The rescue of English captives from Morocco orchestrated in part by the Founder Penn's grandfather, Giles Penn (1570-1641) (Waters page 166).
Many
alliances and their origins can be established looking at Giles Penn. In
February 1635/6 Earl Algernon makes a request that the captains pay be raised
and that they each be assigned a lieutenant. Among those serving under Algernon
Earl of Northumberland as Admiral, are Sir John Pennington as Vice Admiral, Sir
Henry Mervyn as Rear Admiral, George Carteret, captain of the Mary Rose, and
Captain Rainborow. These men become irreversibly linked with Giles Penn. Giles
grandson is the founder of Pennsylvania William Penn. William Penn marries the
stepchild of Pennington’s. George Carteret’s widow transfers property to
Founder Penn. The family of Rainsborough has established kinships with the New
England families of Ball, Coytemore, Gray, and Wynn. There are certainly
relationships between these families and the family of George Penn, brother of
Giles Penn to be defined in the future.
In
1636 the North African maritime fleet had become so brazen that they captured a
ship 12 miles from Bristol and carried off the men, women, and children. The
chief place of refuge for the pirates was Cardiff. Even the fishermen could not
venture into the water. The activity of the North African’s/Turks had become
common and the petitions to the King for intervention were becoming a problem.
The King had to take action. It was proposed that Captain Rainsborough employ an
expedition against the pirate Sallee with guidance from Penn.
Giles
Penn is the son of William and Margaret Rastall Penn (Living Easton, 2004).
Giles father William Penn, practiced law in Wiltshire. Giles and his brother
William were established merchants on the Barbary Coast. Trading on the Barbary
Coast was considered a dangerous and cutthroat business. A second brother George
(d. November 4, 1632 in Plymouth, MA) migrated to Massachusetts.
On
December 28, 1635/6 Charles I King of England with the advice of Captain
Rainsborough and Mr. Giles Penn, made the decision to besiege the pirates in
port. Rainsborough departs with four ships February 20, 1636-7. Upon departure
the instructions are to take all Turkish Frigates and block up the port of
Sallee. They destroyed 28 ships and hemmed in the port. The Governor of the port
began to lend assistance, and the port was delivered into Raisborough’s hands
July 28th, 1636-7.
There
was an alliance formed with King Charles I and a treaty was reached insuring
that the Moroccan’s never infest the English ports again. Initially 300
captives were handed over to the English forces. Captain Carteret promptly
returned to England with the newly freed. Rainsborough stayed, he continued to
try and free another 1,000 captives who had been sold to Tunis and Algiers.
Rainsborough returned to England with the new ambassador November 5, 1636-7. A
procession at night with much Pomp was noted to have taken place. Captive
English and Irish who were missing as long as 30 years were finally returned to
their homeland. In the procession the captives were dressed in white robes,
accounts of the day describe there being so many white robes it was as if it
were daylight.
The
capture and return of English and Irish is noted in various literature of the
time. In 1901 Henry F. Waters, Genealogical Gleanings of England notes a sermon,
found in Oxford’s records by Rev. Charles Fitz-Geffry of St. Dominic in
Plymouth taken from Hebrew 13:3, “ Remember them that are in bonds, as bond
with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the
body” the sermon titled “Compassion towards Captives, chiefly towards our
Brethren & Countryman who are in such miserable bondage in Barbary.”
Waters also recollects another document from the same period as reading,
“It is certainly known that there are five Turks in the Severne, where they
weekly take English or Irish; and there are a great number of their ships in the
Channel upon the coast of France and Biscay Whereby it is come to pass that our
mariners will no longer go to sea, nor from port to port; yea, the fishermen
dare not put to sea to take fish for the country. If timely prevention be not
used, the Newfoundland fleet must of necessity suffer by them in an
extraordinary manor.”
Giles
Penn in these records has no title he is simple Mr. Penn. His death is not
recorded in England. He married Jeanne (Joan) Gilbert November 5, 1600 at St.
Mary Redcliffe church in Bristol. Their children were George Giles (b. 1601),
Rachael (b. 1607), Eleanor (died 1612), and William (b. 1621). Today’s
descendants of George Penn (Giles brother), who came to Massachusetts, note that
Giles died in Fex or, Morocco about 1641 (Hart, 2004). Founder William Penn
would not know his grandfather. He would only be familiar with the accounts
portraying his grandfather’s role in the liberation of the English and Irish
slaves from the Turks of North Africa.
