Mary Penington (1623–1682)

Mary Penington, née Proude, was one of the early members of the Society of Friends or Quakers. She was the only daughter of Sir John Proude, an army officer from Kent in the service of the States of Holland, and his wife Anne Fagge. At age three, she was orphaned and came under the guardianship of Sir Edward Partridge. When she was about nine years old, she went to live with Partridge’s widowed sister, Lady Katherine Springett, a practicing physician and surgeon with three children of her own.  At age 18, Mary married one of Katherine’s sons, Sir William Springett, with whom she had a son. Her husband served in the Parliamentary army during the English Civil War and fell ill with a fever at the seige of Arundel in 1643. When Mary learned the news, she rushed off to be with him, a dangerous journey for any woman, especially for her as she was heavily pregnant. He died shortly after she reached him. Their daughter was born a few days later and named Gulielma, the Latin form of William. Mary had already rejected the established Church of England and refused to have her child baptised despite the entreaties of relatives and clergymen. Her foster-mother Katherine Springett came to live with her to help her manage her estates and her inheritance. Ten years into her widowhood, having refused other offers of marriage, she met Isaac Penington, son of the Lord Mayor of London. He was a kindred spirit and shared her religious feelings. They married in 1654 and settled at Chalfont Grange, near Chalfont St. Peter in Buckinghamshire, and had five children. In 1658, they both embraced Quakerism after hearing George Fox speak. Now that they belonged to what was considered a heretical sect, Chalfont Grange was confiscated and many of Mary's lands were also taken. She was able to buy and renovate a house for her family in nearby Amersham, enabling them to remain part of their own Quaker community. The young William Penn became a frequent visitor, and he married Gulielma Springett in 1672. Mary was staying with her in Sussex, while William had sailed for Pennsylvania, when she died in 1682. She kept a diary, and wrote an autobiography called Experiences in the Life of Mary Penington, which was first published in 1821.