Springett Penn (died February 8, 1731) was a grandson and heir of
William Penn
William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...
, founder and proprietor of
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
.
Biography
Penn was born in England, the eldest son of
William Penn, Jr. He succeeded to his father's claims, and was by many persons considered the rightful governor-in-chief of Pennsylvania. Sir
William Keith, the lieutenant-governor, caused a tract of land, 6 miles wide and 15 miles long,
on the frontier (around present-day
York, Pennsylvania
York (Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Yarrick''), known as the White Rose City (after the symbol of the House of York), is the county seat of York County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the south-central region of the state. The populatio ...
) to be laid out for him, and called Springettsbury Manor.
In 1725, with
Hannah Callowhill Penn
Hannah Margaret Penn ( Callowhill; 11 February 1671 – 20 December 1726) was an Anglo-American governor. The second wife of Pennsylvania founder William Penn, she effectively administered the Province of Pennsylvania for six years after he ...
, his step-grandmother, the widow and executrix of the founder, he nominated
Patrick Gordon
Patrick Leopold Gordon of Auchleuchries (31 March 1635 – 29 November 1699) was a general and rear admiral in Russia, of Scottish origin. He was descended from a family of Aberdeenshire, holders of the estate of Auchleuchries, near Ellon. The ...
as Keith's successor, and obtained confirmation of the appointment by the
British Crown. The will of the founder was established by decree of the court of exchequer in 1727, and a compromise between the two branches of the family was in process of adjustment at his death.
He died in
Dublin, Ireland, February 8, 1731.
Legacy
Springettsbury Township, York County, Pennsylvania
Springettsbury Township is a township in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 27,058 at the 2010 census. The township takes its name from Springett Penn, grandson of Pennsylvania founder William Penn. Located east and nor ...
is named for him.
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Penn, Springett (II)
1731 deaths
18th-century English people
Springett II
People of colonial Pennsylvania
Springettsbury Township, York County, Pennsylvania
English people of Welsh descent
Year of birth unknown