John Stephen Skelton MBE FRBS (8 July 1923 – 26 November 1999) was a British letter-cutter and sculptor. Skelton was a nephew of

Eric Gill Arthur Eric Rowton Gill (22 February 1882 – 17 November 1940) was an English sculptor, letter cutter, typeface designer, and printmaker. Although the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' describes Gill as "the greatest artist-craftsma ...

and was first apprenticed to his uncle, shortly before Gill's death. He continued his training under Joseph Cribb. His public work includes the headstone to Edward James at West Dean, a sculpture of St Augustine above the church of that dedication in

Bexhill-on-Sea Bexhill-on-Sea (often shortened to Bexhill) is a seaside town and civil parish in the Rother District in the county of East Sussex in South East England. It is located along the Sussex Coast and between the towns of Hastings, England, Hastings ...

, and the font at

Chichester Cathedral Chichester Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in West Sussex, England. It was founded as a cathedral in 1075, when the seat of th ...

(1983).

Norwich Cathedral Norwich Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Norwich, Norfolk, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Norwich and the mother church of the dioc ...

(Our Lady of Pity Sculpture, 1967–8),

Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Salisbury, England. The cathedral is regarded as one of the leading examples of Early English architecture, ...

(inscriptions) and

Winchester Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,Historic England. "Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity (1095509)". ''National Heritage List for England''. Retrieved 8 September 2014. Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun, commonly known as Winches ...

(inscriptions and side altar) show other examples. Other displays can be found in Stratford-upon-Avon, in the Shakespeare Centre and the adjacent Shakespeare Birthplace Garden, while at St. Paul's Cathedral there are plaques designed by Skelton in memory of 10 Allied Field Marshals of the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and

Ivor Novello Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies; 15 January 1893 – 6 March 1951) was a Welsh actor, dramatist, singer and composer who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. He was born into a musical ...

. A memorial to the generals of World War II is in

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

Crypt, London. A tablet commemorating a member of the ship's company of the

Mary Rose The ''Mary Rose'' was a carrack in the English Tudor navy of Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII. She was launched in 1511 and served for 34 years in several wars against France, Scotland, and Brittany. After being substantially rebuilt in ...

is in

Portsmouth Cathedral The Cathedral Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, commonly known as Portsmouth Cathedral, is an Anglican cathedral church in the centre of Old Portsmouth in Portsmouth, England. Since 1935 the historic church has been the cathedral of the Dioc ...

. His brother Christopher Skelton published ''John Skelton, A Sculptor's Work'', in 1977 with a foreword by Joan Ellis. Skelton contributed to Dr Judith Collins' 1998 catalogue on

's sculpture. Worthing Museum and Art Gallery acquired ''The Diver'' (1970), a carving in walnut wood, in 2008; this was made possible through the V&A Purchase Fund and the Friends of the Worthing Museum. In 1993, he exhibited "Skelton at Seventy" in his own house and garden. Skelton exhibited a stone marble carving of a young female's breasts named 'Headrest', which was displayed at the A4E lottery-funded exhibition at Odintune Place, Plumpton, called The Travelling Art Show, in 1997. Skelton was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors in 1963. He was elected as Master of the Art Workers' Guild in 1985, and was awarded an MBE in 1989. He married Myrtle Bromley Martin in 1948, and had two daughters and one son. His daughter Helen trained as a sculptor and works at his workshop.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skelton, John 1923 births 1999 deaths Members of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century British sculptors British male sculptors British letter cutters 20th-century British male artists Masters of the Art Worker's Guild