Samuel William "Sam" Skilbeck is the son of Matt and Peggy Skilbeck. Along with his twin sister, he was one of the first births in Emmerdale Farm. Born in 1973 along with Sally, Sam is named after his maternal great-grandfather Sam Pearson. His mother dies three months after his birth of a brain haemorrhage. Matt is unable to cope with the twins and so sends them to live with his aunt, Beattie Dowton. On 13th January 1976, Beattie and the twins are killed when a train strikes her car on a level crossing. In 1982, Matt has another son by his second wife Dolly Acaster and he is named Samuel Skilbeck after his dead half-brother. Sam Pearson, Peggy's grandfather, is delighted.