Tour of the Continent

Penn’s father, hoping he would learn something of the real world (Buckley, Paul 2003 ), sent him on a tour of the continent from 1662-4. He and his companion, the Earl of Crawford, were received at court by Louis XIV (first cousin to Charles II and about the same age as Penn). He then studied at the Huquenot Academy at Saumer, France. In 1664 he continued his travels with Robert Spencer and meets Spencer’s uncle, Algernon Sidney who was living in exile in Turin. He returned to England in August, 1665. (Quinn ) Pepys noted that Wlliam had the vanity of the French, a taste for fine clothes which he continued all his life despite his conversion to Quakerism. (Faintel p54 )

Penn’s study of the Huquenots and meeting with Sidney were both likely siginificant to his future governance of Pennsylvania and his influence on the future United States.

Assault in Paris

William is 18 and in Paris when he is involved in an assualt or fight but is able to get away when he draws his sword. He later recounts that he was troubled that he could have hurt or killed someone, but in a later story refers to this incident as justification for carrying a weapon since it allowed him to defend himself and end the incident. Weapons are not allowed in Quakerism and at some point Penn stopped wearing one. (Buckley ) See more below.

The Huquenots

Penn felt that the French were much more refined than the English but did not like their extravagant displays of wealth and privilege. He met theologian Moise Amyraut who invited William to study with him at Saumer for a year. (Fantel – p51 ) Amyraut preached tolerance and a belief in free will which allowed Penn to rid himself of Puritan guilt and rigid beliefs. (Fantel – p53 ).

The Huquenots were French Protestants who had benefited from freedom of religion in France since the Edict of Nantes in 1598. This Edict followed the Wars of Religion, eight civil wars between 1562 and 1598. Nantes was revoked by Louis XIV in 1685. He considered the Huquenots and other minority religions to be a threat to his monarchy. Huquenots were emigrating to America as early as the Mayflower in 1620 but the revocation of Nantes caused a mass exodus with Huquenots moving out of France to various parts of Europe and then to America. (The Huquenot Society of Great Britain and Ireland – no date ) Many were lured to Pennsylvania due to Penn’s promise of religious freedom. (Struble, George G – no date p276 )

Algernon Sidney

Penn’s meeting with Sidney also likely left an impression. Sidney was living in exile in Turin following the restoration of Charles II (Penn’s father, the Admiral, was a supporter of Charles and his brother James, the Duke of York). Sidney did not believe in the Divine Right of Kings (Online Library of Liberty – no date ) and on at least one occasion applied to Louis XIV to fund an overthrow of Charles II in England. He returned to England in 1677 and joined what would become the Whig party in opposition to Charles and James. In 1683 he was arrested as part of the Rye House Plot to assassinate the King, His relationship to the conspirators was not clear but he was sentenced to death for treason on June 26, 1683 and executed December 7, 1683. (Oterson, David – November 1, 2022 )

At his trial, the most incriminating evidence presented by the prosecution was a series of anti-monarchical passages from a seized manuscript of Sidney’s reformist treatise, Discourses Concerning Government. The Discourses were ultimately published ten years after the Glorious Revolution, in 1698, and would subsequently have a profound intellectual and ideological influence on the American Revolution. (Oterson )

Penn would later campaign for Sidney when he runs for Parliament in 1678 as a Whig. (Quinn )

Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Stephen Hopkins were all later fans of Sidney. Jefferson, in 1825, said that the Declaration of Indepence was not anything new but a summary of ideas from Aristotle, Cicero, Locke, Sidney (Otersen )

Bryn Mawr historian Caroline Robbins has even referred to the Discourses as a “Textbook of Revolution” for American Independence. (Otersen )

Sidney is regarded by the Whigs as a great republican martyr. (Encyclopedia Britannica – no date )

Study of Law

William began a study of the law in 1665 at Lincoln’s Inn in London after returning from Europe in February, 1665. When his father prepared to set sail against the Dutch he decided to with and served as an emissary between the Admiral and the King. He developed a new respect for his father: I never knew what a father was till I had wisdom enough to prize him… I pray God… that you come home secure. (Fantel p59 )

He returned to London in 1665 the city was consumed with plaque. He observed how Quakers taking care of the sick were arrested and even accused of causing the disease. (Fantel p61 )

He continued his law studies then in 1666 he returned to Ireland (Indepence Hall (3) ) to take care of some business there for his father, who was sick with gout. (NPS ) In Octover 1660 the Penns gave up their castle at Macroom but were given even more land in the Baroney of Imokilly, south of Cork – an estate known as Shangarry. The Admiral had not gotten full title to the estate by 1666 so William had traveled to Ireland to oversee this business. (Buckley, Eila p82 )

he displayed a towering legal mind in the devising of the doctrine of jury nullification and was the winner in a great many lawsuits. He even demonstrated he was capable of winning dubious lawsuits, soundly defeating Lord Baltimore in a border dispute over Maryland which others have said showed Baltimore had the stronger case. We know he had influence at Court, and such legal victories suggest he might on occasion have taken full advantage of it. But he was also exploited by poorly-designed contracts to his eventual financial ruin. (Fisher )

Military Aspirations

While in Ireland, he and his friend Lord Arran quell a rebellion at Carrickfergus. This and his brief experience at sea with his father made him contemplate a military career. The Earl of Ormonde, Lord Lieutenant in Dublin, suggested to the Admiral that he give up his captaincy at Kisnale and transfer it to young William. While waiting on his father’s reply he had his portrait done wearing armor. The Admiral decided not to give up his position. The Earl, instead, offered William the post of victualler to the ships at Kinsale. He returned to England for the wedding of his sister Peggy on Valentine’s Day 1667. (Buckley,Eila p86 )

His father discouraged him from the military I can say nothing but advise to sobriety…I wish your youthful desires mayn’t outrun your discretion.(Fantel p63 )

The Great Fire of London

William returned to London shortly after the Great Fire of London that raged from September 2-5 and consumed central London.

