Thomas Pennant
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Thomas Pennant (14 June OS 172616 December 1798) was a Welsh naturalist, traveller, writer and
antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...
. He was born and lived his whole life at his family estate,
Downing Hall Downing Hall was built in 1627 by the Pennant family near Whitford, Flintshire. It was later the home of Thomas Pennant, the naturalist, traveller and writer. It was partially destroyed in a fire in the early 20th century and afterwards left derel ...
near
Whitford, Flintshire Whitford ( cy, Maes Rhydwen) is a village, community and an electoral ward near Holywell in Flintshire, northeast Wales. The population of both the community and the ward taken at the 2011 census was 2,332. The community includes the villages ...
, in Wales. As a naturalist he had a great curiosity, observing the geography, geology, plants, animals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish around him and recording what he saw and heard about. He wrote acclaimed books including ''British Zoology'', the ''History of Quadrupeds'', ''Arctic Zoology'' and ''Indian Zoology'' although he never travelled further afield than continental Europe. He knew and maintained correspondence with many of the scientific figures of his day. His books influenced the writings of
Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709  – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...
. As an antiquarian, he amassed a considerable collection of art and other works, largely selected for their scientific interest. Many of these works are now housed at the
National Library of Wales The National Library of Wales ( cy, Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru), Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million boo ...
. As a traveller he visited Scotland and many other parts of Britain and wrote about them. Many of his travels took him to places that were little known to the British public and the travelogues he produced, accompanied by painted and engraved colour plates, were much appreciated. Each tour started at his home and related in detail the route, the scenery, the habits and activities of the people he met, their customs and superstitions and the wildlife he saw or heard about. He travelled on horseback accompanied by his servant, Moses Griffith, who sketched the things they encountered, later to work these up into illustrations for the books. He was an amiable man with a large circle of friends and was still busily following his interests into his sixties. He enjoyed good health throughout his life and died at Downing at the age of seventy two.


Family background

The Pennants were a family of Welsh gentry from the parish of
Whitford, Flintshire Whitford ( cy, Maes Rhydwen) is a village, community and an electoral ward near Holywell in Flintshire, northeast Wales. The population of both the community and the ward taken at the 2011 census was 2,332. The community includes the villages ...
, who had built up a modest estate at Bychton by the seventeenth century. In 1724 Thomas' father, David Pennant, inherited the neighbouring Downing estate from a cousin, considerably augmenting the family's fortune.
Downing Hall Downing Hall was built in 1627 by the Pennant family near Whitford, Flintshire. It was later the home of Thomas Pennant, the naturalist, traveller and writer. It was partially destroyed in a fire in the early 20th century and afterwards left derel ...
, where Thomas was born in the 'yellow room', became the main Pennant residence. This house had been built in 1600 and the front and main entrance were set back between two forward facing wings. By the time the Pennants moved there it was in a state of disrepair and many alterations were set in hand. It had a number of fine rooms including a well-stocked library and a smoking room "most antiquely furnished with ancient carvings, and the horns of all the European beasts of chase". The grounds were also very overgrown and much effort was put into their improvement and the creation of paths, vistas and pleasure gardens. Pennant received his early education at Wrexham Grammar School, before moving to Thomas Croft's school in
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
in 1740. At the age of twelve, Pennant later recalled, he had been inspired with a passion for natural history through being presented with
Francis Willughby Francis Willughby (sometimes spelt Willoughby, la, Franciscus Willughbeius) FRS (22 November 1635 – 3 July 1672) was an English ornithologist and ichthyologist, and an early student of linguistics and games. He was born and raised at M ...
's ''Ornithology''. In 1744 he entered
Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassical architecture, ...
, later moving to
Oriel College Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, wh ...
. Like many students from a wealthy background, he left Oxford without taking a degree, although in 1771 his work as a zoologist was recognised with an honorary degree. Pennant married Elizabeth Falconer, the daughter of Lieutenant James Falconer of the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
, in 1759 and they had a son, David Pennant, born in 1763. Pennant's wife died the following year and fourteen years later he married Ann Mostyn, daughter of
Sir Thomas Mostyn, 4th Baronet Sir Thomas Mostyn, 4th Baronet (26 April 1704 – 1758), of Mostyn, Flintshire, was a British landowner and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1734 and 1758. Early life Mostyn was the eldest son of Sir Roger Mostyn, 3rd Baro ...
of
Mostyn Mostyn is a village and community in Flintshire, Wales, and electoral ward lying on the estuary of the River Dee, located near the town of Holywell. It has a privately owned port that has in the past had a colliery and ironworks and was invol ...
, Flintshire.


