[2] His father named him after Sir Edward Barnes, the Governor of Ceylon (1820-1822), of whom he was a great admirer.
[2] Skinner joined the Ceylon Civil Service on 24 October 1860 and retired on 2 June 1896, after serving 25 years as Postmaster General.
[3] His first position was at the Colonial Fiscal Office in Kandy, where he was commended by Sir Richard Francis Morgan in correspondence to the Governor Hercules Robinson.
In 1863 he was made the assistant Government Agent for Nuwara Eliya, then acting District Judge Batticaloa in January 1866, and Fiscal for Central Province in 1867 before being appointed Postmaster General in 1871.
Percy served with Northamptonshire Regiment, where he reached the position of Major-General and commander of the 14th (Light) Division.