The Penn family was not harmed by the fire but William was depressed by the mood of the city. King Charles had further restricted all religions other than Anglican and Quakers were specifically targeted. Penalty for unlawful worship was prison or deportation. (Dobrée p21) Wlliam returned to Ireland.

The fire would later influence Penn’s design of Philadelphia, a green country town that would not burn. (NEED CITATION )

Becoming a Quaker

Followng his sister’s wedding he 1667, he returned to Cork where he inquired about the preacher Thomas Loe, the itenerant Quaker preacher who first exposed him to Quakerism a decade earlier. Penn attended the meeting the next day where Loe was speaking and this was his “convincement” (Buckley,Eila p87 ) He began to attend meetings near Cork and publicly declared himself a Quaker. (Fantel p69 )

On September 3, 1668, he was arrested with 18 others for attending a Friends’ meeting. Penn was apparently very well dressed, very likely carrying a sword, and was offered freedom in exchange for a promise (as a gentleman) of good behavior, but he refused.

The arrest was based on the Proclamation of 1661 which prohibited assmeblies of Quakers,Anabaptists and Fifth Monarch Men. Penn petitioned his friend Lord Orrey, now President of Munster, against the proclamation calling it a “dead and antiquated relic”. This was penn’s first call for religious liberty. Lord Orrey granted their release but also reported back to the Admiral who recalled William back to England. (Buckley,Eila p87 ) (Pierre )

He returned to England following his release. (Quinn ) When his father, the Admiral, saw that William had become a Quaker, he requested only that William would remove his hat when in the presence of King Charles II, the Duke of York (the king’s brother and later King James II), or himself. Quakers refuse to bow or take off their hats to any man Independence Hall ) so William refused and his father threw him out of the house. (Buckley )

George Fox

Much of the following sketch of George Fox is taken from Quakers in the World: George Fox – no date (22) ) William and George became associates and William, with his writing and preaching, did a lot to spread Fox’s message. Penn wrote the introduction to Fox’s Journals that he began writing while imprisoned.

George Fox (1624-1691) was the founder of the Society of Friends also known as the Quakers.

George Fox was born in Fenny Drayton in Leicestershire. He was apprenticed at 12 but left home in 1643 to seek “the truth” by listening to preachers and studying the Bible. He came to believe that everyone, men and women alike, could encounter God themselves, through Jesus, so that priests were not needed, churches were not needed and the tithes to support them were not needed. Fellow believers became known as “Friends of the Truth”.

This was during the time of the English Civil Wars also known as the War of Three Kingdoms. Reasons for the wars are complex but basically had to do with religion and the power of the monarchy. One of the key moments was in January, 1649 when King Charles I was beheaded and the Puritan Parliamentarians led by Olver Cromwell took over the country. England would not have a monarch for a decade until Charles son Charles II was restored in 1660. (English Heritage – no date ) Throughout this entire period Quakerism became more popular despite intense persecution.

The persecution of the Quakers began when Fox was jailed in Nottingham in 1649. According to Fox, the term ‘Quaker’ originated from a sarcastic remark by the judge in Fox’s second trial, in Derby, in 1650. in 1651, he was offered a commission in the army, but refused saying that he lived in the virtue of that life and power that took away the occasion for all wars.

In 1652, he climbed Pendle Hill in Lancashire, where he had a vision of a “great people to be gathered” waiting for him. The beginning of the Society of Friends is usually dated from the day, soon afterwards, when Fox preached to large crowds on Firbank Fell, near Sedbergh, in Cumbria. (Quakers in the World(22) Some days later, he was at Swarthmoor Hall, near Ulverston, home of Judge Fell, Margaret Fell and their family. His ideas were warmly received, and Swarthmoor became a vital hub for the Society of Friends, in Margaret’s capable hands.

Soon he and other Friends, the ‘Valiant Sixty’ or ‘Publishers of Truth’, were travelling all over the country, reporting back to Margaret Fell. Judge Fell, though never a Friend himself, did a lot to protect them until he died in 1658.

In 1660 Quakers and other dissidents were suspected of plotting against the new king. Fox responded with the first formulation of the Peace Testimony, stressing the commitment to nonviolence. Nevertheless, in 1664, Fox was imprisoned for over two years. There, he made plans to organise the growing Society of Friends, devising a framework of local, monthly and yearly meetings that persists, more or less, to the present day.

In May 1669, Fox visited meetings in Ireland. On October 27th, he and Margaret Fell were married. He attended the first Annual Meeting in London in August 1671.