Interests

A visit to
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 ...
in 1746–47, where he met the antiquary and naturalist
William Borlase William Borlase (2 February 169631 August 1772), Cornish antiquary, geologist and naturalist. From 1722, he was Rector of Ludgvan, Cornwall, where he died. He is remembered for his works ''The Antiquities of Cornwall'' (1754; 2nd ed., 1769) ...
,Cunningham, 1834. awakened an interest in minerals and
fossils A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in ...
which formed his main scientific study during the 1750s. In 1750, his account of an earthquake at Downing was inserted in the ''
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society ''Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society'' is a scientific journal published by the Royal Society. In its earliest days, it was a private venture of the Royal Society's secretary. It was established in 1665, making it the first journa ...
'', where there also appeared in 1756 a paper on several
coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...
loid bodies he had collected at
Coalbrookdale Coalbrookdale is a village in the Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire, England, containing a settlement of great significance in the history of iron ore smelting. It lies within the civil parish called the Gorge. This is where iron ore was first s ...
, Shropshire. More practically, Pennant used his geological knowledge to open a lead mine, which helped to finance improvements at Downing after he had inherited the estate in 1763. In 1754, he was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries but by 1760 he was happily married and resigned his fellowship because "my circumstances at that time were very narrow, my worthy father being alive, and I vainly thought my happiness would have been permanent, and that I never should have been called again from my retirement to amuse myself in town, or to be of use to the society." When his financial circumstances later improved, he became a patron and collector. He amassed a considerable collection of works of art, many of which had been commissioned and which were selected for their scientific interest rather than their connoisseur value. He had several works by
Nicholas Pocock Nicholas Pocock (2 March 1740 – 9 March 1821) was an English artist known for his many detailed paintings of naval battles during the age of sail. Birth and early career at sea Pocock was born in Bristol in 1740, the son of a seaman.Chatte ...
representing topographical landforms, mostly in Wales, and others by the artist
Peter Paillou Peter Paillou (c.1720 – c.1790) was a British artist best known for his paintings of birds, many of which were used as book illustrations. Life and career Little is known of his early life but it is believed that he came to Britain from Fr ...
, probably commissioned, representing different
climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologic ...
types. His portrait by
Thomas Gainsborough Thomas Gainsborough (14 May 1727 (baptised) – 2 August 1788) was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, he is considered one of the most important British artists of ...
shows him as a country gentleman. Also included in the "Pennant Collection", housed at the National Library of Wales, are many watercolours by Moses Griffith and John Ingleby, and some drawings by Pennant himself. The artist Moses Griffith, a native of
Bryncroes Bryncroes is a hamlet and former civil parish in Gwynedd in Wales, and lies on the Llŷn Peninsula approximately 2 km west of Sarn Meyllteyrn. The parish was abolished in 1934 and divided between Botwnnog and Aberdaron. The village was the ...
in the Llŷn Peninsula, provided illustrations to most of Pennant's books. He was employed full-time by Pennant and accommodated at Downing. Many of these paintings are included in the Pennant Collection held by the
National Museum of Wales National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...
. Another artist whom Pennant employed on an occasional basis was John Ingleby of
Halkyn Halkyn ( cy, Helygain ; Flintshire Welsh: ''Lygian '') is a village and community in Flintshire, north-east Wales and situated between Pentre Halkyn, Northop and Rhosesmor. At the 2001 Census the population of the community was 2,876, increasi ...
. He mostly supplied town scenes and
vignettes Vignette may refer to: * Vignette (entertainment), a sketch in a sketch comedy * Vignette (graphic design), decorative designs in books (originally in the form of leaves and vines) to separate sections or chapters * Vignette (literature), short, i ...
. Pennant was an improving landowner and active defender of the established order in church and state. He served as high sheriff of Flintshire in 1761, and actively opposed popular agitation for parliamentary reform. In 1784 he supported the prosecution of
William Davies Shipley William Davies Shipley (5 October 1745 (OS) – 7 May 1826) was an Anglican priest who served as Dean of St Asaph for nearly 52 years, from 27 May 1774 until his death. In a legal cause célèbre which became known as the Case of the Dean of ...
, the Dean of
St Asaph St Asaph (; cy, Llanelwy "church on the Elwy") is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and community (Wales), community on the River Elwy in Denbighshire, Wales. In the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census it had a population of 3,355 ...
, for
seditious libel Sedition and seditious libel were criminal offences under English common law, and are still criminal offences in Canada. Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection a ...
.


Scientific work and publications


Early works

Pennant's first publications were scientific papers on the earthquake he had experienced, other geological subjects and
palaeontology Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...
. One of these so impressed
Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...
, that in 1757, he put Pennant's name forward and he was duly elected a member of the
Royal Swedish Society of Sciences The Royal Society of Sciences in Uppsala ( sv, Kungliga Vetenskaps-Societeten i Uppsala), is the oldest of the royal academies in Sweden, having been founded in 1710. The society has, by royal decree of 1906, 50 Swedish fellows and 100 foreign. ...
. Pennant felt very honoured by this and continued to correspond with Linnaeus throughout his life. Observing that naturalists in other European countries were producing volumes describing the animals found in their territories, Pennant started, in 1761, a similar work about Britain, to be called ''British Zoology''. This was a comprehensive book with 132
folio The term "folio" (), has three interconnected but distinct meanings in the world of books and printing: first, it is a term for a common method of arranging sheets of paper into book form, folding the sheet only once, and a term for a book ma ...
plates in colour. It was published in 1766 and 1767 in four volumes as
quarto Quarto (abbreviated Qto, 4to or 4º) is the format of a book or pamphlet produced from full sheets printed with eight pages of text, four to a side, then folded twice to produce four leaves. The leaves are then trimmed along the folds to produc ...
editions, and further small editions followed. The illustrations were so expensive to produce that he made little money from the publication, and when there was a profit, he gave it to charity. For example, the bookseller Benjamin White, brother of the naturalist Gilbert White, received permission, on payment of £100, to publish an
octavo Octavo, a Latin word meaning "in eighth" or "for the eighth time", (abbreviated 8vo, 8º, or In-8) is a technical term describing the format of a book, which refers to the size of leaves produced from folding a full sheet of paper on which multip ...
edition, and the money thus raised was donated to the Welsh Charity School. Further appendix volumes were added later and the text, largely written from personal observations, was translated into
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
and German. The observations Pennant recorded in ''British Zoology'' were sufficiently detailed and accurate that it was possible to use them to recreate a modern ecological study that had used a decade's worth of laboratory-based molecular data. The book took several years to write and during that time, Pennant was struck by personal tragedy when his wife died. Soon afterwards, in February 1765 and apparently as a reaction, he set out on a journey to the continent of Europe, starting in France where he met other naturalists and scientists including the
Comte de Buffon Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (; 7 September 1707 – 16 April 1788) was a French naturalist, mathematician, cosmologist, and encyclopédiste. His works influenced the next two generations of naturalists, including two prominent F ...
,
Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his ...
, who he described as a "wicked wit",
Haller Haller is a surname of English and German origin. It is the last name of: * Albin Haller (1849–1925), French chemist * Albrecht von Haller (1708–1777), Swiss anatomist and physiologist, also notable for his contributions to botany * Albrecht v ...
and
Pallas Pallas may refer to: Astronomy * 2 Pallas asteroid ** Pallas family, a group of asteroids that includes 2 Pallas * Pallas (crater), a crater on Earth's moon Mythology * Pallas (Giant), a son of Uranus and Gaia, killed and flayed by Athena * Pall ...
, and they continued to correspond to their mutual advantage. He later complained that the Comte used several of his communications on animals in his ''Histoire Naturelle'' without properly attributing them to Pennant. His meeting with Pallas was significant, because it led Pennant to write his ''Synopsis of Quadrupeds''. He and Pallas found each other's company particularly congenial, and both were great admirers of the English naturalist
John Ray John Ray FRS (29 November 1627 – 17 January 1705) was a Christian English naturalist widely regarded as one of the earliest of the English parson-naturalists. Until 1670, he wrote his name as John Wray. From then on, he used 'Ray', after ...
. The intention was that Pallas would write the book but, having written an outline of what he planned, he got called away by the Empress
Catherine the Great , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...
to her court at
St Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
. At her request he led a "philosophical expedition" into her distant territories that lasted six years, so Pennant took over the project. In 1767 Pennant was elected a fellow of the
Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
. About this time he met the much-travelled
Sir Joseph Banks Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, (19 June 1820) was an English naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences. Banks made his name on the 1766 natural-history expedition to Newfoundland and Labrador. He took part in Captain James C ...
and visited him at his home in Lincolnshire. Banks presented him with the skin of a new species of penguin recently brought back from the
Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...
. Pennant wrote an account of this bird, the
king penguin The king penguin (''Aptenodytes patagonicus'') is the second largest species of penguin, smaller, but somewhat similar in appearance to the emperor penguin. There are two subspecies: ''A. p. patagonicus'' and ''A. p. halli''; ''patagonicus'' i ...
(''Aptenodytes patagonicus''), and all the other known species of penguin which was published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.


