Robert Jackson

JACKSON, Robert.  b. Oldham, Lancashire, May 1840; d. Oldham, 12 July 1914. He was the son of Thomas Jackson (1806-1868), organist of St Peter’s Church: Robert succeeded his father in 1868, remaining as organist until May 1913, when he had differences with the new vicar and resigned. Father and son served the church uninterruptedly for 93 years. According to Young (1993, p. 776) he directed the Oldham Music Society and the Werneth Vocal Society. Robert studied at the Royal Academy of Music, beginning his organ career at St Mark’s, Grosvenor Square, before returning to Oldham. He was a prolific composer, setting to music many of the folk-poems of the Lancashire dialect poet Edwin Waugh...