Eliza Fenwick (née Jaco) was a Cornish novelist and children's writer active during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Born in Cornwall in 1767, she is best remembered for her epistolary novel, Secresy; or The Ruin on the Rock, published in 1795. This work, which engaged with contemporary radical ideas regarding women's education and autonomy, established her place within the literary circles of her era. In addition to her adult fiction, Fenwick authored several books for children, contributing to the growing market for educational and moral youth literature.
Fenwick's personal life was marked by financial and domestic difficulties. She married an alcoholic husband with whom she had two children. Recognizing the instability of her domestic situation, she eventually made the decision to leave him to secure a livelihood for herself and her family. Her pursuit of independence led her to various teaching and writing endeavors. She eventually emigrated to Barbados, where she and her daughter established and successfully ran a school. She remained active in education until her death in 1840.
