Draft:Pennington Family

The Pennington family is an English noble family. They are among the oldest noble families in Northern England, first appearing in the Domesday Book which is England's earliest public record containing a unique survey of the value and ownership of lands and resources in late 11th century England. Pennington is mentioned in the Domesday Book as one of the townships forming the Manor of Hougun which was held by Tostig Godwinson, Earl of North Cumbria. In the book, the surname's first recorded occurrence was spelled Pennigetun and the first place named Pennigetun is Pennington, Cumbria near Lancaster and it is said to have been named after the aristocratic Pennington Family. The manor is exactly the same size as the parish which formerly belonged to the Cistercian Abbey of Furness, and includes 4,160 acres or six and one-half square miles. The parish was the smallest in Lancashire. The village was composed of 50 houses and 284 people in the mid-nineteenth century, and is about the same size today. The name likely was inspired from the Pennines chain of mountains that run through Northern England and Cumbria. When put together, the British word "pennig" (little hill) and the Saxon word "ton" (town) makes Pennigetun/Pennington. Nonetheless, the record was compiled in 1086-1087, a mere twenty years after the Norman Conquest, at the order of William the Conqueror. Surnames did not exist before the Norman Conquest (1066 AD).

The Pennington House traces its lineage back to Gamel de Penitone, a prominent figure before and during the Norman Conquest of 1066. By 1250 the Pennington names were all in Norman form. In general, Old English (Saxon) and Cymric (Welsh or British) names were a minority in the population. It may well be that other inhabitants of the village of Pennington took the town name as a surname during the 1100’s and 1200’s, yet since it was a very tiny village, it is very likely all were closely related anyway. Gamel de Penitone can with very great confidence be called an ancestor of all the Penningtons today. Overall, this account suggests the family's importance in Cumberland even before the Norman Conquest. Early records of the Pennington family tree can be found in the a book for Sir Josslyn Pennington, 5th Baron Muncaster of Muncaster and ninth baronet. Additionally, they were connected by marriage to the Percy family and bore the Percy arms with slight variation. Nevertheless, historical evidence points to Muncaster as the ancestral home of the Pennington Family since at least 1208 when lands were granted to Alan de Penitone, though some records hint at an even earlier connection dating back to 1026. Fifty years later a castle was built by Gamel de Mulcastre. Muncaster Castle was home to the Pennington family for 800 years. The castle evolved from the Pele Tower, built to repel marauding Scots. The estate was originally 23,000 acres; today it is 1,800 acres. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. The Penningtons' association with Muncaster Castle is steeped in historical significance. The most distinguished ancestor, Sir John Pennington, accompanied Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland (1421–1461), on expeditions into Scotland, and was concerned more than once in ‘certain riots and misgovernances in Yorkshire. He remained faithful to the house of Lancaster during the Wars of the Roses. In 1464, Sir John Pennington provided refuge to Henry VI of England following the Battle of Hexham. Centuries later, in 1783, John Pennington, Lord Muncaster, erected the Chapels tower to commemorate the spot where the fugitive king was believed to have been found. Legend has it that Henry VI left behind a Venetian glass bowl as a token of gratitude, known as the "Luck of Muncaster", ensuring the prosperity of the Pennington family as long as it remained intact. In the 16th century, the Pennington family had a jester or fool named Thomas Skelton. He bequeathed the word "tomfoolery" to the English language. It is often said that he is the original Tom Fool who inspired William Shakespeare's joker in King Lear. The lord of Muncaster was generally a knight until 1676 when he was made a Baronet. Baron Muncaster was a title in the Peerage of Ireland and in the Peerage of the United Kingdom held by the Pennington family. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Pennington family made advantageous marriages, and in 1783, the fifth Baronet was elevated to the peerage as the first Baron Muncaster. A friend of Pitt and a Member of Parliament, he undertook significant renovations at Muncaster, including the expansion of the library and extensive landscaping projects.

The family's fortunes were not without controversy, as evidenced by General Lowther Pennington, 2nd Baron Muncaster, who, in his youth, engaged in a fatal duel over a trivial disagreement while serving in America. However, his grandson, Gamel Pennington, 4th Baron Muncaster, commissioned the renowned architect Anthony Salvin to renovate Muncaster Castle shortly before his death in 1862, shaping much of its present-day appearance. Lord Muncaster died intestate, so while he was succeeded in the peerage by his brother, Josslyn, the Muncaster estates went to Gamel's daughter Margaret. They did pass to Josslyn when she died young in 1871.

In 1917, with the death of the fifth and last Lord Muncaster without heirs, Sir Josslyn Pennington, 5th Baron Muncaster, the estate passed to Sir John Ramsden, a relative on his mother's side. Thus creating the Pennington-Ramsden Baronetcy. As a condition of inheritance, Sir John's second son assumed the Pennington name. The Ramsdens sold the Ramsden Estate (Huddersfield) in 1920. The Ramsdens are distinguished in their own right and also played a significant role in Yorkshire's history and brought with them a legacy of estate management and horticultural expertise. Today, the castle is owned by Iona Frost Pennington, the great-granddaughter of Sir John Ramsden, continuing the legacy of the Pennington family at Muncaster Castle.

Today, the National Genealogical Society and Earlham College holds the family's digital files.

Prominent members
Prominent members of the family include:


 * Gamel de Penitone
 * Alan de Penitone
 * Sir John Penington (1584–1646), English sailor
 * Isaac Penington (Lord Mayor) (1584 – 1661)
 * Isaac Penington (1616–1679), English Quaker
 * Sir William Pennington, 1st Baronet (1655 – 1730)
 * Sir Joseph Pennington, 2nd Baronet (1677–1744)
 * Sarah, Lady Pennington (1720 - 1783), English noblewoman and author


 * John Pennington, 1st Baron Muncaster (1740 – 1813)
 * Sir Isaac Pennington (1745–1817), English Physician
 * Lowther Pennington, 2nd Baron Muncaster (1745 – 1818)
 * Lowther Pennington, 3rd Baron Muncaster (1802 – 1838)
 * Gamel Pennington, 4th Baron Muncaster (1831 – 1862)
 * Josslyn Pennington, 5th Baron Muncaster (1834 – 1917)

Recurring names
Recurring names in the Pennington genealogy include:
 * Gamel
 * John
 * William
 * Joseph
 * Isaac
 * Alan
 * Thomas
 * Lowther

Coats of arms
Paternal arms of the Pennington Family. The blazon consisted of azure, five fusils conjoined in fess. A mountain cat passant guardant. A gold shield with five blue fusils is traditionally associated with Celtic Norse Pennington armigers in early rolls of arms.