- Richard Jenkin
Richard Garfield Jenkin (
9 October 1925 -29 October 2002 ), was a Cornish politician who was one of the founder members of the Cornish political partyMebyon Kernow [Mebyon Kernow is Cornish for "Sons of Cornwall", often abbreviated MK) ] and a Grand Bard of theGorseth Kernow [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article834460.ece "The Times" 23 November 2002, The Times online: Unsigned obituary - "Richard Jenkin: Haunting presence in the campaign for Cornish devolution"] .] .Background
He was born on
9 October 1925 inIlkeston ,Derbyshire , where his Cornish father was in training as a clergyman. He was proud of his Cornish roots.The Gorseth
In 1947 he was made a Bard of the
Gorseth Kernow through Cornish language qualification, while serving in the British Army. He chose the Bardic name “Son of Exile” (Map Dyvroeth). He a Grand Bard of theGorseth Kernow twice between 1976 and 1982 and between 1985 and 1988 [ [http://www.gorsethkernow.org.uk/english/gallery/grandbards/gallbard.htm List of Grand Bards on Gorseth website.] ] [ [http://www.gorsethkernow.org.uk/english/news/rgjobit.htm Tribute to Richard Jenkin by Jori Ansell (Caradok), with portrait on Gorseth website.] ] .Mebyon Kernow
In 1951, he was one of the founder members of the Cornish political party
Mebyon Kernow . Richard and his wife Ann Jenkin produced a magazine in 1952 called "New Cornwall", which publicised Mebyon Kernow news and policies. He was chairman of Mebyon Kernow in 1973 and became its life president in 1998.Election candidacies
Jenkin fought two
Westminster parliamentary elections (Falmouth and Camborne in 1970 and St Ives 1983).In 1979 he stood for the European parliamentary constituency on a platform of a “
Cornwall Only” seat rather than one shared with part ofDevon and polled 10,205 votes, 5.9% of the total vote [ [http://www.election.demon.co.uk/epe1.html Election to the European Parliament 1979: Results by constituency] ] .He was a member of
Crowan Parish Council from 1964 until 1995.Other activities
He was a teacher and fluent writer of the
Cornish language . He was secretary of the International Celtic Congress and later its president. He gave strong support to the Cornish Constitutional Convention.He was president of the
Federation of Old Cornwall Societies from 1991 to 1992.He was a teacher at
Helston Grammar School.He married Ann Trevenen, from
Redruth in 1954. They had four children, Morwenna, Loveday, Gawen and Conan [ [http://www.mebyonkernow.org/?q=node/54 Conan Jenkin is a member of the leadership team of MK and a Member of Truro City Council (According to the MK Official website (Accessed 24 March 2008)] He has been selected to stand for MK in the next election for the new Truro and Falmouth constituency.] , two of whom have stood as Mebyon Kernow candidates for Parliament. Ann Trevenen Jenkin became the first female Grand Bard from 1997 until 2000.He died in Truro on
29 October 2002 , aged 77.Publications
*"Early life of R. M. Nance" ed. Richard & Ann Jenkin (1961).
*"Cornwall the Hidden Land" (with Ann Trevenen Jenkin, introduction by
Philip Payton ), Bracknell : West Country Publications, 1965.*"Book of Sermons in Cornish" produced by R.G. Jenkin (1983)
*"40 Years of Mebyon Kernow", by Richard Jenkin and others. Publisher: Mebyon Kernow (1991)
*"Cornwall the Hidden Land" (with Ann Trevenen Jenkin,new introduction byPhilip Payton ), 2nd edition, including new material, Leedstown: Noonvares Press, (2005) ISBN 0-95246015-7*"
Delyow Derow " (Oak Leaves) - Cornish Language Literary Magazine, vols 1-15 (1988-1996)*"New Cornwall" - Political magazine. Founded by
Richard Gendall in 1952. Edited by Richard and Ann Jenkin from 1956 to 1973.References
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