F. J. (Frederick John) Snell

Frederick John Snell was an English historian, writer, and artist. Sources on his dates are not fully consistent, but major library and public-domain records identify him as born in 1862, and his published work places him among the active literary historians of the late Victorian and early 20th-century period.

He wrote widely on English literary and historical subjects, with books including The Age of Chaucer, The Age of Alfred, The Age of Transition, The Fourteenth Century, The Blackmore Country, and King Arthur's Country. He also edited Memorials of Old Devonshire, a collection meant to present Devon's past through vivid episodes rather than a dry chronological survey.

Snell is also remembered as a contributor to the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. His work suggests a writer especially drawn to English literary heritage, local history, and the character of the West Country, combining scholarly interests with an eye for landscape and place.