland.All the property went to Innes,who took the name afterwards of Mitchell Innes. I was the only legitimate son of Captain George Anderson Shipmaster Peterhead,who married my mother on the chance of her getting a share of the Innes wealth,had her brother lived to succed to the property.

George Innes my ancestor was a brother of my grandfather,being the son of the farmerina place named Downshills near Peterhead,and he was in the Bank in Edinburgh with Coutts,when they established the Royal Bank of Scotlandin the Sevevteenth century.He married Marion Dick Sander,the daughter of Sis Thomas Dick Sander,whohad a son named Gilbert and a daughter named Jane,who niether married,and she presented my Uncle with her brothers gold watchand his seal with his crest,before she diedin 1839. I may add that my father married late in life,Margaret Innes a sister of James and I was bornin 1833. * He named me after a large shipowner in Peterhead,who was called George Skelton;father was for seven years a captain in the service in the Peninsular War.

''father''

n.b. Willaim Penny lived next door to Goerge Skelton in Peterhead  source Probate Records