The early genealogy of Edward Jenner and the Jenner family of Kempsford, Marston Meysey and Maiseyhampton

Abstract

Edward Jenner (1749–1823) was one of the most important British historical medical figures and is considered the pioneer of vaccination and father of immunology. He was born and practised in Berkeley, Gloucestershire and in addition to many biographies about his life and work, his genealogy to 1612 in Standish, Gloucestershire, is well-documented. A single document in Gloucestershire archives establishes the Standish Jenners as a cadet branch of the Jenner family of Kempsford and its surrounding parishes. A remarkably high frequency of early Jenner wills in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, coupled with standard genealogical research, has established a pedigree that extends that of Edward Jenner by three generations, to approximately 1500 and collaterally, to important land owners in seventeenth century Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. This represents the most complete genealogy to date of the Jenner family and records confirm the existence of the family in the area in the early fifteenth century. This study also demonstrates the utility of wills as genealogical resources, especially prior to the start of parish registers and highlights the importance of sources such as deponents in legal cases to provide key locational genealogical information. The pedigree also illustrates the potential upwards social mobility in seventeenth century Gloucestershire.