Ann Trevenen Jenkin

Dorothy Ann Trevenen Jenkin (14 April 1930 – 8 April 2024) was a Cornish and British writer, teacher, librarian, and activist for Cornish independence. She was the first woman Grand Bard of Gorsedh Kernow, a founding member of Mebyon Kernow, and its honorary president from 2011 until her death. Her bardic name was Bryallen, and she was Grand Bard from 1997 to 2000.

She was featured in the BBC Radio 4 programme Last Word on 26 April 2024, when host Matthew Bannister discussed her life with her daughter Loveday Jenkin.

Early life and education

Dorothy Ann Trevenen was born on 14 April 1930 in Barnet, Hertfordshire. Her father, John Arnold Trevenen, was a Cornish solicitor, and her mother, Dorothy Goldsmith, was from Somerset. They moved in 1932 to Redruth, Cornwall. Ann was educated in Redruth and spent some time as a boarder at Truro High School during World War II. She studied English at the University of Exeter, then took a teacher training course and taught English at Evesham, Worcestershire. She was appointed a bard of Gorsedh Kernow in 1957, taking the bardic name Bryallen (meaning primrose in Cornish). was a patron of the Hypatia Trust (a Cornwall-based women's organisation), volunteered at Helston Museum, was a district commissioner in the Girl Guides, and was an active member of her local Women's Institute, among other activities.

She died at her home in Leedstown on 8 April 2024, aged 93. At the time of her death, she had four children, including politician and campaigner Loveday Jenkin, and ten grandchildren.

Publications

New Cornwall Magazine (1960-73) Cornwall the Hidden Land (1965) Leedstown School 1878-1978 (1978) Leedstown in our Lifetime: The Story of a Cornish Village (1994) Gwel Kernow (A Cornish View) (1997) Madron's Story (2001) The Dog who Walked to London (2003) Crygyon Kernow Ogas ha Pell (Cornish Ripples Near and Far) (2005) Steren an Colyn Kernow (Steren the Cornish Puppy) (2008)