Jennifer Westwood (5 January 1940 – 12 May 2008) was a British author, broadcaster and folklorist. She was a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

with special interests in English Language, Anglo-Saxon and

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...

. Her first book, ''Mediaeval Tales'', was published in 1968. An active committee member of

The Folklore Society The Folklore Society (FLS) is a national association in the United Kingdom for the study of folklore. It was founded in London in 1878 to study traditional vernacular culture, including traditional music, song, dance and drama, narrative, arts an ...

from 1987 until 2003, she undertook a variety of duties including editing its publications and helping other authors. As a broadcaster, she worked on programmes produced for

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

and the corporation's Radio Norfolk. Commonly known as "Jen", after her second marriage she also authored books in the name of Jennifer Chandler.

Early life and family

Born Jennifer Beatrice Fulcher in Norton Subcourse, a small village in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, on 5 January 1940, her father was employed as a bricklayer and her mother was a school teacher. Her primary school education was at

Beccles Beccles ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Suffolk.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . The town is shown on the milestone as from London via the A145 and A12 roads, north-east of London as the crow fl ...

in Suffolk, some eight miles distant from her home, although she had been taught to read by the time she was three-years-old. She then attended Sir John Leman Grammar School, again in Beccles, where she went on to secure a place at St Anne's College, Oxford to further her education, studying English and Anglo-Saxon Languages. Following her marriage to Trevor Westwood who was undertaking a course at Loughborough University in Sports Education, she attended

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

studying

. She travelled to Iceland and Scandinavia to carry out research for her degree. In 1968 she was divorced from her first husband. Her second marriage was to a management consultant, Brian Chandler. She had a son, Jonathan.

Career

In 1968 her first book, ''Mediaeval Tales'', was published; based on the stories she had researched while at Cambridge, the book was produced for the enjoyment of children. A compendium of adapted British medieval stories together with tales from the same era translated from French, Dr Jessie Roderick, the University of Maryland's assistant Professor of Education, felt it would give children in Upper Elementary Schools a good foundation in the topic. Westwood went on to pen several more books in the same genre as well as contributing to

Rupert Bear Rupert Bear is a British children's comic strip character and franchise created by artist Mary Tourtel and first appearing in the ''Daily Express'' newspaper on 8 November 1920. Rupert's initial purpose was to win sales from the rival ''D ...

Annuals. Writing in ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

'' literary critic

Naomi Lewis Naomi Lewis (3 September 1911 – 5 July 2009) was a British poet, essayist, literary critic, anthologist and reteller of stories for children. She is particularly noted for her translations of the Danish children's author, Hans Christian A ...

describes Westwood's next book, ''Gilgamesh and Other Babylonian Tales'', also published in 1968, as providing an "informing scholarly commentary". Westwood was a keen and meticulous researcher producing a large number of varied publications. Her 1985 book ''Albion: Guide to Legendary Britain'' was described by folklorist

Jacqueline Simpson Jacqueline Simpson (born 1930) is a prolific, award-winning British researcher and author on folklore.f legendsand offer a full, scholarly analysis of their sources and affiliations." Additionally, she felt it was suitable for general readers and specialists. In later years Simpson frequently worked closely with Westwood and she gave an indication of the methodology and aims the pair used when working together on their 2005 publication ''The Lore of the Land'' in her 2007 Katharine Briggs Memorial Lecture. A series of guidebooks separated into county headings were produced between 1989 and 1992; Westwood contributed three volumes: ''Gothick Hertfordshire''; ''Gothick Norfolk''; and ''Gothick Cornwall''. Juliette Wood, an academic and fellow folklorist, highlighted the sound research undertaken and considered the guides provided a happy medium by appealing to readers with a general interest in folklore as well as those seeking a more scholastic approach. During May 1996 Westwood attended the

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (, lit.: "Saint Marys of the Sea"; Provençal Occitan: ''Li Santi Mario de la Mar'') is the capital of the Camargue ( Provençal Occitan ''Camarga'') in the south of France. It is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône ...

; six months later she returned for the October pilgrimage having authored the 200 page book ''Sacred Journeys: An Illustrated Guide to Pilgrimages Around the World'' in the interim. She became an active member of

committee in 1987. Some of the various duties she undertook for the Society included acting as Publications Officer, co-editor of the journal ''Folklore'' and the editing of FLS Books. In 2008 the Society awarded her the Coote Lake medal in recognition of her "outstanding research and scholarship." Only awarded occasionally, previous recipients include the folklorists

Iona and Peter Opie Iona Margaret Balfour Opie, (13 October 1923 – 23 October 2017) and Peter Mason Opie (25 November 1918 – 5 February 1982) were an English married team of folklorists who applied modern techniques to understanding children's literature and ...

, Professor

E. O. James Edwin Oliver James (1888 – 1972) was an anthropologist in the field of comparative religion. He was Professor Emeritus of the History and Philosophy of Religion in the University of London, Fellow of University College London and Fellow of King ...

and M. M. Banks. An eloquent, accomplished and knowledgeable speaker, Westwood worked on programmes like "Land Lines" produced for

and the corporation's Radio Norfolk.

Death

In 1998 Westwood was diagnosed with

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

but carried on her committee work until 2003. She died on 12 May 2008.

Selected works

* ''Gilgamesh and Other Babylonian Tales (Heroic retellings from history and legend)'' (1968) * ''Isle of Gramarye: An Anthology of the Poetry of Magic'' (1970) * ''Tales and Legends'' (1971) * ''Stories of Charlemagne'' (1972) * ''Alfred the Great (Wayland kings and queens)'' (1978) * ''Albion: Guide to Legendary Britain'' (Hardback 1985) (Paperback 1995 ) * ''Going to Squintum's: A Foxy Folk Tale'' (1985) * ''Gothick Hertfordshire'' (1989) * ''Gothick Norfolk'' (1989) * ''Gothick Cornwall'' (1992) * ''Sacred Journeys: An Illustrated Guide to Pilgrimages Around the World'' (1997) * ''Mysteries: Lost Atlantis (Mysteries of the Ancient World)'' (1997) * ''Sacred Journeys: Paths for the New Pilgrim'' with Martin Palmer (2000) * ''The Atlas of Legendary Places'' with James Harpur (2001) * ''On Pilgrimage: Sacred Journeys Around the World'' (2003) * ''The Lore of the Land: A Guide to England's Legends, from Spring-heeled Jack to the Witches of Warboys'' with Jacqueline Simpson (2005) * ''The Penguin Book of Ghosts: Haunted England'' with Jacqueline Simpson (2008) * ''The Lore of Scotland: A guide to Scottish legends'' with Sophia Kingshill (2009)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Westwood, Jennifer 1940 births 2008 deaths English folklorists Women folklorists Folklore writers English women non-fiction writers People from South Norfolk (district) Alumni of St Anne's College, Oxford Alumni of the University of Cambridge