Many Friends emigrated to America and the Caribean Islands and in January 1672 he set sail and spent the next year and a half in the New Work traveling from Barbados to Rhode Island. Penn reportedly was there to see them off. (Quinn )

Fox attended the 1675 Annual Meeting then spent the next two years at Swarthmoor Hall. In 1677, Fox went with Robert Barclay, William Penn and others to Holland and Germany, where they saw the effects of the religious wars in other parts of Europe. In the 1680s he spent much time lobbying Parliament against persecution, and went again to Holland in 1684. He lived to see the fruit of his labours, when the 1687 Declaration of Indulgence, confirmed by the 1689 Act of Toleration, finally enabled dissenters to worship freely.

Several meetinghouses were built before he died, in London, in January 1691. He was buried at Bunhill Fields, a non-conformist burial ground on the edge of the City of London.

Buckley, writing in the Friends’ Journal, described Fox as a zealot. George Fox had a clear sense of Truth, Light, and Darkness. He was repeatedly imprisoned, beaten, and had his life threatened for his unwillingness to compromise in even the least thing.

William Penn, however, in The Testimony of William Penn Concerning that Faithful Servant, George Fox an introduction to the Journals of George Fox, described his friend:

And truly, I must say, that though God had visibly clothed him with a divine preference and authority, and indeed his very presence expressed a religious majesty, yet he never abused it, but held his place in the church of God with great meekness, and a most engaging humility and moderation.

Fantel Fox not only extended the Protestant Reformation more radically, but he helped extend the most important principle of modern political history – the rights of the individual – upon which modern democracies were later founded. (Fantel p84 )

Penn’s Sword

As a young gentleman it would have been quite normal for William Penn to carry a sword and up to a certain point he did. Quakers, however, were pacifists and did not carry any weapons, There are at least two stories about when Penn gave up his sword which may or not be true. Penn may have wielded his sword when he was in Paris, and again during his brief military career at Carrickfergus.

One story says that Penn likely was wearing his sword when arrested in Cork but would have had to give it up when jailed. He reportedly was not seen with it again after that. (Buckley )

A second story is that Penn once asked George Fox, the leader of the Quakers, about carrying the sword. Buckley reports that this story first appeared in print on pages 42 and 43 of Samuel M. Janney’s The Life of William Penn. He cites as his source, Related to me by J. P. of Montgomery County, Pa., who had it from James Simpson.

When William Penn was convinced of the principles of Friends, and became a frequent attendant at their meetings, he did not immediately relinquish his gay apparel; it is even said that he wore a sword, as was then customary among men of rank and fashion. Being one day in company with George Fox, he asked his advice concerning it, saying that he might, perhaps, appear singular among Friends, but his sword had once been the means of saving his life without injuring his antagonist, and moreover, that Christ has said, “He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.” George Fox answered, “I advise thee to wear it as long as thou canst.” Not long after this they met again, when William had no sword, and George said to him, “William, where is thy sword?” “Oh!” said he, “I have taken thy advice; I wore it as long as I could.”

Life as a Quaker

Penn paid a heavy price for his beliefs – even before becoming a Quaker – starting with the fine and expulsion from Oxford, then years of essentially being homeless, living with various Quaker families (Fantel p79 ) due to the problems between his father and him. Charles II allowed persecution of religions other than Anglican. (Fantel p84 ) Quakers did not believe that kings were appointed by God which put them particularly at odds with the monarchy. But, William’s high profile and prolific writings helped establish the Society of Friends.

William’s first arrest was in Cork, Ireland in 1667 as reported above, for attending meeting.

Early Writings

Penn published, in 1668 Truth Exalted: To Princes, Priests and People in which he criticized all religions except for Quakers. He followed that up, also in 1668, with The Sandy Foundation Shaken. He was arrested and held in the Tower of London. The Bishop of London demanded he be held until he recanted what he wrote. He was accused of blashemy and of denying the Trinity. (Fantel p101 ) Penn refuted this with Innocency with her open face, presented by way of Apology for the book entitled The Sandy Foundation Shaken. The King accepted this and released him. (Quinn )

No Cross No Crown

While imprisoned, still in 1668, he wrote the book No Cross, No Crown. Without any reference materials he cited 68 authors for this essay completely from memory. (Fantel p105 ) The book, part 1 deals with the concept of self-denial and in part 2 talks about other writers through the ages and their ideas on self-denial, (Wikipedia -no date (40) )

Penn went back to Ireland in 1669 and while there wrote Letter of Love to the Young Convinced and The Great Case of Liberty of Conscience. He also, with the help of his friend Lord Arran and others, won the freedom of all Quakers held in Ireland. William returns to England in 1670 and reconciles with his father. (Quinn )

In 1675 Penn writes “England’s Present Interest Considered”, an argument that religious tolerance leads to prosperity and follows from fundamental English law. (Quinn )

Winning Freedom for Quakers in Ireland

The Celtic Irish were predominantly Catholic, the Quakers in Ireland were mostly English and Scot Protestants, many of who had been given land after fighting for Cromwell. So the irish Quakers were not only religiously different but ethnically different from the majority of the Irish also. This only added to their dislike and persecution. (The Planting of Quakerism in Ireland (no date) Chptr 3 )The Society of Friends emigrated early to Ireland with the first Quaker, William Edmundsen, one of Cromwell’s soldiers, establishing the first meeting in 1654 after hearing George Fox and James Naylor in 1653. (The Planting of Quakerism in Ireland (no date) Chptr 4 )

