author
Henry Jenner
1848–1934
A driving force behind the modern revival of the Cornish language, this scholar helped turn a fading tradition into a living cultural movement. His work still stands at the heart of Cornwall’s literary and linguistic history.
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About the author
Born in St Columb Major, Cornwall, in 1848, Henry Jenner became one of the key figures in the revival of the Cornish language. He worked for many years at the British Museum, where his scholarship deepened his interest in Celtic languages and in Cornwall’s distinct cultural heritage.
Jenner is best known for helping spark the modern Cornish language revival. His A Handbook of the Cornish Language (1904) gave learners and enthusiasts a practical starting point and became one of the foundational books for anyone trying to recover and study Cornish.
He was also a cultural activist as well as a scholar, promoting Cornish identity through writing, public speaking, and involvement in Celtic organizations. By the time of his death in 1934, he was widely recognized as a central figure in preserving and renewing a language that might otherwise have been lost.