Tours in Scotland

While work on the ''Synopsis of Quadrupeds'' was still in progress, Pennant decided on a journey to Scotland, a relatively unexplored country and not previously visited by a naturalist. He set out in June 1769 and kept a journal and made sketches as he travelled. He visited the
Farne Islands The Farne Islands are a group of islands off the coast of Northumberland, England. The group has between 15 and 20 islands depending on the level of the tide.
off the Northumberland coast on the way and was much impressed by the breeding seabird colonies. He entered Scotland via
Berwick-on-Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...
and proceeded via
Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
and up the east coast, continuing through
Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
, Aberdeen and
Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...
. His return journey south took him through Fort William, Glen Awe,
Inverary Inveraray ( or ; gd, Inbhir Aora meaning "mouth of the Aray") is a town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is on the western shore of Loch Fyne, near its head, and on the A83 road. It is a former royal burgh, the traditional county town of Arg ...
and
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
. He was unimpressed by the
climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologic ...
but was interested in all he saw and made enquiries about the local economy. He described in detail the scenery around
Loch Ness Loch Ness (; gd, Loch Nis ) is a large freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. It takes its name from the River Ness, which flows from the northern end. Loch Ness is best known for clai ...
. He enthused over the
Arctic char The Arctic char or Arctic charr (''Salvelinus alpinus'') is a cold-water fish in the family Salmonidae, native to alpine lakes and arctic and subarctic coastal waters. Its distribution is Circumpolar North. It spawns in freshwater and populatio ...
, a fish new to him but did not mention a
monster A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. Monsters are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive with a strange, grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...
in the lake. He observed
red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of wes ...
,
black grouse The black grouse (''Lyrurus tetrix''), also known as northern black grouse, Eurasian black grouse, blackgame or blackcock, is a large game bird in the grouse family. It is a sedentary species, spanning across the Palearctic in moorland and step ...
, white
hare Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The ge ...
s and
ptarmigan ''Lagopus'' is a small genus of birds in the grouse subfamily commonly known as ptarmigans (). The genus contains three living species with numerous described subspecies, all living in tundra or cold upland areas. Taxonomy and etymology The ge ...
. He saw the
capercaillie ''Tetrao'' is a genus of birds in the grouse subfamily known as capercaillies. They are some of the largest living grouse. Taxonomy The genus ''Tetrao'' was introduced in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his ...
in the forests of
Glenmoriston Glenmoriston or Glen Moriston ( gd, Gleann Moireasdan) is a river glen in the Scottish Highlands, that runs from Loch Ness, at the village of Invermoriston, westwards to Loch Cluanie, where it meets with Glen Shiel. The A887 and A87 roads pass th ...
and
Strathglass Strathglass is a strath or wide and shallow valley in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland down which runs the meandering River Glass from the point at which it starts at the confluence of the River Affric and Abhainn Deabhag to the point where, ...
and mentioned the
pine grosbeak The pine grosbeak (''Pinicola enucleator'') is a large member of the true finch family (biology), family, Fringillidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Pinicola''. It is found in coniferous woods across Alaska, the western mountains of the ...
, the only occasion on which it has been recorded from Scotland. He enquired into the fisheries and commerce of the different places he passed through and visited the great houses, reporting on the antiquities he found there. He finished his journey by visiting Edinburgh again and travelling through
Moffat Moffat ( gd, Mofad) is a burgh and parish in Dumfriesshire, now part of the Dumfries and Galloway local authority area in Scotland. It lies on the River Annan, with a population of around 2,500. It was a centre of the wool trade and a spa town. ...
, Gretna and
Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...
on his way back to Wales, having taken about three months on his travels. On his return home, Pennant wrote an account of his tour in Scotland which met with some acclaim and which may have been responsible for an increase in the number of English people visiting the country. In 1771 his ''Synopsis of Quadrupeds'' was published; a second edition was expanded into a ''History of Quadrupeds''. At the end of that same year, 1771, he published '' A Tour in Scotland, 1769''. This proved so popular that he decided to undertake another journey and in the summer of 1772, set out from
Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
with two companions, the Rev. John Lightfoot, a naturalist, and Rev. J. Stewart, a Scotsman knowledgeable in the customs of the country. They travelled through the
Lake District The Lake District, also known as the Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous for its lakes, forests, and mountains (or ''fells''), and its associations with William Wordswor ...
, Carlisle, Eskdale, which Pennant much admired,
Dumfries Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...
and Glasgow. In passing, he was fascinated by the account of the inundation of the surrounding farmland by a bursting out of the
