Alfred Kenneth Hamilton Jenkin (29 October 1900 – 20 August 1980) was a British historian with a particular interest in Cornish mining, publishing ''The Cornish Miner'', now a classic, in 1927.

Birth and education

He was born in

Redruth Redruth ( , kw, Resrudh) is a town and civil parishes in Cornwall, civil parish in Cornwall, England. The population of Redruth was 14,018 at the 2011 census. In the same year the population of the Camborne-Redruth urban area, which also inc ...

on 29 October 1900, the son of Alfred Hamilton Jenkin, and his wife, Amy Louisa Keep. He attended

University College, Oxford University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the univer ...

, where in 1919 he became a friend of the famous author,

C.S. Lewis CS, C-S, C.S., Cs, cs, or cs. may refer to: Job titles * Chief Secretary (Hong Kong) * Chief superintendent, a rank in the British and several other police forces * Company secretary, a senior position in a private sector company or public se ...

: both were members of the Martlets Literary Society. He graduated as M.A. and B.Litt. at the University of Oxford.

Cornish activities

Jenkin was a founder

bard In Celtic cultures, a bard is a professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's ancestors and to praise t ...

of the

Gorseth Kernow Gorsedh Kernow (Cornish Gorsedd) is a non-political Cornish organisation, based in Cornwall, United Kingdom, which exists to maintain the national Celtic spirit of Cornwall. It is based on the Welsh-based Gorsedd, which was founded by Iolo Mor ...

in 1928, taking the

bardic name A bardic name (, ) is a pseudonym used in Wales, Cornwall, or Brittany by poets and other artists, especially those involved in the eisteddfod movement. The Welsh term bardd ("poet") originally referred to the Welsh poets of the Middle Ages, who m ...

''Lef Stenoryon'' ('Voice of the Tinners'). He was involved in persuading

Cornwall County Council Cornwall County Council ( kw, Konteth Konsel Kernow) was the county council of the non-metropolitan county of Cornwall in south west England. It came into its powers on 1 April 1889 and was abolished on 1 April 2009. History Cornwall County Counc ...

to set up

Cornwall Record Office Kresen Kernow (Cornish language, Cornish for Cornwall Centre) in Redruth, United Kingdom is Cornwall's archive centre, home to the world's biggest collection of archive and library material related to Cornwall. Funded by the National Lottery Her ...

in the 1950s, and served on its committee until his death.Brooke, Justin (2004
‘Jenkin, (Alfred) Kenneth Hamilton (1900–1980)’
''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'', Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 26 March 2008. In 1959 he was elected President of the

Federation of Old Cornwall Societies The Federation of Old Cornwall Societies (FOCS) was formed in 1924, on the initiative of Robert Morton Nance, with the objective of collecting and maintaining "all those ancient things that make the spirit of Cornwall — its traditions, its old ...

, a position he also held in 1960 and in 1962 he became its first life President. He was elected President of the

Royal Institution of Cornwall The Royal Institution of Cornwall (RIC) is a Learned society in Truro, Cornwall, United Kingdom. It was founded in Truro on 5 February 1818 as the Cornwall Literary and Philosophical Institution. The Institution was one of the earliest of seven ...

for the years 1958, 1959 and was vice-president in 1977.

Recognition as an historian

In 1954 he was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and was awarded his honorary degree of

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...

by the

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a public university , public research university in Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of Min ...

in 1978.

Personal life

He married Luned Marion Jacobs (2nd daughter of

W. W. Jacobs William Wymark Jacobs (8 September 1863 – 1 September 1943) was an English author of short fiction and drama. His best remembered story is "The Monkey's Paw". He was born in Wapping, London, on 8 September 1863, the son of William Gage Jacobs ...

, the famous humourist) and had two daughters: Jennifer Hamilton Jenkin and Honor Bronwen Jenkin. The marriage ended in divorce and his second marriage was to Elizabeth Lenton.

Death

He died 20 August 1980 at

Treliske Hospital The Royal Cornwall Hospital, formerly and still commonly known as the Treliske Hospital, is a medium-sized teaching hospital in Treliske, on the outskirts of Truro, Cornwall, England. The hospital provides training services for the University of ...

, Truro

Publications

*"Boulton and Watt in Cornwall" in ''

Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society The Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society (commonly known as The Poly) is an educational, cultural and scientific charity, as well as a local arts and cinema venue, based in Falmouth, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The Society exists to promot ...

