Captain William Penny (1809–1892) was a Scottish shipmaster, whaler and

Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...

explorer. He undertook the first maritime search for the ships of Sir

John Franklin Sir John Franklin (16 April 1786 – 11 June 1847) was a British Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. After serving in wars against Napoleonic France and the United States, he led two expeditions into the Canadian Arctic and through ...

. In 1840, Penny established the first

whaling station Whaling is the process of hunting of whales for their usable products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that became increasingly important in the Industrial Revolution. It was practiced as an organized industry a ...

in the

Cumberland Sound Cumberland Sound (french: Baie Cumberland; Inuit: ''Kangiqtualuk'') is an Arctic waterway in Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is a western arm of the Labrador Sea located between Baffin Island's Hall Peninsula and the Cumberland Peninsula ...

area on

Kekerten Island Kekerten Island is an uninhabited island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. Southernmost of the Kikastan Islands, it is located in the Cumberland Sound, off Baffin Island's Cumberland Peninsula. Akulagok Island forms Kekerten Harb ...

.Kekerten Territorial Park
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Biography

He was born on 12 July 1809 in

Peterhead Peterhead (; gd, Ceann Phàdraig, sco, Peterheid ) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement (the city of Aberdeen itself not being a part of the district), with a population of 18,537 at the 2011 Census. ...

. He went to sea at the age of 12 his first trip being on the whaler ''Alert'' on a trip to Greenland under the command of his father. In 1832 he served as mate on the whaler ''Traveller'' under Captain George Simpson in

Lancaster Sound Lancaster Sound () is a body of water in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located between Devon Island and Baffin Island, forming the eastern entrance to the Parry Channel and the Northwest Passage. East of the sound lies Baffin Bay ...

and

Baffin Bay Baffin Bay ( Inuktitut: ''Saknirutiak Imanga''; kl, Avannaata Imaa; french: Baie de Baffin), located between Baffin Island and the west coast of Greenland, is defined by the International Hydrographic Organization as a marginal sea of the Arct ...

. On the latter trip in 1833 he was the first known European to see Exeter Sound.William Penny collection
/ref> By 1839 he was master of the whaler ''Neptune'' and was again in Baffin Bay searching for a whale-rich inlet called Tenudiakbeek, eventually locating in July and renaming it Hogarth's Sound. In fact he had rediscovered

. After a three year break in Aberdeen he returned to Cumberland Sound in 1844. In 1847 he commanded the whaler ''St Andrew'' in Baffin Bay and began a search for the

Franklin's lost expedition Franklin's lost expedition was a failed British voyage of Arctic exploration led by Captain (Royal Navy), Captain Sir John Franklin that departed England in 1845 aboard two ships, and , and was assigned to traverse the last unnavigated sect ...

but failed to get through Lancaster Sound. He returned for a second search in 1849 on the ''Advice'' but was again turned back by ice. In 1850/51, with the financial support of Lady Franklin, he returned in a more official capacity, searching in the

Jones Sound Jones Sound is a waterway in Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut, Canada. It lies between Devon Island and the southern end of Ellesmere Island. At its northwestern end it is linked by several channels to Norwegian Bay; at its eastern end it opens via Glac ...

and

Wellington Channel The Wellington Channel () (not to be confused with Wellington Strait) is a natural waterway through the central Canadian Arctic Archipelago in Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut. It runs north–south, separating Cornwallis Island and Devon Island. Quee ...

and beyond Cape Walker. He was in charge of two brigs: HMS ''Lady Franklin'' and HMS ''Sophia''. On this trip he joined forces with Captain

Horatio Thomas Austin Sir Horatio Thomas Austin (10 March 1800 – 16 November 1865) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer. Biography Austin was born in England on 18 March 1800, the son of an official in the Chatham Dockyard. In 1828, was dispatche ...

Beechey Island Beechey Island ( iu, Iluvialuit, script=Latn) is an island located in the Arctic Archipelago of Nunavut, Canada, in Wellington Channel. It is separated from the southwest corner of Devon Island by Barrow Strait. Other features include Wellington C ...

. Here they found three graves from 1846 proving Franklin's presence. They wintered at

Assistance Bay Possession Bay is a bay wide on the north coast of South Georgia, an island in the southern Atlantic Ocean. It recedes southwest for , and is separated from Cook Bay to the north by Black Head promontory. It is connected to King Haakon Bay ...

on Cornwallis Island being joined by Sir John Ross. In spring Penny was charged with exploring the Wellington Channel. During this period he became the first European to see the

Queens Channel The Queens Channel () is a natural waterway through the central Canadian Arctic Archipelago in Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut. It is surrounded by Bathurst Island (to the west), Cornwallis and Little Cornwallis Islands (to the south), Baillie-Ham ...

and gave his name to the

Penny Strait The Penny Strait () is a natural waterway through the central Canadian Arctic Archipelago in the territory of Nunavut. It separates Bathurst Island (to the south-west) from Devon Island (to the east). To the south and south-east, the strait open ...

there. However, following a dispute with Austin he was forced to return to Scotland and took no further part in the search. In 1852, he founded the "Royal Arctic Company" (later renamed the "Aberdeen Arctic Company") and was permitted to buy the ''Lady Franklin'' and ''Sophia'' for the company. He made the first ever winter whaling trip in the Arctic (1853/54) and introduced the practice of floe whaling, which allowed an earlier start to the season. In 1857, he took the first Christian missionary (a Moravian) to convert the

Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...

of Baffin Island and northern Greenland. In 1859 he introduced the first steam whalers. In 1861 he purchased the Dundee steamer ''Polynia'' as a whaler. He retired in 1864 and thereafter lived at South Crown Street in Aberdeen. In later life he lived at 22 Springbank Terrace in

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

Personal life

He was married to Margaret Penny (née Irvine), and they had two sons and three daughters.Dictionary of Canadian Biography
/ref>

Death and recognitions

He died on 1 February 1892 and is buried in the churchyard of the

Kirk of St Nicholas The Kirk of St Nicholas is a historic church located in the city centre of Aberdeen, Scotland. Up until the dissolution of the congregation on 31 December 2020, it was known as the ''"Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting"''. It is also known as ''"The Mit ...

in central Aberdeen. The grave lies west of the church and is marked by an obelisk relating his connection to the search for Franklin. The Penny Ice Cap in

Auyuittuq National Park Auyuittuq National Park ( iu, ᐊᐅᔪᐃᑦᑐᖅ, , "the land that never melts") is a national park located on Baffin Island's Cumberland Peninsula, in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, the largest political subdivision of Canada. The park was ...

Baffin Island Baffin Island (formerly Baffin Land), in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, is the largest island in Canada and the fifth-largest island in the world. Its area is , slightly larger than Spain; its population was 13,039 as of the 2021 Canadia ...

Nunavut Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' ...

, Canada is named for him.

Footnotes

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online'' Ross, W.G., ''William Penny (1809–1892)''William Penny (1809–1892)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Penny, William 1809 births 1892 deaths British polar explorers Explorers of the Arctic Scottish explorers