Skegby sits on both sides of a deep valley near the source of the River Meden.

Skegby is mentioned in the Domesday Book as "a berewick of the King's manor at Mansfield".

His descendants held the estate until 1334 when Elizabeth Spigurnal, who married Thomas Gobion, disposed of it to Richard Pensax.

[citation needed] Francis White's "Directory of Nottinghamshire," of 1853 tells us that Skegby had "an extensive coal mine, and several limestone quarries and kilns" and that in the 1800s "stocking-making was a common occupation."

[11] After private residential ownership, it was used from the late 1940s as an approved school for boys, later becoming a care home with education.

It gained notoriety in the 2000s after multiple allegations of child abuse, with police investigations Daybreak, launched in 2010, followed by Xeres in 2014.

[14][15][16][17] Skegby has a number of small shops, off-licences, take away food outlets, hair salons and a petrol station.

Other amenities which can be found in Skegby include a small library which is shared with the nearby village of Stanton Hill and the Woodside Medical Surgery and Pharmacy.

The Maypole on Dawgates Lane closed in June 2023 and the new owners plan to convert it into a residential dwelling.