SKELTON - IN - CLEVELAND IN HISTORY

Left to right are believed to be - John Jackson, Fred Bell, Unknown, Robert Jackson, Winsome Jackson.

This photograph and information was contributed by Derek Jackson of Lancaster. He states that the violinist on the left is his Great Grandfather, JOHN Jackson and the player, fourth from the left is his Grandfather, ROBERT Jackson The girl on the right is claimed to be his Great Aunt, WINSOME Jackson. The 1901 census lists John Jackson as an Ironstone Labourer,aged 28, who had been born in Hinderwell, N Yorks. He was then living at 9 Dixon St, Skelton. His wife Margaret had been born in Glaisdale, N Yorks and at that time they had 3 children, Mary age 9, Fred 5 and ROBERT age 3. The Photograph was taken some time in the 1920's when John would be in his fifties and Robert in his twenties. Robert Jackson later married a Dorothy Short and their children were Trevor [Derek, the contributor's father], Beryl and Bruce. It is thought that the family lived for a time at 14 Dixon St, Skelton, before moving to Dormanstown, Redcar, N Yorkshire. The person second left, seated at the piano, is FREDERICK BELL.

Frederick and his father Robert, before him, were the Organists at Skelton Church from Victorian times to the 1950's. They were also Music teachers at their home, 67 High St, Skelton. The 1881 census lists Robert Bell as an unmarried 34 year old "Musician", living with his unmarried sister Ellen, a seamstress. There is a mention in the Parish Magazine for 1891 of him playing the Church organ. Robert Bell must have married around 1882, for by the time of the 1901 census, age 55, he is still living at 67 High St, but now has a wife, Isabella and two children - William, age 18, an Ironstone miner and Frederick, age 13, a "music student". Fred must have had to take over from his father at an early age for a Skelton directory of 1909 lists him as Music Teacher and Church Organist. If anyone can confirm any of these details and knows any more about Fred Bell's Orchestra, please email the above address.

The following email was received from Elaine Sayer I am researching the Sayer Family of Worsall 1068 - 1670 and came across your website whilst browsing through the areas where some of the Sayer's lived. What a wonderful site !! It is so interesting and well done - I couldn't stop reading through it. May I say its one of the best village/small town sites I have seen and the information about Robert de Bruce and the families connected is second to none. Wonderful. Many thanks for hours of reading and superb presentation. From Roy Hogben, Ithaca, NY, USA. I stumbled upon your History of Skelton web site while looking for some information on the Parish Church in Skelton, where my grandmother was married in 1897. I have spent hours absorbing the information. What a treasure you have created. My family were three generations of ironstone miners in Eston, Normanby, Lingdale and finally Great Ayton before my father and mother emigrated to America when the Ayton mines closed at the end of the 1920's. I still have a cousin and his family living in Skelton and Saltburn. I have been working on my family history for several years and have visited the Cleveland Hills area several times. I am always eager to learn about the lives my family lived. What an amazing web site you have created. Thank you!