John Penrose (15 December 1778 – 9 August 1859) was a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

clergyman and theological writer.

Early life

John Penrose was born in

Cardinham Cardinham ( kw, Kardhinan) (the spelling 'Cardynham' is almost obsolete) is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and a village in mid Cornwall, England. The village is approximately three-and-a-half miles (6 km), east-northeast of Bodmi ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

, where his father, also named John, was vicar of the parish. Penrose was educated at

Blundell's School Blundell's School is a co-educational day and boarding independent school in the English public school tradition, located in Tiverton, Devon. It was founded in 1604 under the will of Peter Blundell, one of the richest men in England at the tim ...

in Tiverton and at Corpus Christi College in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. He received a BA in 1799 and an MA in 1802.

Career

Penrose was ordained at

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

in 1801. He held a number of ecclesiastical positions throughout his lifetime, including: *

Vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

of Langton by Wragby in

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

*Vicar of

Poundstock Poundstock ( kw, Tregorlann) is a civil parish and a hamlet on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The hamlet is situated four miles (6.5 km) south of Bude half-a-mile west of the A39 trunk road about one mile from the coa ...

*Vicar of Bracebridge in

*The

perpetual curacy Perpetual curate was a class of resident parish priest or incumbent curate within the United Church of England and Ireland (name of the combined Anglican churches of England and Ireland from 1800 to 1871). The term is found in common use mainly du ...

North Hykeham North Hykeham is a town and civil parish in the North Kesteven district, in the county of Lincolnshire, England. It forms part of the Lincoln Urban Area. The population of the town at the 2011 census was 13,884. History North Hykeham was ori ...

was awarded to Penrose in 1837. In 1814 Penrose married Elizabeth Cartwright, a teacher and author of children's books under the name

Mrs Markham Elizabeth Penrose (3 August 1780 – 24 January 1837), known by her pseudonym Mrs Markham, was an English writer. Life Elizabeth Penrose ee Cartrightwas the second daughter of Edmund Cartwright, the inventor of the power loom, and Alice ...

. The couple were the parents of three sons of whom

Francis Penrose Francis Cranmer Penrose FRS (29 October 1817 – 15 February 1903) was an English architect, archaeologist, astronomer and sportsman rower. He served as Surveyor of the Fabric of St Paul's Cathedral, and as President of the Royal Institute of ...

was an architect and Charles Penrose a clergyman who succeed to his father's livings.

Writings

His most significant published works include:
An attempt to prove the truth of Christianity
(1805) (written while serving as

Bampton lecturer The Bampton Lectures at the University of Oxford, England, were founded by a bequest of John Bampton. They have taken place since 1780. They were a series of annual lectures; since the turn of the 20th century they have typically been biennial ...

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

in 1805)
An Inquiry into the Nature of Human Motives
(1820)
A treatise on the evidence of the Scripture miracles
(1826)
Of Christian Sincerity
(1829)
The Utilitarian Theory of Morals
(1836) *Lives of Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Vinicombe Penrose, K.C.B. and Captain James Trevenen, knight of the Russian orders of St. George and St. Vladimir (1850), London: John Murray, The collection of the Pitts Theology Library includes a three-page letter from John Penrose to an unnamed bishop, dated 24 November 1844 commenting on the character of

Thomas Arnold Thomas Arnold (13 June 1795 – 12 June 1842) was an English educator and historian. He was an early supporter of the Broad Church Anglican movement. As headmaster of Rugby School from 1828 to 1841, he introduced several reforms that were wide ...

Sources

Penrose, John, Archives and Manuscripts Dept, Pitts Theology Library, Emory UniversityPenrose, John, Church of England clergyman and theological writer, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (subscription required)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Penrose, John 1778 births 1859 deaths People educated at Blundell's School Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Oxford English Christian theologians 19th-century English Anglican priests English male non-fiction writers