Giles
Penn’s son became Admiral William Penn (1621-1670). Admiral William Penn was
born April 23, 1621 in St. Thomas Parish, Bristol. He married after his
father’s death Margaret Van der Schure. They were married at St Mary Redcliffe
Church in Bristol. She at the time was a Dutch widow having been married to
Nicasius Van der Schure. Margaret Van der Schure was the daughter of Jan (Johann,
John) Jasper merchant of Rotterdam (Seitz, 1719 & Burke, 1929) and Alet
Pletjes, whose family was from Kempen, Prussia (Lutz, 1988 & Miller, 1991).
On October 14, 1644 William Penn the Founder of Pennsylvania was born to William
and Margaret Jasper Penn. Admiral William Penn joined the navy and was given
command of the Fellowship the same year. Admiral Penn distinguished himself at
Lowerstoft, and was awarded much recognition, when he returned in September of
1645. In 1648 upon the ship named Assurance he was installed as the Rear Admiral
of the Irish Fleet. Admiral Penn has a very extensive Military History in the
West Indies, he captured Jamaica from the Spanish.
In
1653 Admiral Penn and his wife petition the Cromwell government for the return
of her estates valued at £7,436.19s.6d in Kilconry, County Clare. In 1655
Admiral Penn returns again from the West Indies. He is jailed over an incident
in Jamaican. He brings with him from Jamaica a slave named Samson. In 1656
Admiral Penn takes possession of Macroom Castle in Ireland. In 1661 Admiral Penn
was appointed the trustee of West Jersey. He wrote Naval law and the original
laws for West Jersey. Admiral William Penn died in 1670 and is buried at St.
Mary Redcliffe in Bristol England. His wife Margaret Penn returns to Ireland and
she dies there in 1682.
King
Charles II King of England son of Charles I is restored to the throne, May 29,
1660. He executes only nine of the conspirators who had executed his father, and
this is viewed as very tolerant. King Charles II remains on the throne until his
death in 1685. James the Duke of York and King Charles II himself remain
constant friends of the Penn’s both Admiral William and Founder William.
William Penn is described as a peculiar favorite of the brothers. There is a
story about William the founder not removing his hat as his faith dictated in
the presence of King Charles II. King Charles II removed his hat. When Penn
asks, Friend Charles why do you uncover yourself? Charles explains, “It is
custom for only one man at a time to keep his hat on.” Others who had
connections to the Naval rescue of the pirated Irish and English in 1635/36 with
Giles Penn are described as boon companions to James II.
Among
them are, Sir George Carteret and John Lord Berkeley. In 1674 James II Duke of
York gave these two “boon companions” the colony of New Jersey East and West
by description. The Colony of East Jersey was later purchased at auction by a
group including William Penn in 1682, from the widow of George Carteret. The
bill of sale is dated 2 February 1681/2.
Founder
William Penn at a young age began to have what is described as mystic vision. In
1662 his father sent him to Oxford to “temper his faith”. Penn was expelled
for non-conformity. In 1666 Penn served to suppress the English mutiny at
Carrickfergus. Penn returned to Ireland where he met Thomas Loe a Quaker
preacher. His father was again upset he had Penn whipped, beat, and turned out
doors. Samuel Pepy wrote in his diary, “ Mr. Penn is again a Quaker or some
such Melancholy thing”.
Penn
preached throughout London and published more than 100 works. He was arrested in
1670 for preaching but was not found guilty (Seitz, 1719). The Admiral William
Penn died September 15, 1670. Founder William Penn was arrested again in 1671
and sent to the tower at Newgate where he wrote “The Great Case of Liberty
of Conscience”. While in jail he maintained correspondence with both
Charles II and James II. They owed his father a debt still. From jail he won the
hand of his first wife Gulielma Springett who’s stepparents were Isaac and
Mary Pennington.
Gulielma
Springett’s stepfather was Isaac Pennington. Isaac had died in the tower on
the 17th of December 1661. He had been put in the tower in 1660 for
the roll he played in the beheading death of Charles I. King Charles II
sentenced him to death but he died before the sentence could be carried out.
In
1671 Founder William Penn traveled to Germany and met with a group of Pietist.
This event is frequently reported. What is not reported is that the pietists are
his cousins by his maternal great grandmother Alet Gobels Pletjes. These are the
group we identify as Krefeld Germans. They had migrated from Holland to Germany
before the trip to Pennsylvania. Margaret Jasper William Penn’s mother was the
child of Alet Pletjes. Alet Pletjes is the sister of Greitjen Pletjes. Greitjen
Pletjes marries Herman Op Den Graeff. The descendants of Herman and Greitjen
Pletjes Op Den Graeff are among the original 13 Krefeld immigrants to
Pennsylvania (Ulle, 1983), and they are William Penn’s first cousins.
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