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

Sir Spencer Maryon-Wilson

Sir Spencer Maryon-Wilson

Benefactor. Born Spencer Pocklington Maryon {sic} Maryon-Wilson, gaining the title of 11th Baronet Wilson on January 1st 1898. He was responsible for the erection of many horse troughs.

Person, Benefactor

2 memorials
Carnegie Hero Fund Trust

Carnegie Hero Fund Trust

From the Trust's website: "In 1886, over 20 years before the Carnegie Hero Fund was established in the UK, {Andrew} Carnegie heard about the death of a Dunfermline boy who drowned in an heroic atte...

Group, Benefactor

1 memorial
Charles Clement Walker

Charles Clement Walker

Andrew Behan has very kindly done some solid work on Walker in the census returns and at ancestry.co.uk.  From this we can say: Walker was born 1822 in Clerkenwell probably in Sutton Street (now No...

Person, Benefactor

5 memorials
Friends in Hampton District

Friends in Hampton District

This phrase sounds rather formal but is probably just a short way of saying "friends living in the Hampton area".

Group, Benefactor, Friend / family

1 memorial
Henry Lewis Raphael & sons Walter & Herbert

Henry Lewis Raphael & sons Walter & Herbert

Henry Lewis Raphael had 12 children with his wife Henriette. Walter, the 6th died 12 October 1938 in Bournemouth. Herbert, the 9th, born 23 December 1859, became an MP and died 25 September 1924, F...

Group, Benefactor, Politics & Administration

2 memorials