Hilary Jenkinson

Sir Charles Hilary Jenkinson (1 November 1882 – 5 March 1961) was a British archivist and archival theorist, regarded as the figure most responsible for bringing continental European concepts of archival theory to the English-speaking world.

Early life, education and military service Born in Streatham, London, Jenkinson was the son of William Wilberforce Jenkinson, a land agent, and Alice Leigh Bedale. In 1947, Jenkinson, along with H. E. Bell, advocated the protection and preservation of a country's archives, even during times of war, so that the "sanctity of evidence" may be preserved in the records.

From 1947 until his retirement in 1954, Jenkinson served as the deputy keeper (chief executive officer) of the repository at the Public Record Office.

He served as Honorary Secretary of the Surrey Archaeological Society. He took a leading part in establishing its daughter organisation, the Surrey Record Society, in 1912; and thereafter, as secretary and general editor until 1950, in establishing its principles of editing and records publication. He was a founder (1932), Joint Honorary Secretary (1932–47) and Vice-President (1954–61) of the British Records Association; President of the Jewish Historical Society of England (1953–55); and President of the Society of Archivists (1955–61). He also played an important role in the setting up of the National Register of Archives in 1945.

He served as the British representative on the UNESCO committee convened in 1948 to establish an International Council on Archives, later becoming a vice-president of the Council. For example, Jenkinson rejected the practice of accepting singular documents into an archive, as well as the acceptance of private papers, which he considered to be a flaw of the French and Belgian philosophies. However, Margaret Procter argues that despite Jenkinson's "iconic" status, his work also rested to a considerable degree on an existing British theoretical tradition.

Key elements in Jenkinson's archival theory included the following: The objectivity of the archival record The principle of provenance Le respect pour les fonds and the significance of the inter-relatedness of records The organic nature of archival records in creation, preservation, and relationship with other records Necessity of continual custody and control of archival records in order to retain significance

Jenkinson saw "the good Archivist" as "perhaps the most selfless devotee of Truth the modern world produces". He further reaffirmed this position by designating the archivist as being a "profession of faith," a serious professional that is uncompromising in their duty.

Disputes with T. R. Schellenberg Jenkinson had a number of theoretical differences of opinion with T. R. Schellenberg, his American counterpart, particularly over the question of the archivist's role in appraisal and selection. John Ridener ascribes their differences in outlook to the fact that, in contrast to Schellenberg's concern with modern records management, Jenkinson's theory was founded on "medieval record structures", and was unsuited to dealing with the increased bulk of modern records. To Schellenberg, it was a matter of quality in the archives. Having an undisturbed and impartial bulk in appraisal and accession does not, in his philosophy, serve the main purpose of the modern archives: making available useful material to patrons. Some records have higher evidentiary value, while others fall short on worth, making the former more desirable for preservation. Schellenberg desired a forward-thinking practicality in the approach to archival appraisal that took into consideration the needs of future patrons (in stark contrast to Jenkinson's conservative approach), while maintaining Jenkinson's notions of record relatedness, evidentiary value, and "truth" in archival holdings.

Criticism Jenkinson's greatest influence on archival theory and practice emerged from his publications, teaching and other activities undertaken in a personal capacity, and undertaken to a great degree early in his career. By contrast, in his professional career at the Public Record Office, and in particular as Deputy Keeper from 1947 to 1954, he was often seen as an autocratic and inflexible conservative. Elizabeth Shepherd comments that "it was only after his retirement that the PRO could finally develop a professional archival approach to its work", as Jenkinson did not like individual interpretations or differing viewpoints of his philosophy.

Honours Jenkinson was appointed CBE in 1943 and knighted in 1949. Terry Eastwood in 2003 called Jenkinson "one of the most influential archivists in the English-speaking world".

Jenkinson influenced University College, London's decision to establish an archives diploma course, and would later present its first lecture.

Principal publications English Court Hand, A.D. 1066 to 1500, with Charles Johnson (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1915) Palaeography and the Practical Study of Court Hand (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1915) A Manual of Archive Administration (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1922; revised edition 1937, reissued 1965) 1922 edition via the Internet Archive 1937 edition via the Internet Archive Elizabethan Handwritings: a preliminary sketch (London: Oxford University Press/Bibliographical Society, 1922) The Later Court Hands in England from the Fifteenth to the Seventeenth Century, 2 vols (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1927) The English Archivist: a new profession (London: H. K. Lewis & Co. Ltd., 1948) A Guide to Seals in the Public Record Office (London: HMSO, 1954; second edition 1968) Selected Writings of Sir Hilary Jenkinson, ed. Roger H. Ellis & Peter Walne (Gloucester: Alan Sutton, 1980; reissue (with a new introduction) 2003)

A fuller bibliography of Jenkinson's writings to 1956 appears as:

Festschrifts