Admiral Penn had wanted to retire to Ireland but in the spring of 1669 his friend Lord Ormond was replaced by Lord Radnor as Viceroy in Dublin so the Admiral decided to stay in England. He sent William to take care of his estate business in Ireland. William arrived in Cork in October 1669. He finished this business quickly and made his way to Dublin, staying at the home of William Edmundson.(Buckley, Eila p87 )

On November 5, 1669 the National Meeting was held and full details of the persecutions of Quakers were recorded. Penn brought these to the Mayor who dismissed him. Penn, on his earlier visits to Dublin, had met most of the influential people there and now met with as many as he could including Sir William Petty and Lord Drogheda. After a month of lobbying, Penn was able to present his petition to the Council which approved the release of all Quakers imprisoned in Dublin. (Buckley, Eila p87 )

On January 17, 1670 Penn met with those imprisoned in Cork and drew up a similar petition. He brought this to Dublin and Lord Arran presented the petition to council who approved it on February 3, releasing all the Maryborough Friends. He gave a dinner on the 4th for many of his supporters including Lord Arran, Lord Shannon, Lord Kingston and Major Fairfax. On the 6th was a meeting with many of the nobility attending. Penn met with the Lord Lieutenant on February 7 and on that afternoon all the imprisoned Friends were released. (Buckley, Eila p88-89 )

Penn-Meade Trial – Jury Nullification

Meanwhile, in England, the Crown continued to crack down in 1670 with an update of “Conventicle Act” of 1664 , confiscating property, jailing thousands and locking up meeting places. Penn and William Meade were arrested in 1670 for preaching in front of a locked meeting place in Grace Church Street. They were essentially charged “for a Tumultuous Assembly” (The Trial of William Penn and William Mead – copy of transcript from 1670 ) and held in Newgate for 2 weeks before what has become a famous trial. (Quinn )

Much of the following is taken from the actual trial transcripts.

Held in Contempt for Hats

The trial was presided over by the Lord Mayor of London. Penn initially argued for a written copy of the charges against them which the Mayor refused. The two pleaded not guilty then were made to wait around all day. On the second day of the trial Penn and Meade entered the courtroom not wearing hats. The mayor told the bailiff put hats on them, told them to take them off then fined them for contempt when they refused.

Penn was assisted by eminent London Quaker lawyer Thomas Rudyard.(Soderlund, Jan – 1983 p113 )

Penn initially argued for a written copy of the charges against them which the Mayor refused. The two then pleaded “not guilty”. They were then made to wait all day.

Witnesses were called on day 2 and testified that they saw Penn speaking but there were so many people there that they could not hear what he was saying and some did not see Meade. Meade was asked if he had been there and he replied Nemo tenetur accusare seipsum or That no man is bound to accuse himself

Penn then asked which law they were accused of breaking and he was told “the common-law”. He asked where is the common-law? The judge could not answer specificially. Penn replied This answer I am sure is very short of my question, for if it be common, it should not be so hard to produce.. Penn then argued that he could not plead to an Indictment against a law the judge could not produce. The judge then called him a saucy fellow.

After more back and forth Penn states …Certainly, if the common law be so hard to be understood, it is far from being very common…. The mayor called him a troublesome fellow and then had him removed from court. Meade then followed the same argument and he too was removed.

Meade and Penn were in the Bale-Dock when the judge instructed the jury. The prisoners could not hear the instructions and objected. The judge ordered them removed to “the hole”.

Jury Jailed for Verdict

The jury, after an hour and a half, were deadlocked and the court threated the 4 jurors who did not agree. They jury came back again with the verdict that Penn was “Guilty of speaking in Grace-Church street” and Meade was not guilty.

the Recorder, Mayor, Robinson and Bloodworth took great occasion to vilify them with most opprobrious language; and this verdict not serving their turns, the Recorder expressed himself thus: Rec. The law of England will not allow you to part till you have given in your Verdict.

The jury was sent away again but the foreman requested pen and paper. When they returned they had written their verdict which was the same. The mayor and recorder were again not happy and sent the jury away again until the next morning with no food or accomodations.

They jury returned with the same verdict and this went on several more times. The jury was then held overnight again again with no food. They returned the next morning with verdicts of “Not Guilty” for both Penn and Meade. The judge then had Penn and Meade held in contempt for failing to pay their fines regarding the hats.

The jury was imprisoned for their verdict and successfully sued the judges for false imprisonment, as the King’s Bench decides that no jury can be punished for their verdict, a principle of law established by this trial. It took a year for this resolution of the case. (Quinn )

The right to a fair trial established here is now quaranteed to Americans under the Bill of Rights

Reconciliation and Death of Admiral Penn

Admiral Penn had retired from the Navy in 1669 then died on September 16, 1670 at Wanstead, Essex. William and he had reconciled the year before. He left his son a annual income of £1500,(Quinn )

William was still imprisoned and requested that his father not pay his fine, but he did and the two were able to see each other before he died. The Admiral had come to respect his son and told him Let nothing in this world tempt you to wrong your conscience (Fantel p126 )

The Admiral also knew that his rank and relationship with the King had probably offered some protection to his son and was afraid this would not continue upon his death. He wrote to the Duke and king asking for their protection. Out of respect for the Admiral’s service to the Crown they agreed to protect William and make him a royal counselor. (Fantel p127 )