Annual Report, 1926'' * ''The Cornish Miner: an Account of his Life Above and Underground from Early Times''. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1927: three editions, including 3rd edition, 1962 (reprinted by David & Charles, Newton Abbot, 1972 ; reprinted in facsimile with an introduction by John H. Trounson, Launceston: Westcountry, 2004 ) *"The Nationalisation of West-Country Minerals". (New Fabian Research Bureau. Publications series; no. 3) 17 pages. ondon, 1932* ''Cornish Seafarers: the Smuggling, Wrecking and Fishing Life of Cornwall''. London: J. M. Dent, 1932 * ''Cornwall and Its People: being a new impression of the composite work ...''. London: J. M. Dent, 1945 (reprinted 1970 by David & Charles, Newton Abbot ) including: **"Cornish Seafarers", 1932 **"Cornwall and the Cornish: the story, religion and folk-lore of ’The Western Land’", 1933 **"Cornish homes and customs", 1934 *''Cornwall and the Cornish: the story, religion and folk-lore of ’The Western Land’'', London: J. Dent, 1933 *''Cornish Homes and Customs''. London: J. M. Dent, 1934 * ''The Story of Cornwall''. London: Thomas Nelson, 1934 (reprinted by D. Bradford Barton, Truro, 1962) * ''The Western Land''. London: Great Western Railway, 1937 * ''News from Cornwall''. London: Westaway Books, 1946 * ''News from Cornwall'', edited, with a memoir of William Jenkin, by A. K. Hamilton Jenkin. 1951 * ''Mines and Miners of Cornwall'' in 16 volumes, vols. 1–14 originally published by the Truro Bookshop, 1961 onwards and reprinted by various organisations: ** ''Pt. I. Around St. Ives'' ** ''Pt. II. St. Agnes, Perranporth'' ** ''Pt. III. Around Redruth'' ** ''Pt. IV. Penzance-Mount's Bay'' ** ''Pt. V. Hayle, Gwinear and Gwithian'' ** ''Pt. VI. Around Gwennap'' ** ''Pt. VII. Perranporth-Newquay'' ** ''Pt. VIII. Truro to the clay district'' ** ''Pt. IX. Padstow, St Columb and Bodmin'' ** ''Pt. X. Camborne and Illogan'' ** ''Pt. XI. Marazion, St Hilary and Breage'' ** ''Pt. XII. Liskeard area'' ** ''Pt. XIII. The Lizard-Falmouth-Mevagissey'' ** ''Pt. XIV. St Austell to Saltash'' ** ''Pt. XV. Calstock, Callington and Launceston'' Penzance: Federation of Old Cornwall Societies, 1969 (reprinted Bracknell: Forge Books, 1976) ** ''Pt. XVI. Wadebridge, Camelford and Bude'' Penzance: Federation of Old Cornwall Societies, 1970 ** ''Index to Mines and Miners of Cornwall: Volumes 1–16''. St. Austell: Federation of Old Cornwall Societies, 1978 * ''Mines of Devon''. Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1974 **Volume 1: South Devon **Volume 2: Mines of Devon, north and east of Dartmoor: Sydenham Damerel, Lydford, Wheal Betsy, Wheal Friendship, Okehampton, Sticklepath, Chagford, Buckfastleigh, Ashburton, Ilsington, Teign Valley, Newton St. Cyres, and Upton Pyne. (Reprinted by Devon Libraries 1981 ) **Both volumes reprinted by Landmark, 2005 * ''Wendron Tin'' (commissioned by

Poldark Mine Poldark Mine is a tourist attraction near the town of Helston in Cornwall, England, UK. It lies within the Wendron Mining District of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site. Its features include underground guided tour ...

), 1978

References

* Obituary in ''Old Cornwall.'' Vol IX, No 4, Spring, 1981. *

ODNB The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

Article by Justin Brooke, 'Jenkin, (Alfred) Kenneth Hamilton (1900–1980)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200

accessed 26 March 2008.

External links

The Cumberland River Lamp Post (C.S. Lewis appreciation website) accessed 26 March 2008.
* A list of personal names of miners and other people mentioned in the series "Mines and Miners of Cornwall", has been compiled by Michael Messenger, and can be found at http://www.twelveheads.com/mjm/mmcnames.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton Jenkin, A. K. 1900 births 1980 deaths Alumni of University College, Oxford Bards of Gorsedh Kernow British antiquarians Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London People from Redruth History of mining in the United Kingdom Mining in Cornwall Historians of Cornwall Writers from Cornwall 20th-century English historians 20th-century antiquarians