H. (Henry) Parker

Henry Parker, born in 1849, was a British engineer who worked in colonial Ceylon’s Irrigation Department from 1873 to 1904. That long service gave him unusual access to the island’s interior, and he later used those experiences to write about its history, archaeology, and traditional culture.

He is especially known for Ancient Ceylon (1909), a large study of Sri Lanka’s early civilization, and for Village Folk-Tales of Ceylon (1910), a three-volume collection of stories he gathered and translated. His work is often noted for combining practical knowledge of ancient reservoirs and landscapes with a strong interest in folklore and village life.

I wasn’t able to confirm a suitable portrait image from reliable page images during this search, so no profile image is included here.