Solway Moss Solway Moss, also known as Solway Flow, is a moss (lowland peat bog), in the City of Carlisle in Cumbria, England near the Scottish border and less than west of Longtown at . In 2005 the moss was the subject of a campaign by organisations incl ...
peatbog. The party set sail in a ninety-ton cutter from
Greenock Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...
to explore the outer isles. They first visited Bute and Arran and then continued to
Ailsa Craig Ailsa Craig (; sco, Ailsae Craig; gd, Creag Ealasaid) is an island of in the outer Firth of Clyde, west of mainland Scotland, upon which microgranite has long been quarried to make curling stones. The now-uninhabited island comprises the r ...
. Pennant was interested in the birds, frogs and molluscs and considered their distribution. The boat then rounded the
Mull of Kintyre The Mull of Kintyre is the southwesternmost tip of the Kintyre Peninsula (formerly ''Cantyre'') in southwest Scotland. From here, the Antrim coast of Northern Ireland is visible on a calm and clear day, and a historic lighthouse, the second ...
and continued to
Gigha Gigha (; gd, Giogha, italic=yes; sco, Gigha) or the Isle of Gigha (and formerly Gigha Island) is an island off the west coast of Kintyre in Scotland. The island forms part of Argyll and Bute and has a population of 163 people. The climate is m ...
. They would have continued to
Islay Islay ( ; gd, Ìle, sco, Ila) is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides", it lies in Argyll just south west of Jura, Scotland, Jura and around north of the Northern Irish coast. The isl ...
but were becalmed. During this enforced idleness, the ever-industrious Pennant started on his ancient history of the
Hebrides The Hebrides (; gd, Innse Gall, ; non, Suðreyjar, "southern isles") are an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner and Outer Hebrid ...
. When the wind picked up they continued to Jura.Jardine, 1833. pp.18–27 Here, as elsewhere, they were hospitably welcomed, lent horses to explore the island and shown the principal sights and the improvements that had been made. Pennant records the scenery, customs and superstitions of the inhabitants with many an anecdote. They later reached Islay where Pennant found
geese A goose (plural, : geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family (biology), family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera ''Anser (bird), Anser'' (the grey geese and white geese) and ''Branta'' (the black geese). Some o ...
nesting on the moors, a more southerly nesting site for geese than had previously been recorded. Their journey next took them to
Colonsay Colonsay (; gd, Colbhasa; sco, Colonsay) is an island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, located north of Islay and south of Mull. The ancestral home of Clan Macfie and the Colonsay branch of Clan MacNeil, it is in the council area of Argyll ...
,
Iona Iona (; gd, Ì Chaluim Chille (IPA: iːˈxaɫ̪ɯimˈçiʎə, sometimes simply ''Ì''; sco, Iona) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though there ...
and Canna and eventually to
Mull Mull may refer to: Places *Isle of Mull, a Scottish island in the Inner Hebrides **Sound of Mull, between the Isle of Mull and the rest of Scotland * Mount Mull, Antarctica *Mull Hill, Isle of Man * Mull, Arkansas, a place along Arkansas Highway ...
and
Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated b ...
. A projected journey to
Staffa Staffa ( gd, Stafa, , from the Old Norse for stave or pillar island) is an island of the Inner Hebrides in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The Vikings gave it this name as its columnar basalt reminded them of their houses, which were built from ver ...
was prevented by adverse weather. Returning to the mainland, the party paid off their boat and attempted to travel northwards to the most northerly tip of Scotland. In this they were thwarted and had to retrace their route, having met bogs, hazardous rocks and country that even their "shoeless little steeds" had difficulty in negotiating. They returned to Skye for a while before parting company, Pennant continuing his tour while his companions returned to England, Lightfoot carrying with him most of the material he would later use when writing his ''
Flora Scotica The Reverend John Lightfoot (9 December 1735 – 20 February 1788) was an English parson-naturalist, spending much of his free time as a conchologist and botanist. He was a systematic and effective curator of the private museum of Margaret Ben ...
''. Pennant visited Inverary,
Dunkeld Dunkeld (, sco, Dunkell, from gd, Dùn Chailleann, "fort of the Caledonians") is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to t ...
, Perth and Montrose. In the latter, he was surprised to learn that sixty or seventy thousand
lobster Lobsters are a family (biology), family (Nephropidae, Synonym (taxonomy), synonym Homaridae) of marine crustaceans. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. Three of their five pairs of legs ...
s were caught and sent to London each year. He then travelled via Edinburgh, through
Roxburghshire Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh ( gd, Siorrachd Rosbroig) is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the north-west, and Berw ...
and beside the
River Tweed The River Tweed, or Tweed Water ( gd, Abhainn Thuaidh, sco, Watter o Tweid, cy, Tuedd), is a river long that flows east across the Border region in Scotland and northern England. Tweed cloth derives its name from its association with the R ...
to cross the border at
Birgham Birgham is a village in Berwickshire, parish of Eccles in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, near Coldstream and the River Tweed, on the A698. Birgham is close to Ednam, Kelso, Lempitlaw, Le ...
. Once in England he travelled rapidly home to Downing.


