Eliza Fenwick (née Jaco; 1 February 1767 – 8 December 1840) was a Cornish[1][2] author, whose works include Secresy; or The Ruin on the Rock (1795) and several children's books.

[4] By this time, Fenwick's daughter had moved to the West Indies to be an actress, and married William Rutherford, by whom she had four children.

In 1819, Fenwick's son-in-law left the family, leaving the mother and daughter to bring up the four children.

The pair ran a secondary school, which provided income and ensured the children's own education.

[1] Visits to the Junior Library (1805, facsimile 1977) tells of a ghastly West Indian family with a slave nurse being "reclaimed by discovering the joys of learning.