John Penington 1584?-1646

Sir John PENINGTON 1584?-1646

Biographical Note

Son of Robert Penington, of Henham, Essex, tanner. His early career is not known; he is likely to have been involved in maritime activities before becoming vice-admiral in the unsuccessful voyage to the Orinoco in 1617-18, in search of gold. He became engaged in various naval voyages and skirmishes during the 1620s, in association with the Duke of Buckingham, and in 1631 was appointed admiral of the narrow seas. He continued in naval service through the 1630s and into the Civil War period, and was appointed treasurer of the Navy in 1642; the circumstances of his death are uncertain, but he had become wealthy during his career,

Books

More than 61 books, valued at £14 12s, were seized from his London house by the London Committee for Sequestration in 1643, and sold. An inventory survives in the Committee records at The National Archives.

Sources

• Priced list of delinquents' books sold, The National Archives SP 20/7.
• Roy, I. The libraries of Edward, 2nd Viscount Conway, and others, Bulletin of the Institute of Historical Research 43 (1968), 35-46.
• Thrush, Andrew. "Penington, Sir John (bap. 1584?, d. 1646), naval officer." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.