Later works

Pennant's next publication, in 1774, was his account of the second journey to Scotland. This was in two volumes with the second appearing in 1776. These works include so much detail of the countryside, its economy, natural history and the customs of the inhabitants that they are still of interest today by way of comparison with the very different state of things now. While these volumes were in preparation, he started some new projects. In 1773 he returned to Cumberland, Westmorland and Yorkshire to visit the parts of them that he had missed previously. As with all his tours, he travelled on horseback, keeping his daily journal and accompanied by Moses Griffith who made copious sketches on the way. Pennant seems to have been an unpretentious man of simple tastes, who was welcomed into the homes of strangers wherever he went. He also made tours in Northamptonshire and the
Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...
. Whenever he travelled to London he took a slightly different route, again recording what he saw and did and on the basis of these details, some years later he wrote his ''Journey from Chester to London''. On one of these journeys, the church he visited at
Buckingham Buckingham ( ) is a market town in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, which had a population of 12,890 at the 2011 Census. The town lies approximately west of Central Milton Keynes, sou ...
in the morning collapsed into ruins that evening. Over the next few years, Pennant made various excursions in North Wales. As with his other tours, he started from Downing. Almost one hundred pages in the first volume that he subsequently wrote were about the ancient city of Chester. His emphasis in these books was on history and the antiquities he saw, rather than on natural history. He was interested in
Owain Glyndŵr Owain ap Gruffydd (), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr or Glyn Dŵr (, anglicised as Owen Glendower), was a Welsh leader, soldier and military commander who led a 15 year long Welsh War of Independence with the aim of ending English rule in Wa ...
and his struggle with Henry IV for supremacy in Wales. The first volume of ''Tour in Wales'' was published in 1778 but covered a limited area of the country. In an attempt to remedy this, it was followed by a ''Journey to Snowdon'' (part one in 1781 and part two in 1783), and these later jointly became the second volume of his ''Tour''. Although these also concentrated on the history of the places visited, they provided some information on the zoology and botany, in the later case with the assistance of Reverend Lightfoot. Pennant includes tales of the strongwoman and harpist
Marged ferch Ifan Marged ferch Ifan ("Margaret daughter of Ifan") or Marged uch Ifan; Marged vch Ifan or Margaret Evans (1696 – January 1793) was a Welsh harpist and wrestler, who was the subject of songs and tales that describe her fabled abilities. Life Marg ...
although he never met her. Pennant mentions tales of the beaver's presence on the
River Conwy , name_etymology = , image = Boats in River Conwy.jpg , image_size = 300 , image_caption = Boats in the river estuary at Conwy , map = , map_size = , map_caption = , push ...
with a deep stretch being known as "Llyn yr afangc" (Beaver's pool). He also records
heron The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychus ...
s nesting at the top of the cliffs at St Orme's Head above the noisy
gull Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century, m ...
s,
razorbill The razorbill, razor-billed auk, or lesser auk (''Alca torda'') is a colonial seabird and the only extant member of the genus '' Alca'' of the family Alcidae, the auks. It is the closest living relative of the extinct great auk (''Pinguinis impe ...
s, guillemots and
cormorant Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the IOC adopted a consensus taxonomy of seven ge ...
s which had their own nesting zones further down.Jardine, 1833. pp.30–31 Pennant's interests ranged widely. In 1781, he had a paper published in the ''Philosophical Transactions'' on the origins of the
turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
, arguing that it was a North American bird and not an
Old World The "Old World" is a term for Afro-Eurasia that originated in Europe , after Europeans became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia, which were previously thought of by the ...
species. Another paper, published at the instigation of Sir Joseph Banks, was on earthquakes, several of which he had experienced in Flintshire. In the same year he was made an honorary member of the
Society of Antiquaries of Scotland The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is the senior antiquarian body of Scotland, with its headquarters in the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh. The Society's aim is to promote the cultural heritage of Scotland. The usua ...
and in 1783, he was elected a foreign member of the
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien) is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, royal academies of Sweden. Founded on 2 June 1739, it is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization that takes special ...
, and separately, a member of the Swedish
Royal Physiographic Society in Lund The Royal Physiographic Society in Lund ( sv, Kungliga Fysiografiska Sällskapet i Lund), is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden. It was founded in Lund, on December 2, 1772, and received a Royal Charter by Gustav III, on March 6, 1778.
. In 1791, he was elected a member of the
American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
. In 1782, Pennant published his ''Journey from Chester to London''. He had then intended to write a "Zoology of North America" but as he explained in the "Advertisement", since he felt mortified by the loss of British control over America, this was changed to ''Arctic Zoology''. The book was published, with illustrations by Peter Brown, in 1785–1787. The first volume was on
quadruped Quadrupedalism is a form of locomotion where four limbs are used to bear weight and move around. An animal or machine that usually maintains a four-legged posture and moves using all four limbs is said to be a quadruped (from Latin ''quattuor' ...
s and the second on birds. Compilation of the latter was assisted by an expedition Sir Joseph Banks had made to
Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
in 1786. The work was translated into German and French, and part of it into Swedish. The volumes were much acclaimed and Pennant was elected a member of the
American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
. In 1787, a supplementary volume was published which included extra information on the reptiles and fishes of North America. Pennant is rarely thought of as a poet, but in 1782 he was moved to write an "elegant little poem", ''Ode to Indifference'', as he explains "on account of a Lady speaking in praise of Indifference". In it he "wittily constructs an erotic lyric from the invocation to
John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...
's ''
L'Allegro ''L'Allegro'' is a pastoral poem by John Milton published in his 1645 ''Poems''. ''L'Allegro'' (which means "the happy man" in Italian) has from its first appearance been paired with the contrasting pastoral poem, ''Il Penseroso'' ("the melan ...
''." It includes the lines In 1790 he published his ''Account of London'', which went through a large number of editions. It was written in the style of his previous works and contained information on things of historical interest in the parts of the capital to which his wanderings led him. By this stage of his life he preferred to make tours in his imagination rather than in reality and he published a second edition of his ''Indian Zoology''. He also conceived the idea of publishing a work on a global scale and set to work on the first two volumes of what was planned to be a fourteen volume series. Each country was to have maps and sketches, colour plates and an account of the country's production with notes on its natural history. All this was to be gleaned from the writing of others who had seen these places themselves. The first two volumes appeared early in 1798 and covered most of India and Ceylon. Volumes three and four included the parts of India east of the
Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
, Malaysia, Japan and China but before these were published he suffered a gradual decline in health and vigour and died at Downing, in December 1798. These two volumes were edited and published posthumously by his son, David, as were also several other short papers and an autobiographical work, ''The literary life of the late Thomas Pennant, Esq. By himself''.


