TIME LINE
1883 Jun Quarter Marriage of Jane Elizabeth Hodgson and Joseph Skillicorn
1883 Sept Q son - Albert John Skillicorn born Cleator
1885 June Q daughter - Florence Ann Skillicorn 1885 born Cleator
1887 Sep Q son - James Kendall Skillicorn 1887 born Cleator
1889 Mar Q son - William Hodgson Skillicorn 1889 born Cleator
1890 Oct Joseph Skillicorn leaves for South Africa
1891 Census Jane (no occupation) and 4 children living in Cleator, 41 Trumpet Rd
?? We don’t know what happened here, but is seems likely that Jane had to go to work. She possibly went into domestic service, and the children were sent to her relatives, and she ended up in Halifax having an illegitimate son, Thomas.
1894 Oct Thomas Mitchell Skillicorn born in Halifax
?? We don’t know what happened here. Jane had to continue working. Was she taking care of Thomas, or was he already in care somewhere else?
1897 May Jane gives birth to an illegitimate son at St Bees. She is working as a charwoman.
1897 July Jane sent to Broadmoor Asylum, after a court case found her guilty of the baby’s death, but insane at the time.
Her children end up with various relatives. Thomas Mitchell age 2 ½ sent into care - where?
Finding the court records may be useful in understanding exactly what happened to Jane and to her children. Were there legal directives about the children’s care?
1901 Census Skillcorn children living with relatives in Cleator, Thomas Mitchell age 7 in Whitehaven Workhouse.
1902 July Jane released from Broadmoor
?? We don’t know what happened here, but it seems that Jane returned to Cleator and was reunited with some of her children. I really wonder if Jane ever had much contact again with Thomas, who may have been sent off from the workhouse to farm service as soon as possible.
1908 Dec Joseph Skillicorn dies in Sth Africa
1911 Census Jane, a widow, charwoman living in Cleator with 2 oldest sons. 57 Trumpet Rd. Jane only acknowledges the birth of 4 children. She does not record 2 illegitimate sons, or death of 1 son.
Son William is living with his maternal grandmother.
Thomas Mitchell is working on a farm in Whitehaven.
1914 Jane Skillicorn marriage to Henry TYSON
1918 James Kendall Skillicorn dies in WW1. His military records acknowledge his mother Jane Elizabeth and siblings Albert, Florence and William. NO mention of Thomas Mitchell.
This is the 2nd time that Thomas Mitchell has not been acknowledge as a member of the family. I suspect that he had been “forgotten about” – separated and estranged from the family since he was a toddler. Very sad.
I think if you want to find out who Joseph Skillcorn was, you will need the information from the marriage record. However, I really don’t see how he could have been Thomas’s father.