Arrested with Thomas Rudyard

William was arrested again on February 5, 1671 along with Thomas Rudyard. Rudyard was a prominent attorney who had helped William on his earlier trial with William Meade. The official charge is refusal to take the oath of allegiance. He is held at Newgate until August with no trial. (Quinn )

Continued Persecution

1670 Conventicle Act

in England the Conventicle Act (1670) was renewed and a severe persecution of Quakers and Baptists begins. This act was supposed to prevent seditious conventicles, but was really intended to suppress religious meetings conducted “in any other manner than according to the litrugy and practice of the church of England.” “This act”, says Thomas Ellwood, “broke down and overran the bounds and banks anciently set for the security of Englishmen’s lives, liberties, and properties, namely, trials by jury; instead thereof, authorizing justices of the peace (and that too, privately, out of sessions) to convict, fine, and by their warrants distrain upon offenders against it, directly contrary to the Great Charter.

Declaration of Indulgence

Charles II, on March 15, 1672 issued His Majesty’s Declaration to all his loving subjects known as the Declaration of Indulgence. This went against established law dating back to Elizabeth I and against Parliament. It now allowed non-Anglican religious groups to meet freely – if they purchased a license – and removed sanctions against these groups. Parliament reversed this a year later. (Seaward, Paul 2022 )

Agreement with Lord Baltimore

Penn obtains from Lord Baltimore an agreement excusing Quakers in Maryland from the requirement of taking oaths. (Quinn )

Marriage to Gulielma Springett

In January 1672 Penn saw George Fox leave on his voyage to America. Then, after a 4 year courtship, he married Gulielma Springett on April 4, 1672. (Quinn )

Gulielma Springett was the daughter of Sir William Springett and Mary Proude. Sir William died of Typhus days before she was born in February, 1644., She had an older brother, John (name inscribed on William Springett gravestone) who was born probably in August/September 1642 and died sometime after Gulielma was born.

Gulielma came from a family whose parents, Sir William Springett and Mary Proude had long been against established religion to the point where they did not get married in a church and refused to have their children baptized. Her stepfather, Isaac Penington, and mother both were looking for a more spiritual life and found it when they converted to Quakerism in 1658 – Gulielma may have also at this point – and their home became a hub of Quaker activity. Both her mother and stepfather were prolific writers. Her stepfather was an outspoken supporter of Quakerism and freedom. He questioned both Cromwell and the monarchy. Like William Penn, he was persecuted for his activities and spent a good part of the 1660s imprisoned.

So the young William Penn and Gulielma Springett seem like a pretty good match. Penn likely learned a lot from and was inspired by Mary and Isaac Penington. Bios of these fascinating people below.

William and Gulielma had eight children, only three would live to adulthood:

• Gulielma Maria b. 23 January 1673, d. 17 May 1673
• William and Mary (twins) b. February 1674, d. May 1674 and December 1674[12]
• Springett b. 25 January 1675, d. 10 April 1696
• Letitia b. 1 March 1678, d. 6 April 1746
• William b. 14 March 1681, d. 23 June 1720[13]
• unnamed infant b. March 1683, d. April 1683
• Gulielma Maria b. November 1685, d. November 1689

Education

Guielma’s was brought up by two intelligent, independend women, her mother Mary Springett and grandmother, Lady Katherine Springett. Her mother married Isaac Penington when Gulielma was 10. She was tutored by Thomas Ellwood. Ellwood (see more below) had been introduced to Quakerism by the Peningtons in 1659 and was arrested and imprisoned multiple times in the period from then to 1663. He came to live with the Peningtons then and stayed as a tutor until 1669,

Ellwood apaprently developed feelings for Gulielma but not she for him. He married her friend Mary Ellis instead, but remained friendly with her and William for the rest of her life.

Gulielma and William Penn

William Penn likely met Gulielma after he was released from the Tower of London in September 1669 after he had written No Cross No Crown.

Sir William Springett

Sir William was knighted by Charles I in 1642.( Wikipedia – no date (26) *see note below ) but died 2 years later, shortly before the birth of his daughter. Springett was a commander of a Kentish regiment for the Parliamentarian army during the siege of Arundel and in charge of the garrison after it was recaptured. Sir William and many of his men fell sick from what was called calenture which was later identified as typhus. (Bettger, Jenny – 2/11/2025 )

[Note: all references to Springett are preceded by ‘Sir’ indicating that he was indeed knighted (he would have been 22 years old in 1642). FindAGrave says he was a Knight of Langley, Kent, and Broyles Court in Ringmer, Sussex. and was Knighted at Hampton Court, February 10, 1641/42. What is interesting, to me at least, is that he would have been knighted by the king, in this case Charles I. But Wikitree cites The Calendar of the State Papers which reports that he had subscribed – or bet on – the English Parliamentary Army in the Irish Rebellion of 1641. He fought on the side of Cromwell’s Parliamentarians at Edgehill, Newbury and the siege of Arundel.(Bettger ) So it is interesting that he opposed the king during the Irish Rebellion and the First English Civil War from 1641-4 but somehow got knighted by the same king he was fighting against. And Mary Springett’s Accounts of Her Husband, Colonel Sir William Springett has “Sir” in the title but does not mention him being knighted in the text. I am not questioning his knighthood but was not able to locate any source material on why he was knighted.]

