Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 44.djvu/348

 bishopric of Carlisle by a bull dated 22 Sept. 1508, but did not receive the spiritualities of his see until 29 June 1509. He was a man of active mind, and a letter preserved, which he wrote to Wolsey in 1519, shows that he was ready to support the cardinal in his scheme of reform. But he therein speaks of his illness, and he died at Leicester about 1519 or 1520, and was buried in the abbey. The tomb was afterwards moved into St. Margaret's Church. He had added to the abbey buildings, and gave lands towards a free school in St. Margaret's parish.

[Le Neve's Fasti Eccl. Angl. ed. Hardy; Cooper's Athenæ Cantabr. i. 22, 525; Wood's Athenæ Oxon. ed. Bliss, ii. 716; Dugdale's Monasticon, VI. i. 493; Nichols's Leicestershire, i. 268, ii. 510; Letters and Papers, Henry VIII, i. 5616, III. i. 17.] 

PENNY, JOHN (1803–1885), journalist, born on 16 Feb. 1803, was third son of Elias Penny, bookseller and publisher, of Sherborne, Dorset, and was educated at the king's school there. In 1828 he became proprietor and editor of the old ‘Sherborne Journal.’ In the columns of the paper he championed the cause of reform, and thus earned the gratitude of the whigs. In 1832 he published a pamphlet entitled ‘Dorsetshire emancipated from Tory Dominion,’ and was rewarded by Lord John Russell with the stamp-distributorship of Dorset. Soon afterwards he was promoted to a similar but more important post at Leeds. While there he wrote a drama, called ‘Stephen, King of England,’ 8vo, London, 1851, which was subsequently produced at the Leeds Theatre and favourably received. In 1858 he gave up the ‘Sherborne Journal,’ and subsequently retired from official life. He died at Bath on 7 Feb. 1885, and was buried at Exeter with his wife and only son, who had predeceased him. Penny's eldest brother, William Webb Penny (1799–1888), was proprietor and editor of the ‘Sherborne Mercury,’ one of the oldest papers in the west of England, from 1829 till 1842. His youngest brother, Charles Penny, D.D. (1809–1875), of Pembroke College, Oxford, was head master of Crewkerne grammar school from 1838 until 1875, and for many years rector of Chaffcombe, Somerset.

[Sherborne Journal, 12 Feb. 1885; Mayo's Bibl. Dorset.; Allibone's Dict. of Authors; Crockford's Clerical Directory, 1874; information from the Rev. E. L. Penny, D.D.] 

PENNY, NICHOLAS (1790–1858), brigadier-general, son of Robert Penny of Weymouth, Dorset, the descendant of a family long settled at that place, was born in November 1790, and was appointed to the Bengal army in 1806. He was gazetted ensign in the Bengal native infantry 16 Aug. 1807, lieutenant 19 Dec. 1812, brevet captain 5 March 1822, regimental captain 13 May 1825, brevet major 19 Jan. 1826, regimental major 2 Feb. 1842, brevet lieutenant-colonel 23 Nov. 1841, regimental lieutenant-colonel 29 July 1848, brevet colonel 7 June 1849, regimental colonel 15 Sept. 1851, and major-general 28 Nov. 1854. Penny served with the utmost distinction throughout the siege of Bhurtpore, the first Sikh war, and the Indian mutiny, from 1825 to 1858, and was constantly employed on active service. In November 1825 he attended the commander-in-chief, Lord Amherst, on service to Agra. He was present as deputy assistant quartermaster-general with the second division of infantry at the siege of Bhurtpore 3 Dec. 1825. He was thanked in divisional orders by Major-general Nicholls for his services, and shared in the Bhurtpore prize-money. In 1853 he was granted the India ‘Retrospective’ medal with the ‘Bhurtpore’ clasp. Penny was brigade-major on the establishment from 2 Oct. 1826 to 19 May 1828. He was appointed to Muttra and Agra frontier 4 Oct. 1826, deputy assistant adjutant-general on the establishment 19 May 1828, and assistant adjutant-general of a division 9 July 1832. He was granted the brevet rank of major for distinguished services in the field (London Gazette, 1 Aug. 1834), and was appointed to command the Nusseree battalion 2 June 1841, and was reported as ‘a most zealous officer’ (Inspection Report, 30 Oct. 1841). He was appointed to the command of the twelfth brigade of the fifth division of infantry of the army of the Sutlej on 1 Jan. 1846, and on the breaking up of this brigade was appointed to the command of the second infantry brigade 16 Feb. 1846. He served at the battle of Aliwal, and was highly commended in despatches (London Gazette, 27 March 1846). At the battle of Sobraon, in the first Sikh war, Penny was slightly wounded; his services were highly spoken of in despatches both by Major-general Sir H. Smith and by the governor-general, Sir Henry Hardinge (ib. 1 April 1846). He received for this campaign the ‘Aliwal’ medal with the ‘Sobraon’ clasp, and was created C.B. 30 June 1846. He was posted to the 69th Bengal native infantry, and ordered to Lahore 27 Sept. 1848. He was appointed to the command of the seventh brigade of the third infantry division of the army of the Punjab, with the rank of brigadier, 13 Oct. 1848. He had ceased to command the Nusseree battalion, on promotion to the rank of