Author: Penrose, Thomas
Biography:
PENROSE, Thomas (1742-79: ODNB)
Born at Newbury, Berkshire, where his father was the rector, he was the son of Thomas Penrose (d 1769) and his wife Ann Stead. He was baptised on 9 Sept. 1742; the date of his birth is not known. He matriculated at Wadham College, Oxford, on 30 May 1759 but left without taking a degree when he joined a combined English and Portuguese expedition to Buenos Aires. In fighting the Spanish, the lead ship in the convoy caught fire and the expedition’s commander, Captain Macnamara, was drowned along with other members of the crew. Penrose, in the second ship, was wounded but made it safely to Rio de Janeiro. He returned to England where he studied at Hertford College, Oxford, and earned his BA in 1766; he was ordained deacon in 1767 and priest in 1768. On 20 Sept. 1768 he married Mary Slocock; they had one son, Thomas, who later followed his father into holy orders. Penrose was the curate at Newbury before becoming rector at Beckington-cum-Standerwick in Somerset in 1778. However his health soon failed and he died at Bristol on 20 Apr. 1779. He was buried in the cemetery at Clifton. His will is a curious document: it thanks his creditors for their kindness and leaves his pistols and carbine “made by the famous Lazarino” to his son in hope that he will never have to use them. His manuscripts, medals, and everything else he left to his wife to sell or keep as she chose. James Pettit Andrews (q.v.) edited the 1781 collection of Penrose’s poems and was his brother-in-law. (ODNB 10 May 2022; CCEd 10 May 2022; T. Penrose, Poems [1781]; ancestry.co.uk 10 May 2022)