Jenkyns was born in
Evercreech in Somerset, and was baptised on 21 December 1782. He was the eldest son of John Jenkyns (1753–1824),
prebendary of Wells, and his wife Jane (). He was appointed a
Fellow of
Balliol College, Oxford, in 1802, and later served as a
Tutor in 1813,
Bursar in 1814, and
Master from 23 April 1819 until his death in 1854. He was awarded a
Master of Arts in 1806 and a
Doctor of Divinity in 1819. During his time as Master at Balliol College, Jenkyns also served as
Vice-Chancellor of
Oxford University from 1824 until 1828. He introduced open competition for
scholarships and also raised the standard of Balliol College to the first rank at Oxford. ==References==