Correspondents

Pennant met and corresponded widely over many years with other naturalists. This gave him privileged access to manuscripts and specimens, and his writings sometimes provide information about otherwise lost discoveries. For example, he visited the botanist
Joseph Banks Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, (19 June 1820) was an English naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences. Banks made his name on the 1766 natural-history expedition to Newfoundland and Labrador. He took part in Captain James ...
in September 1771 on his return from Captain
James Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...
's four-year voyage of exploration; Banks appears to have passed his bird specimens on to Pennant. Pennant's manuscripts describe the birds that Banks saw on the voyage; and when he read John Latham's ''A General Synopsis of Birds'' (1781–1785), Pennant saw that Latham had omitted some of the land birds from Eastern Australia that Banks had collected, and wrote to Latham to fill in the gaps. The naturalist
Peter Simon Pallas Peter Simon Pallas Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS FRSE (22 September 1741 – 8 September 1811) was a Prussian zoologist and botanist who worked in Russia between 1767 and 1810. Life and work Peter Simon Pallas was born in Berlin, the son ...
asked Banks to inform Pennant of "the unhappy fate of Captn. Cook", and in December 1779 he wrote to Pennant himself, telling the story. Letters to Pennant from the
parson-naturalist A parson-naturalist was a cleric (a "parson", strictly defined as a country priest who held the living of a parish, but the term is generally extended to other clergy), who often saw the study of natural science as an extension of his religious wor ...
Gilbert White Gilbert White FRS (18 July 1720 – 26 June 1793) was a " parson-naturalist", a pioneering English naturalist, ecologist, and ornithologist. He is best known for his ''Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne''. Life White was born on ...
form the first part of White's 1789 book, ''
The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne ''The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne'', or just ''The Natural History of Selborne'' is a book by English parson-naturalist Gilbert White (1720–1793). It was first published in 1789 by his brother Benjamin. It has been continuous ...
''.White, 1789 It is almost certain that the men were introduced by Gilbert's brother Benjamin White, Pennant's publisher; Gilbert seized on the opportunity to correspond, as a way of overcoming the intellectual isolation of
Selborne Selborne is a village in Hampshire, England, south of Alton, Hampshire, Alton, and just within the northern boundary of the South Downs National Park. The village receives visitors because of its links with the naturalist Revd. Gilbert White, a ...
in the absence of suitable learned societies at which he could read papers and share ideas.Mabey, 1986. pp. 105–108 He knew that Pennant, with little skill or inclination as a field naturalist, was gathering observations to publish in his books; he quickly determined that he would make his own use of the correspondence, and kept copies of every letter he sent to Pennant. White was more careful than Pennant, and was sometimes critical; for example, in 1769 he objected that the goatsucker did not only make its sound while flying as Pennant asserted, so it was wrong to suppose that the noise must be made by the air beating against its "vastly extended mouth".Mabey, 1986. pp. 116–117 Pennant accepted White's criticisms graciously. Unfortunately Pennant's letters to White have been lost: White's ''Natural History'' begins with 44 of White's letters to Pennant, of which the first nine were never posted; the remaining 35 letters are dated between 4 August 1767 and 30 November 1780, covering topics as varied as whether
swallows The swallows, martins, and saw-wings, or Hirundinidae, are a family of passerine songbirds found around the world on all continents, including occasionally in Antarctica. Highly adapted to aerial feeding, they have a distinctive appearance. The ...
hibernate or migrate (letter 10), ring ousels (letter 20), whether
peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...
trains are really tails (letter 35), and
thunderstorm A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are someti ...
s (letter 44).


Works by Pennant

WorldCat listing:- * ''The British Zoology, Class 1, Quadrupeds. 2, Birds''. J. and J. March, 1766. * ''A Tour in Scotland 1769''. John Monk, 1771. * ''A Synopsis of Quadrupeds''. John Monk, 1771. * ''A Tour in Scotland, and Voyage to the Hebrides 1772''. John Monk, 1774. * ''Genera of Birds''. Balfour and Smellie, 1773. * ''British Zoology''. Benjamin White, 1776–1777. * ''A Tour in Wales''. H.D. Symonds, 1778 & 1781. * ''A History of Quadrupeds''. John Monk, 1781. * ''Free Thoughts on the Militia Laws''. Benjamin White, 1781. * ''The Journey to Snowdon''. Henry Hughs, 1781. * ''The Journey from Chester to London''. Benjamin White, 1782. * ''Arctic Zoology''. Henry Hughs, 1784–1787. * ''Of the Patagonians''. George Allan (private press), 1788. * ''Of London''. Robert Faulder, 1790. * ''Indian Zoology''. Robert Faulder, 1790. * ''A Letter to a Member of Parliament: On Mail-Coaches''. R. Faulder, 1792. * ''The Literary Life of the Late Thomas Pennant''. Benjamin and J. White, 1793. * ''The History of the Parishes of Whiteford and Holywell''. Benjamin and J. White, 1796. * ''The View of Hindoostan''. Henry Hughs, 1798–1800. * ''Western Hindoostan''. Henry Hughs, 1798. * ''The View of India extra Gangem, China, and Japan''. L. Hansard, 1800. * ''The View of the Malayan Isles, New Holland, and the Spicy Isles''. John White, 1800. * ''A Journey from London to the Isle of Wight''. E. Harding, 1801. * ''From Dover to the Isle of Wight''. Wilson, 1801. * ''A Tour from Downing to Alston-Moor''. E. Harding, 1801. * ''A Tour from Alston-Moor to Harrowgate, and Brimham Crags''. J. Scott, 1804.


Reception

Pennant's two Scottish tours were praised by critics, as were his natural history books.Withers, 2007. The ''Critical Review'' called the ''Tour in Scotland 1769'' "the best itinerary which has hitherto been written on that country". Pennant's two Scottish tours made him the best known writer on Scotland, and stimulated the great literary figure of the age,
Dr Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709  – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford D ...
, to travel in Scotland and especially to the Hebrides, resulting in notable works by both Johnson (''
A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland ''A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland'' (1775) is a travel narrative by Samuel Johnson about an eighty-three-day journey through Scotland, in particular the islands of the Hebrides, in the late summer and autumn of 1773. The sixty-three-y ...
'', 1775) and his friend and biographer
James Boswell James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (; 29 October 1740 (New Style, N.S.) – 19 May 1795), was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography of his friend and older contemporary the Englis ...
(''
The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides ''The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides with Samuel Johnson, LL.D.'' is a travel journal by Scotland, Scotsman James Boswell first published in 1785. In 1773, Boswell enticed his English friend Samuel Johnson to accompany him on a tour through ...
'', 1786), According to the historian David Allan, all three of these "famous" texts were "deliberate attempts... to educate their English readers about Scotland. The intention here was usually to instil both a genuine curiosity and a profound sympathy for their fellow Britons" in marked contrast, in Allan's view, to the prevailing English ignorance and hostility to the people of Scotland; and he cites evidence that readers found it "a beguiling vision that literally prescribed how they would now see and respond—positively, fondly, inquisitively—to Scotland and its culture". With rare praise, Johnson said of Pennant "... he's the best traveller I ever read; he observes more things than anyone else does." And in 1777, Johnson said to Boswell "Our ramble in the islands hangs upon my imagination. I can hardly help imagining that we shall go again. Pennant seems to have seen a great deal which we did not see. When we travel again let us look better about us." ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' of 1797 reviewed ''The History of the Parishes of Whiteford and Holywell'', commenting on his claim ("Resurgam", Latin for 'I shall rise') to have returned from the dead (having announced the end of his literary life back in 1791), and continuing to joke about his excesses throughout. For example, the review remarks that the portrait of "the late Pretender" to the throne "at a certain time, might have cost its possessor ennanthis seat on the bench of justices".


