Sir Hilary Jenkinson, 1882-1961 By OLIVER W. HOLMES

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IR HILARY JENKINSON, president of the Society of in Great Britain from its formation in 1955 and S long an honorary member of our own Society of American Archivists, died on March 5, 1961, at 78 years of age. He had retired in 1954 after 48 years' service in the , of which he was Principal Assistant Keeper and Secretary, 1938-47, and Deputy Keeper, 1947-54. Sir Hilary was, almost certainly, the most eminent of his generation in the English-speaking world. During his energetic career in the profession he had made his influence felt not only in Great Britain and in colony and commonwealth, but, to an extra- ordinary degree, also in the United States. It so happened that the revised edition of Jenkinson's Manual of Administration (1937)—then the only systematic treat- ment of the field in English—became available soon after our Na- tional Archives was opened. It inevitably became a Bible to which inexperienced directors and untrained staff members turned for guidance. Like the Bible it was not always clearly understood in details, partly because Jenkinson's writing was always somewhat involved and partly because his illustrations were frequently un- familiar to Americans. Like the Bible, too, it was so often held to be infallible that some skepticism inevitably resulted. From it, how- ever, certain basic archival principles were absorbed at a crucial pe- riod and became henceforth an important part of American archival doctrine. It could have been otherwise. It is true that Leland, Paltsits, and other American pioneers in archival work had preached many of these same principles, but the "manual" they planned was never completed; and it can hardly be said that their teachings were widely known, understood, and practiced in the archival repositories then existent on this side of the Atlantic. Had their teachings not been buttressed by Jenkinson's Manual when they were, policy and di- rectives in connection with the new Federal program might have been much less certain. By the time the Dutch manual was rendered into English by Leavitt (1940), it served chiefly to confirm these principles and to explain them, in areas of arrangement and classi- 345 346 THE AMERICAN ARCHIVIST fication, more clearly and systematically. These two volumes now have been cornerstones of training literature for almost a quarter- century, and have been assigned to and read by students in all classes in archival administration in the United States. Jenkinson's writings make good teaching material because theyDownloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/american-archivist/article-pdf/24/3/345/2744191/aarc_24_3_e521g515xp0n60u1.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 are provocative of discussion. Objections are usually not so much against the principles set forth as against extreme statements of them, with few hints of possible compromises in application. Jenkin- son was an absolutist. He defended his archival principles with the passion of a preacher defending moral principles. Appropriately he made "moral defense" of archives one of the major duties and re- sponsibilities of the archivist. To him, for example, archives were no longer archives if there had been any interruption to the chain of official custody, just as a virgin, with one lapse, is no longer a virgin. They were cast out. There was no such thing as grace or the possi- bility under some circumstances of redemption. We do not forget Jenkinson's principles because we have been so impressed with his statements of them, and, if we feel we must deviate or modify a little here and there, we do so only after making excuses we deem adequate and even then perhaps not without some feeling of guilt. In this brief notice one cannot review Sir Hilary's multiple ac- tivities and many, many specific contributions. This will be done, doubtless, in England, where the many facets of his career and his personality are better known and understood. One stimulating memoir of him was published in his lifetime as the opening essay in Studies Presented to Sir Hilary Jenkinson (1957), an impressive tribute by former students and associates. It is unfortunate that American archivists had no opportunity to know him better, for the writings are understood better after knowing the man, and the man was so much more than his writings. His one brief visit to the United States was a stopover of a few days in 1950 on his return from an official survey of archives in Jamaica. Few that were pres- ent will forget his impromptu talk to members of the staff of the on that occasion. He was always a cordial host in London to American archivists, including the many in uniform who stopped at the Public Record Office during World War II. It is unfortunate also that Sir Hilary is known to many chiefly, or only, through his Manual. Dipping into his other writings is re- freshing, thought-provoking, and broadening, but they are scattered and will become increasingly difficult to assemble. If we really wish to remember him and what he had to teach us, let someone collect the best of his scattered essays and addresses and publish them in a single volume that can stand beside his Manual. Perhaps this vol- SIR HILARY JENKINSON, 1882-1961 347 ume should be divided into several parts. In the first might be in- cluded the more rewarding of the practical essays, such as "Rules for the Transcription of Documents," "Notes on the Preservation, Moulding and Casting of Seals," "Notes for the Guidance of Edi- tors of Record Publications," and such instructive presentations as Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/american-archivist/article-pdf/24/3/345/2744191/aarc_24_3_e521g515xp0n60u1.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 "The Study of English Seals," "Paleography and the Practical Study of Court Hand," notable for its emphasis on the values of adminis- trative history, "The Public Record Office and Its Work," and "Private Archives." A second part should include such valuable surveys of the pro- fession as "Archival Developments in England, 1925-1950," "The English Archivist; A New Profession," "The Future of Archives in England," and one or two of his reports on the work of archivists in World War II. A third part ought to present the archivist as scholar by reprinting studies that contribute directly to history and at the same time stimulate other scholars by illustrating the riches contained in the material the archivist safeguards. Jenk- inson's articles on the "Exchequer Tallies" in Archteologia (1911) or "The Financial Records of the Reign of King John" in the Magna Carta Commemoration Essays (1917) are classic examples of the archivist performing as the high priest of his temple. One would miss much, however, if there were not a place at the end of such a volume for the adroit asides, flashes of wit, and happily ex- pressed insights, characteristic of his writing, that should be rescued from many addresses, fugitive reviews, and long reports that would not be reprinted. We might indeed create a rich and merited memo- rial that would keep alive Sir Hilary's personality and influence.

Selfless Devotee of Truth I am not to attempt here an exposition of the value of archives, but if I were asked to define the creed of the archivist in four words I should say "the sanctity of evidence." It is not, primarily at any rate, his business to use or interpret his charges; he need not be interested in their contents—indeed it is in some ways an advantage if he is not, for that detachment preserves him from the temptation to ex parte procedure. . . . His part is simply to conserve intact every scrap of evidence which not only the contents of the documents but their form, makeup, provenance, and position in relation to the other documents have to offer. His aim is to provide, without prejudice or after-thought, for all who honestly wish to know, the means of knowledge. Viewed in these aspects the good archi- vist is the most selfless devotee of truth the modern world produces. —Hilary Jenkinson, "British Archives and the War," in American Archivist, 7:16 (Jan. 1944).