[Some of the information here is taken from Mary Springett’s Accounts of Her Husband, Colonel Sir William Springett which was written in 1680 as A Letter from me [M. P.] to my dear grandchild Springet Penn, written about the year 1680, and left to be delivered to him at my decease. ahd from the introduction to this letter in the Cromwelliana, 2008]

William Springett’s father, Herbert Springett, died of consumption leaving his mother, Lady Katherine Springett, and her three children somewhat at the mercy of her in-laws, who apparently did not treat her very well. She moved in with her brother, Sir Edward Partridge. Mary Proude, Gulielma’s mother, had been orpaned at age 9 and Lady Katherine took her in. William was 12. Katherine later encouraged their marriage.(Springett p91 )

Lady Katherine was, according to Mary, a great healer, especially of cataracts, and people came from hundreds of miles around for her care. (Springett p88 )

William was educated at Cambridge (which they considered more ‘sober’ than Oxford). He had been raised Puritan and was against the trappings of the church. They were married without a ring and many of their formal dark words left out (upon his ordering it), he being so zealous against common prayer and such things….When he had a child (Guliema’s brother John) he refused the midwife to say her formal prayer, and prayed himself,…. He would not let the parish priest baptize his child; but when it was eight days old had it carried in arms five miles to this Willson (a preacher who had been suspended by the bishops)….This was so new that he was the first of quality that had refused these things in their country. (Springett p93 )

when his child was about a month old, he had a commission sent him to be colonel of a regiment of foot, when the fight was at Edge-Hill (October 23, 1642), and he raised without beat of drum eight hundred men, most of them professors and professors’ sons, near six score volunteers of his own company, himself going a volunteer, and took no pay.(Springett p93 )

He also fought at Newbury (September 20, 1643) where he was in imminent danger, a bullet hitting him but had lost its force to enter (Springett p94 )

William and many of his men became ill after Arundel. He sent for Mary and died shortly after she arrived on February 3, 1644. See more below

Mary Proude Penington

Mary Proude was bom near Faversham, Kent, in 1623, the daughter of Sir John Proude, who fought in the continental wars of the early seventeenth century and who perished in battle in 1628. Her mother died in the same year, and, as an orphan, young Mary was then brought up as a member of the family of Sir Edward Partridge and of Sir Edward’s widowed sister Lady Katherine Springett. (Springett p88 )

Lady Katherine Springett

Lady Katherine was well known as a surgeon.(Springett p90 )

“She was so rare in taking off cataract and spots in eyes, that Stephens the great occulist sent many to her house where there was difficulty in cure. She cured in my knowledge many burns, and desperate cuts, and dangerous sores that came by thorns, and broken limbs; many of the king’s evil, taking out several bones .. (Springett p90-91 )

Marriage to William Springett

Mary married Katherine’s eldest son, William, when she was 18 and he was 21 with Katherine’s encouragement. They had a son, John (1642 before Battle of Edge Hill in October 1642) and daughter Gulielma (1644). William died just days before Gulielma was born. Brother John died at some point after that. (see more about William above)

William was very much against the rituals of the church and they were married without a ring and he would not let the parish priest baptize his child (Springett p90-92 )

Death of William

When William was ill after Arundel, he sent for Mary:

“whither he sent for me in the depth of winter frost and snow, from London, to come to him, which was very difficult for me to compass, being great with child of thy mother, the waters being out at Newington and several places, that we were forced to row in the highways with a boat, and take the things in the coach with us, and the horses to be led with strings tied to their bridles, and to swim the coach and horses in the highways …”
(Springett- p95 )

Gilielma was born very shortly after. Her full name is Gulielma Maria Posthuma. The first and second names are latinized versions of her parents names William and Mary, Posthuma means that she was born after her father died, a name she never used. As with John, Mary did not have her daughter baptized. (Wikipedia (26) )

William left Mary £2,000 in debt. (Springett p98 ) Lady Katherine went to live with her to help with Gulielma. As a widow who had to sue her brother-in-law for her property, Lady Katherine was very good at managing her estate and taught Mary to do so as well. Mary continued to be unsettled in her religious beliefs, she was wearied in seeking and not finding.(Quakers in the World – no date(34) )

Mary marries Isaac Penington

Mary and Katherine reportedly both had marriage offers but declined until Mary met Isaac Penington. Penington was the oldest son of the former Lord Mayor of London, He had also been brought up Puritan, but like Mary was still seeking spiritual satisfaction. (Quakers in the World – no date(35) )

Mary and Isaac were married in 1654. They had 2 sons and a daughter in the 1650s and at least 2 more sons born during the 1660s. They owned several properties but mainly stayed at The Grange near Chalfont St Peter in Buckinghamshire that had been given to then by Isaac’s father. (Springett p88 )

Mary’s Conversion to Quakerism

When they first came in to contact with Quakers, Isaac dismissed them as …silly …. In 1657 they were chastised by a Quaker on horseback for their fashionable attire and who later sent two Quakers Thomas Curtis and William Simpson to visit them. in 1658 they heard George Fox speak and converted. (Quakers in the World – no date (35) ) Mary later wrote Experiences in the Life of Mary Penington detailed her search for spirituality and Quakerism. (Quakers of the World (34) )

The Grange soon became a hub of Quaker activity but after the restoration of Charles II the couple were persecuted and, like many other Quakers, had lost their home and other property. Mary was able to purchase and renovate (architecture and design were a great interest to her) a house at Woodside. William Penn became a frequent visitor and suitor to Mary’s daughter Gulielma. The two were married in 1672. (Quakers of the World (34) )