Legacy

After Pennant's death, the French zoologist and naturalist
Georges Cuvier Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, Baron Cuvier (; 23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier, was a French natural history, naturalist and zoology, zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuvier ...
wrote of him "When the life of a man is entirely devoted to the sciences, it cannot be expected that it will present a variety of incident; it will be found most truly in the analysis of his works." Pennant is cited as an authority by
Thomas Bewick Thomas Bewick (c. 11 August 17538 November 1828) was an English wood-engraver and natural history author. Early in his career he took on all kinds of work such as engraving cutlery, making the wood blocks for advertisements, and illustrating ch ...
throughout his pioneering field guide, ''
A History of British Birds ''A History of British Birds'' is a natural history book by Thomas Bewick, published in two volumes. Volume 1, ''Land Birds'', appeared in 1797. Volume 2, ''Water Birds'', appeared in 1804. A supplement was published in 1821. The text in ''Land ...
'' (2 volumes, 1797 and 1804).Bewick, 2 volumes, 1797 and 1804. For example, under "The
Golden Eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of p ...
", Bewick writes that "Pennant says there are instances, though rare, of their having bred in
Snowdon Snowdon () or (), is the highest mountain in Wales, at an elevation of above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside the Scottish Highlands. It is located in Snowdonia National Park (') in Gwynedd (historic ...
Hills". Bewick cites him for facts about rare species like "The Sclavonian Grebe": "This species is not numerous in the British Isles. Pennant says, they inhabit and breed in the fens near Spalding, in Lincolnshire, and that the female makes a nest not unlike that of the Crested Grebe, and lays four or five white eggs." On occasion, Pennant's knowledge could be highly specific: for "The Great-Crested Grebe", Bewick records that the nest "is made of various kinds of dried fibres, stalks and leaves of water plants, and (Pennant says) of the roots of bugbane, stalks of water-lily, pond-weed and water-violet; when it happens to be blown from among the reeds, it floats about upon the surface of the water". The naturalist
Richard Mabey Richard Thomas Mabey (born 20 February 1941) is a writer and broadcaster, chiefly on the relations between nature and culture. Education Mabey was educated at three independent schools, all in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. The first was at Roth ...
wrote that Pennant was "a doughty and open-minded traveller, and his various ''Tours'' were best-sellers in their time",Mabey, 1986. pp. 106–107 adding
Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709  – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...
's comment that Pennant was "the best traveller I ever read". Mabey however comments that he "had no great aptitude or instinct for field-work and nothing approaching
ilbert Ilbert is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Courtenay Ilbert (1841–1924), British lawyer and civil servant * Courtenay Adrian Ilbert Courtenay Adrian Ilbert (1888–1956), was a British civil engineer interested in horol ...
White's critical intelligence", arguing that Pennant "was essentially an intellectual entrepreneur, a popularizer and compiler of other people's observations and ideas, and was able to produce a large number of very readable guides as a result." Mabey adds that Pennant had a "pushy and bombastic manner, and a reliance on second-hand information that at times came close to plagiarism" but admits that he was an innovative author of books, in particular by seeking original reports "from a wide network of field observers", meeting the fashion in the 1760s for natural history journalism. Pennant's exploration of the Western Isles of Scotland was revisited by
Nicholas Crane Nicholas Crane (born 6 May 1954) is an English geographer, explorer, writer and broadcaster. Since 2004 he has written and presented four television series for BBC Two: ''Coast'', ''Great British Journeys'', '' Map Man'' and ''Town''. Early ...
in a television documentary programme first broadcast on
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
on 16 August 2007, as part of the " Great British Journeys" series. Pennant was the subject of the first in the eight part series. ''Cymdeithas Thomas Pennant'' (Thomas Pennant Society) was formed in 1989, aiming to foster Pennant's memory. It arranges a programme of events connected with him including publishing leaflets and booklets, holding lectures, an annual dinner and arranging walks in "Pennant Country". In 2013, the society proposed to
Flintshire County Council Flintshire County Council is the unitary local authority for the county of Flintshire, one of the principal areas of Wales. It is based at County Hall in Mold. Elections take place every five years. The last election was on 5 May 2022. Histor ...
that "Holywell and the north Flintshire area" be designated 'Pennant Country'. Some Holywell town councillors voiced reservations.


