Robinson, Harry

Harry RobinsonClog dancer and teacher from Stanley, Co Durham.  Claimed as a pupil by Jimmy Ellwood although this seems unlikely.

Competed in the Northumberland and Durham Championships held in Gateshead in 1908, being placed 8th.

He taught in the back kitchen of his house in Stanley charging (in about 1930)  a shilling for up to two hours.

 

His pupils included:

Mabel “Tiny” Allison
Jackie Collicot
Tommy Keirs
Matty Smith

He helped organise and also judged the Northumberland and Durham Championship competition at Stanley in 1935, also judging at Durham in 1936.  He organised and judged at a competition in Stanley during WW2 in which Ivy Sands competed.  She told the IRT on 18/10/1980 that he gave three of his own trophies as prizes at this event.

Other information above derives from an interviews with Tiny Allison on 15/9/1980 and 23/11/1980,  Jackie Collicott on 23/1/1982, the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle 4/7/1908, the Durham Chronicle for 18/9/1936, the Newcastle Evening Chronicle for 30/5/1935 and an MSS list of pupils in Jimmy Ellwood‘s handwriting shown to the IRT by Angus Catanach.