Mary’s Writing

The introduction to her letter to her grandson (Springett p88 ) says that Mary had been a prolific writer but that much of what she had written had been published under the name of her husband, Isaac, or son, John. That letter Mary Springett’s Account of Her Husband, Colonel Sir William Springett, which provided a lot of the information for these sketches of Mary and William, was written in 1680 but not edited and published until 1911. Two other autobiographical essays she wrote describe her spiritual nature and Quaker beliefs. Some Account of Circumstances in the life of Mary Penington, from her Manuscript Left for her Family was published in 1821, Experiences in the life of Mary Penington was published in 1911.(Springett p89 )

After Isaac’s death in 1679 Mary stayed with Gulielma at Worminghurts Hall, Sussex, a property probably given to Gulielma by Mary for her wedding. She died in 1680, 2 weeks after her son-in-law William Penn had sailed to America.(Quakers in America (34) )

In her will she stated As my daughter Penn hath a large proportion of this world’s substance and my latter children have not anything, I find it my duty to provide for them (Quakers in America (34) )

Isaac Pennington

Pennington was the son of the very wealthy Sir Isaac Pennington who had been Sheriff of London, Alderman for London, Member of Parliment and Lord Mayor of London. Isaac the elder was also a a commissioner at the trial of Charles I (but did not sign the death warrant). After the restoration of Charles II, Isaac the Elder was sentenced to the Tower of London for High Treason and died there December 16, 1661. (Wikipedia – no date (36) )

Seeker

Like Mary and William Springett, Isaac Penington also disliked the established religion and became a Seeker looking for something closer to his beliefs. In 1650 he wrote A voyage out of Thick Darkness and then Lght of Darkness. (Quakers in America )(35) )

As mentioned aboved under Mary Springett’s bio, he at first dismissed Quakers as silly but converted after hearing George Fox speak in 1658.(Quakers in America )(35) )

Some may desire to know what I have at last met with. I answer I have met with the Seed. Understanding that word, and thou wilt be satisfied and inquire no further. I have met with my God, I have met with my Saviour, and he hath not been present with me without his salvation; but I have felt the healings drop upon my soul from under his wings. I have met with the true knowledge, the knowledge of life, the living knowledge, the knowledge which is life; and hath had the true virtue in it, which my soul hath rejoiced in, in the presence of the Lord. (Quakers in America )(35) )

Persecution

After the restoration of Charles II Isaac was imprisoned six times. He was jailed in Aylesbury for a month in 1665 for attending a Quaker funeral and then for 9 months in Bridgewater for failing to address the Earl of Bridgewater as “My Lord”.He was released for 3 weeks then jailed again in Aylesbury for another 18 months. He was finally released when Mary had his case transferred to the King’s bench. (Quakers in America (35) ) He spent a total of about 5 years in prison. (Isaac Penington Works – introduction (1995) )

One wonders if some of Penington’s troubles came from his father’s role in Cromwell’s government. The elder Penington had been sent to the Tower by Charles II to die in 1660.

It was during his imprisonment in 1665 that they lost The Grange and other property. The Introduction to his Letters says that the properties were lost to lawsuits filed against them by his relatives. They could not defend themselves because they refused to take an oath,

While not imprisoned, Isaac spent his time writing and preaching. He died in 1679.

Writings

Penington was a prolific writer. A collection was first published in 2 volumes after his death in 1681 titled The works of the long-mournful and sorely distressed Isaac Penington, whom the Lord in His tender mercy, at length visited and relieved by the ministry of that despised people, called Quakers; and in the springings of that light, life and holy power in him, which they had truly and faithfully testified of, and directed his mind to, were these things written, and are now published as a thankful testimony of the goodness of the Lord unto him, and for the benefit of others.

Other collections have been published in 1716 in 4 volumes, in 1784 and 1861-63. The first three editions did not contain his letters. These were published separately in 1796. The current edition, from which I’ve quoted here, was published in 4 volumes including the letters from starting in 1994 with the latest on-line revisions in 2002.

Thomas Ellwood

Ellwood was Gulielma’s tutor from 1663-69. He had converted to Quakerism after visiting the Peningtons in 1659. In 1660 he sent a letter to Thomas Loe, who was in prison in Oxford Castle. Lord Falkland intercepted the letter and had Ellwood arrested and also held at Oxford. He was arrested several more times over the next year. In 1662 he came down with smallpox. When he recovered he went to London and became a reader for the poet John Milton, who was blind. In October he was arrested again and sent to Newgate. He was released in January and moved in with the Peningtons as a private tutor, and pretty much remained with them except for when he was imprisoned again in 1665-66. (Wikipedia – no date (39) )

In 1665 he moved Milton to a cottage in Chalfont and in July he was arrested for attending a funeral and jailed for a month. Upon his release Milton showed him Paradise Lost. Elwood asked what hast thou to say of Paradise Found? and in the fall Milton showed him Paradise Regained. (Wikipedia (39) )

Elwood was imprisoned one more time in Wycombe in 1685. (Wikipedia (39) )

Thomas may have proposed to Gulielma but he was turned down and married her friend Mary Ellis in 1669, He became close friends with George Fox and William Penn and an influential figure in the Quaker movement, (Wikipedia (39) )

Travel to Germany and Holland

[Note: most of this section comes from Journal of William Penn while vsisiting Holland and Germany in 1677].

