Person    | Male  Born 14/10/1644  Died 30/7/1718

William Penn

Categories: Benefactor, Philosophy, Religion

Countries: Ireland, USA

Quaker leader and founder of Pennsylvania. Born in the Liberty of the Tower. After studying law, he spent several years in Ireland managing his father's estates. During this time he converted to Quakerism. In 1681 he obtained a grant of territory in North America and in 1682 sailed to establish the colony that was to become Pennsylvania. Returning from a period back in England, he found that his constitution had proved to be unworkable and needed to be much altered. Died at Ruscombe, Berkshire.

It was Charles II that named the land in North America 'Pennsylvania', in honour of Penn's father, Admiral Sir William Penn (1621-70).  Penn Jnr., a modest Quaker, was uncomfortable, fearing that people would think it was named for him, as indeed people generally do.

Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
William Penn

Commemorated ati

Pepys - Stew Lane

This page of Pepys' Diary is given at The Diary of Samuel Pepys with lots of ...

Read More

Tower Liberty

We normally rotate our memorial pictures as necessary to make sure the statue...

Read More

William Penn

William Penn, quaker, born on Tower Hill, baptised in + All Hallows Church, 2...

Read More

William Penn - Rickmansworth

Here William Penn (1644 - 1718) Quaker statesman and man of vision, founder o...

Read More

This section lists the memorials created by the subject on this page:
William Penn

Creations i

Stoke Newington - civilian war memorial

The 113 names are grouped by the location/date of the bomb: 88 people ("also ...

Read More

Other Subjects

Mrs Owen Lewis
1 memorial
Sir Horatio Grece Regnart

Sir Horatio Grece Regnart

Born Jersey. Aged 15 joined John Maples, Furniture dealer, and progressed to being vice-president of of the store in Tottenham Court Road. 1870 married. Alderman of St Pancras Borough Council. Live...

Person, Benefactor, Commerce, Politics & Administration, Channel Islands

2 memorials
Lionel Barnett

Lionel Barnett

When we first listed these memorials in 2014 we could find no information about "Mrs" but the Encyclopaedia Judaica listed a Lionel Barnett that could be our Lionel and Wikipedia adds some details:...

Person, Benefactor, Museums / Libraries

1 memorial

Previously viewed

John V. Doubleday

John V. Doubleday

John V. Doubleday was born on 9 October 1947 in Langford, Maldon, Essex, the youngest of the three children of Gordon Vincent Doubleday (1914-1993) and Margaret Elsa Verder Doubleday née Harris (19...

Person, Art, Sculpture

3 memorials
Mrs Gaskell

Mrs Gaskell

Novelist and short story writer. Born Elizabeth Cleghorn Stevenson,Chelsea. Most of her childhood was spent with her aunt in Knutsford, Cheshire, the town upon which she based Cranford in the novel...

Person, Literature

1 memorial
Order of St John of Jerusalem

Order of St John of Jerusalem

Order of St John of Jerusalem The Order of St John of Jerusalem combined religion, crusading military might and the care of the sick. 1309-1522 the primary home of the Order was the island of Rhode...

Group, Armed Forces, Emergency Services, Medicine, Religion

6 memorials
Khaki

Khaki

A very successful comedy burlesque written by Herbert C. Sargent and Con West and was performed at the Islington Empire. It starred Ernie Lotinga. Great War Fiction has a report on the censor's res...

Fiction, Humour, Theatre

1 memorial
Great Central Railway

Great Central Railway

A railway company which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in anticipation of the opening of its London extension. It was eventually grouped in...

Group, Transport

4 memorials