Species named after him

The following marine species were named with the epithets pennanti, pennantii and pennantiana:World Register of Marine Species
/ref> * ''Anchomasa pennantiana'' Leach in Gray, 1852: synonym of ''
Barnea parva Barnea may refer to: * Barnea is an olive cultivar, see List of olive cultivars There are hundreds of cultivars of the olive (''Olea europaea''). As one of the oldest and more important domesticated crops raised by humans, the olive tree has diverg ...
'' (Pennant, 1777) * ''Arca pennantiana'' Leach in Gray, 1852: synonym of ''
Striarca lactea ''Striarca'' is a genus of bivalves belonging to the family Noetiidae. The genus has cosmopolitan distribution. Species: * †'' Striarca africana'' * † '' Striarca angulata'' (Scott 1970) *'' Striarca centenaria'' * † '' Striarca compr ...
'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * ''Argentina pennanti'' Walbaum, 1792: synonym of ''
Maurolicus muelleri ''Maurolicus muelleri'', commonly referred to as Mueller's pearlside, Mueller's bristle-mouth fish (not to be confused with the Gonostomatidae), or the silvery lightfish (not to be confused with the Phosichthyidae) is a marine hatchetfish in the ...
'' (Gmelin, 1789) * ''Blennius pennantii'' Yarrell, 1835: synonym of '' Chirolophis ascanii'' (Walbaum, 1792) * ''Cardium pennanti'' Reeve, 1844: synonym of ''
Laevicardium crassum ''Laevicardium crassum'', the Norwegian egg cockle, is a species of saltwater clam, a cockle, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Cardiidae, the cockles. Fossil record Fossils of ''Laevicardium crassum'' are found in marine strata of the Quat ...
'' (Gmelin, 1791) * ''Cardium pennantii'' Reeve, 1844: synonym of ''
Laevicardium crassum ''Laevicardium crassum'', the Norwegian egg cockle, is a species of saltwater clam, a cockle, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Cardiidae, the cockles. Fossil record Fossils of ''Laevicardium crassum'' are found in marine strata of the Quat ...
'' (Gmelin, 1791) * '' Coregonus pennantii'' * ''Ebalia pennantii'' Leach, 1817: synonym of '' Ebalia tuberosa'' (Pennant, 1777) * ''
Funambulus pennantii The northern palm squirrel (''Funambulus pennantii'') also called the five-striped palm squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. Some authorities recognize two subspecies, ''F. p. pennantii'' and ''F. p. argentescens''. It is a s ...
'' * '' Gibbula pennanti'' (Philippi, 1846) * ''Lamna pennanti'' (Walbaum, 1792): synonym of ''
Lamna nasus The porbeagle (''Lamna nasus'') is a species of mackerel shark in the family Lamnidae, distributed widely in the cold and temperate marine waters of the North Atlantic and Southern Hemisphere. In the North Pacific, its ecological equivalent is ...
'' (Bonnaterre, 1788) * ''Maurolicus pennanti'' (Walbaum, 1792): synonym of ''
Maurolicus muelleri ''Maurolicus muelleri'', commonly referred to as Mueller's pearlside, Mueller's bristle-mouth fish (not to be confused with the Gonostomatidae), or the silvery lightfish (not to be confused with the Phosichthyidae) is a marine hatchetfish in the ...
'' (Gmelin, 1789) * ''Ovula pennantiana'' Leach, 1847: synonym of ''
Simnia patula ''Simnia patula'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ovulidae Ovulidae, common names the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries, is a family of small to large predatory or parasitic sea snails, marine gastr ...
'' (Pennant, 1777) * ''Pasiphaë pennantia'' Leach in Gray, 1852: synonym of '' Timoclea ovata'' (Pennant, 1777) * ''Pekania pennanti'' (1771) common name:
fisher Fisher is an archaic term for a fisherman, revived as gender-neutral. Fisher, Fishers or The Fisher may also refer to: Places Australia *Division of Fisher, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives, in Queensland *Elect ...
* ''
Procolobus pennantii Pennant's colobus or Pennant's red colobus (''Piliocolobus pennantii'') is a species of tree-dwelling primate in the family Cercopithecidae. It is endemic to tropical Central Africa. Three subspecies have traditionally been recognised but its dis ...
'' Waterhouse, 1838 * ''Selachus pennantii'' Cornish, 1885: synonym of ''
Cetorhinus maximus The basking shark (''Cetorhinus maximus'') is the second-largest living shark and fish, after the whale shark, and one of three plankton-eating shark species, along with the whale shark and megamouth shark. Adults typically reach in length. ...
'' (Gunnerus, 1765) * ''Squalus pennanti'' Walbaum, 1792: synonym of ''
Lamna nasus The porbeagle (''Lamna nasus'') is a species of mackerel shark in the family Lamnidae, distributed widely in the cold and temperate marine waters of the North Atlantic and Southern Hemisphere. In the North Pacific, its ecological equivalent is ...
'' (Bonnaterre, 1788) * ''Tetrodon pennantii'' Yarrell, 1836: synonym of '' Lagocephalus lagocephalus lagocephalus'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * ''Trochus pennanti'' Philippi, 1846: synonym of '' Gibbula pennanti'' (Philippi, 1846) * ''Venus pennanti'' Forbes, 1838: synonym of ''
Chamelea striatula ''Chamelea'' is a genus of small saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs in the family Veneridae, the venus clams. Species Species within the genus ''Chamelea'' include: * ''Chamelea gallina ''Chamelea gallina'' is a species of small sal ...
'' (da Costa, 1778) * ''Venus pennantii'' Forbes, 1838: synonym of ''
Chamelea striatula ''Chamelea'' is a genus of small saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs in the family Veneridae, the venus clams. Species Species within the genus ''Chamelea'' include: * ''Chamelea gallina ''Chamelea gallina'' is a species of small sal ...
'' (da Costa, 1778) * ''Vermilia pennantii'' Quatrefages, 1866: synonym of ''Pomatoceros triqueter'' (Linnaeus, 1758): synonym of '' Spirobranchus triqueter'' (Linnaeus, 1758)


Notes


See also

* :Taxa named by Thomas Pennant


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * * *


External links

* * Full text o
Thomas Pennant: A Tour in Scotland
(1769) an
Thomas Pennant: The Journey from Chester to London
(1780) on ''A Vision of Britain through Time'', with links to the places mentioned. * Full text o
Thomas Pennant: A tour in Wales (part 1)
(1778) an
Thomas Pennant: A tour in Wales (part 2)
(1781) at the ''University of Oxford Text Archive''.
The North American Birds of Thomas Pennant
A Review by W.L. McAtee. ''Journal of the Society for the Bibliography of Natural History''. Volume 4, Page 100-124 , , January 1963. (paywall) * Thomas Pennant (1774
''A tour in Scotland, and voyage to the Hebrides, 2 vols.''
– digital facsimile from the
Linda Hall Library The Linda Hall Library is a privately endowed American library of science, engineering and technology located in Kansas City, Missouri, sitting "majestically on a urban arboretum." It is the "largest independently funded public library of scien ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pennant, Thomas Welsh naturalists British ornithologists Welsh antiquarians 18th-century antiquarians Fellows of the Royal Society Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Members of the Royal Physiographic Society in Lund People from Holywell, Flintshire Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford 1726 births 1798 deaths People educated at Wrexham Grammar School 18th-century Welsh people Welsh zoologists 18th-century Welsh scientists 18th-century Welsh writers 18th-century British male writers 18th-century British zoologists