Penn had traveled through Holland and Germany in 1671 (p33) but we did not find any detailed records of this trip. He went back in 1677 and visted some of the same places. George Fox accompanied him from England but went a different direction once they reached Rotterdam on May 22 (p14 ) and did not meet up again until August 10 in Amsterdam. (p167 )

Penn’s Journal offers great details of meetings with the public, one on one encounters with strangers, debates with preachers such as Galenus Abrahams, extended visits with nobles and intellectuals and numerous letters and epistles seeking to end persecution and spreading the Truth

While in Rotterdam Penn wrote a letter to the King of Poland requesting he stop the persecution of Quakers in Danzig. (p24 ) This was apparently unsuccessful as letters from the Polish Friends describing their horrible imprisonment were read at the Yearly Meeting in London in 1684. (p32 )

On June 26 Penn and his group held a meeting in Worms.They were protected by the Vaught or Chief Officer who “for his part heard nothing but was good, and he would not meddle with us” (p79 )

July 2: Penn tried to meet with the Countess of Falkenstein and Bruck but was escorted out of town by her father, the Graef (Count) of Falkenstein after refusing to remove their hats to him. (p85-86} Penn, a few days later, wrote to the Graef who had said he wanted no Quakers here to which Penn in his letter replied You do,: for a true Quaker is one that trembleth at the word of the Lord.. Yea he is one who loveth his enemies rather than feareth them; that blesseth those that curse him, and pray for those that despitefully treat them (p96-99 )

July 16 they visited Embden where Penn had visited in 1671. This is the city where Friends have been so bitterly and barborously used. – After his earlier visit in 1671 he wrote to Dr Andrews, president of the council of state addressing the persecution. On this visit Penn decided a letter wasn’t enough so went to see him to plead his case directly. The Dr was at first astonished but then was very kind. He requested a letter outlning Penn’s argument which he would present to the council ( p136-137 )

Princess Elizabeth of Bohemia, Palantine of the Rhine

Princess Elizabeth was the grand-daughter of James VI and the sister of Charles I. She was a philosopher best known for her correspondence with René Descartes, who dedicated his Principia to her. She was a Calvinist but became Princess-Abbess of the Lutheran Abbey at Herford in modern-day Germany. The Abbey became a refuge from religious persecution and she welcomed more marginal religious sects, including the Labadists (a religious group founded by Jean de Labadie. (Wikipedia [47] )

Penn and his group met with Elizabeth, members of her court, her servants and townspeople from June 10-13. (p38-39 ) and again June 23-26, They met with the Graef (Count or Earl) of Donal on the 26th.(p140-147)

The princess and Penn also exchanged a number of letters. It does not appear that she ever converted but her letter in November, 1677 after Penn had returned home affirmed her acceptance of all believers: My house and heart shall always be open to those that love Him. (p187)

Anna Maria van Schurman

Anna Maria van Schurman By Jan Lievens – National Gallery, London, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26861112

Penn and his companions met with Anna Maria van Schurman and a group that included two pastors and a doctor on July 7, 1677. Penn described van Schurman as an ancient maiden, above sixty years of age (she was 70 at the time), of great note and fame for learning in languages and philosophy and hath obtained a considerable place among the most learned men of thie age ( p117 )

hHe described the group as several other persons, being affected with the zealous declamation of J de Labadie against the dead and formal churches of the world, and awaked to seek after a more spiritual fellowship and society , separated themselves from the common Calvinistic churches , and followed him in the way of a refined independency. They are a serious, plain people , and are come nearer to Friends….( p 117 ) Anna Maria had saw her learning to be vanity… she resolved to despise the shame, desert her former way of living … and join with this little family. ( p 118-119 )

The summary of this meeting of intellectuals by one of the pastors: let not the learning of this worldbe used to defend that which the Spirit of God hath brought forth

Penn saw the folowers of Labodie as similar to Quakers and told the group that those that come to any measure of Divine sense, they are as looking-glasses to each other, seeing themselves in each other ( p121-122 ) He then describes that the Lord first appeared to him which was about the twelth year of my age, anno 1656 ( p122 ) He states that despite his sufferings and trials by magistrates, parents, companions; and above all, from the priests of the false religions of the world, the Lord hath preserved me to this day and hath given me a hundred-fold in this world; as well as the assurance of life everlasting ( p122-123 )

The New World

After his conversion to become a Quaker and his arrest in Cork in 1668 Penn traveled from Ireland to England with Josiah Cole, newly returned from America. Coale discusses setting up a utopia in America with him.(Quinn)

Quaker Ideals in the New World

William Penn is known as the proprietor of Pennsylvania, a colony he designed to be governed by democratic systems, freedom of religion, fairness and pacifism. He codified these ideas in his “Framework of Government” and advertised it throughout Europe to entice Quakers and others to his new colony. (National Park Service (NPS) – no date ) These ideals attracted many colonists from Europe and Philadelphia, his “greene country towne’ and the “City of Brotherly Love” was soon the largest and most successful city in the New World. The ideals he brought to this land were quite different from those that governed the Old World and would eventually be the basis for the United States Constitution. Indepence Hall Association – no date)

Learn more about Quakers – The Religious Society of Friends.