William Hals (1655–1737) was a Cornish[1][2] historian who compiled a History of Cornwall, the first work of any magnitude that was printed in Cornwall.[3] He was born at Tresawsan, in the parish of Merther in Cornwall.[4] Much of his work was never published but was used by other Cornish historians, including Davies Gilbert, Thomas Tonkin, and John Whitaker. Some of his original work is now held by the British Library.