Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Skyllecroft 1252–3 FF

• Skill Croft 1840 TA

Etymology

Skillcroft, Skyllecroft 1252–3FF , Skill Croft 1840TA . The second el. is croft . The first may be identical with that of Skilgate So. It is suggested (DEPN, Elements 1, 124–5) that this is a derivative of the verb scilian 'to separate', which appears in late OE from Scandinavian, and that the meaning is 'boundary'. Skillcroft appears on the 6″ map as the name of a very small copse about a quarter of a mile from the parish boundary, but it may originally have been the name of a more extensive piece of land. Alternatively, skil might be used in a sense similar to that of several in later place-names, denoting a piece of land not included in the field-system. Professor Löfvenberg prefers the ME  surname Skille , but the el. might be expected to be in the gen. if it were a pers.n. or surname.