Background
Enys was born 21 September 1796, son of Samuel Hunt and Luce Ann Enys, the daughter of Samuel Enys. His father died in 1813, and his mother reverted her name to Enys.
Enys was born 21 September 1796, son of Samuel Hunt and Luce Ann Enys, the daughter of Samuel Enys. His father died in 1813, and his mother reverted her name to Enys.
Enys was educated at Winchester College, matriculated at Exeter College, Oxford, and took an honorary third in classics.
He also made numerous studies on the extensive mining industry in Cornwall. The steam engine was just becoming widely used in Cornwall, after the introduction of the Watt steam engine, and Enys spent considerable effort studying and improving the models used nearby. In the process he wrote several seminal papers on the comparative performance of the engines, notably Remarks on the Duty of the Steam Engines employed in the Mines of Cornwall at different Periods.
With Henry de la Beche, Enys took up the topic of geology and mineralogy, which lead to an interest in architecture.
During a trip to Italy, he became interested in boats and published several papers on improved buoys, reefing and hull shapes.
He was voted a member of the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall in 1827.