Francis Jenkinson

Francis John Henry Jenkinson (20 August 1853 – 21 September 1923) was librarian of the University of Cambridge 1889-1923.[1] He was succeeded by A. F. Scholfield.

Francis J. H. Jenkinson by John Singer Sargent, 1915.

Jenkinson was born in the town of Forres, Moray in Scotland. He studied at Marlborough College, and then Trinity College, Cambridge, where in 1876 he gained a first class degree in the Classical Tripos. In 1878 he became a Trinity fellow, lecturing in Classics between 1881-1889.[2]

Whilst librarian at Cambridge, he oversaw the acquisition of various collections including Lord Acton's library and material from the Cairo Genizah.[3][2] During the First World War he began what is known as the War Reserve Collection, which includes unofficial and personal items and ephemera such as flyers, cards and journals as well as public school rolls of honour and weekly casualty lists.[4][3] He made a public appeal for donations to the collection, following which donations were received from members of the armed forces, personal contacts, and members of the public.[3]

He received the honorary degree Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) from the University of Oxford in October 1902, in connection with the tercentenary of the Bodleian Library.[5]