Henry Jenner

Born in 1848, he was an English scholar, librarian, folklorist, and poet who became one of the best-known early champions of the Cornish language. He worked at the British Museum and was deeply interested in Celtic studies, local history, and traditional culture.

He is especially remembered for A Handbook of the Cornish Language (1904), a book widely regarded as a landmark in the modern Cornish language revival. Alongside his writing and research, he was active in Cornish cultural life and helped inspire later generations who continued the revival movement.

He died in 1934, but his name remains closely tied to Cornwall’s literary and cultural history. Readers coming to his work today will find not only scholarship, but also the enthusiasm of someone determined to keep a threatened language and heritage alive.