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 Emma 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.

John Jackson with his daughter Winsome on his Right. The lady on the Left is very likely Mary Emma, who was some 19 years older than Winsome.

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 and he was the chief provider of music at Skelton Concerts. 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 address given on the Intro page. THE WEBSITE MAKES A FAMILY CONNECTION. I have had an email from Stephen Jackson of Darlington informing me that the details given above about the Jackson family have been the means by which he has traced his own family background. By the year 1930, John Jackson, the violinist in the photograph above had lost Margaret, his wife and was living with his eldest daughter Mary Emma at 99 High St, Skelton. In this year Mary had an illegitimate child at the age of 38. There are only family suspicions regarding the name of the father. She gave birth to a son, Eric Jackson at 75 Redcar Road, Guisborough on the 30th September and put him up for adoption with a couple from Darlington, with the request that he kept his real name.

Eric Jackson.

Eric grew up and stayed in Darlington for the rest of his life. He was very active outside work, becoming a Darlington Councillor at a very early age and eventually was made Mayor in 1970. He unfortunately died of a heart attack in 1982. He had two sons, Martyn and Stephen. They both still live in Darlington with their families. Eric Jackson never knew his family background and when his youngest son Stephen came to try and trace his ancestry, all he had to go on was Eric's birth certificate, which gave the mother as Mary Emma Jackson of 99 High St, Skelton. With a common name like Jackson, he was not too hopeful of finding anything on the internet and he says he was "shocked" to find a photograph and family details of John Jackson, the man who turned out to be his Great Grandfather. I was able to put him in touch with Derek Jackson, who contributed the photograph of the Skelton Orchestra. By sharing their family researches, they have established that they are in fact related. Steve has sent the photographs shown here, a later one of John Jackson and daughter Winsome and an early one of his father Eric. Sadly he has never been able to find one that positively identifies his Grandmother, Mary Emma.

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!