Skelton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York, in North Yorkshire, England. It is four miles north-north-west of the city of York, west of Haxby, and on the east bank of the River Ouse. Skelton was in the ancient royal Forest of Galtres and covers 977.3 hectares. Skelton was made a conservation area in 1973.The village name probably began as the Anglo-Saxon 'Shelfton'—'the settlement on high ground'—becoming the present 'Skelton' under the invading Danes.