1. William Penn’s final years (1710-1718) remain largely undocumented by
his biographers. By sifting through hundreds of letters by Penn, his wife,
political actors, and fellow Quakers, this project sheds light on the
importance of William Penn’s final years in the context of his broader
career. Though Penn worked tirelessly to build up Pennsylvania as a refuge
for Quakers and members of other religious groups, the effort taxed his
mind and body significantly. In 1710, Penn began negotiations with the
Queen to sell his right to the proprietorship of Pennsylvania. Two years
later, these efforts halted when Penn suffered a crippling stroke. With his
wife Hannah Penn orchestrating Pennsylvania on his behalf, border issues
involving the Lower Counties, as well as problems with the governorship of
Pennsylvania, continued to arise. This research compiles and consolidates
all of the pertinent, albeit neglected, information about Penn’s final years.
Acknowledgments:
Dr. Andrew Murphy, Research Advisor
Steve Mercadente, Fellow Research Assistant
Abstract
With William Penn’s health declining and his debts accumulating, he began
negotiations with the Crown to sell his proprietorship for Pennsylvania. On
June 31, 1710, Penn wrote a Memorial to Queen Anne requesting 20,000
pounds over the course of seven years for his province to government.
Queen Anne referred Penn’s initial request to the Lords Commissioners of
the Treasury. On September 9, 1712, the Crown and Penn reached an
agreement of 12,000 pounds within four years with 1000 pounds of the
total to be paid out immediately. Unfortunately, Queen Anne died before
the terms of the surrender could be actualized. After Penn’s death,
Pennsylvania stayed as a proprietorship, and the remaining 11,000 pounds
were never paid out.
In March 1711, William Penn began to talk to Pennsylvania Governor
Charles Gookin about establishing a dividing line between Pennsylvania
and Lord Baltimore’s Maryland. The issue of the three Lower Counties
proved a thorny problem for years after Penn’s death, with Hannah Penn
taking up the reins of the battle. At the same time, the Quakers in
Pennsylvania were experiencing problems with the Affirmation Act, an
English law that required office-seekers to affirm rather than swear an
oath, something that conflicted with the Quaker religion. During 1711,
Penn unsuccessfully advocated on behalf of Quakers in America for Crown
authorities to permit a more lenient version of the Affirmation Act, but the
Board of Trade and the Queen repeatedly denied his requests.Governor
Gookin caused a lot of tensions between the Assembly, the Quakers, and
the Proprietor of Pennsylvania. In May 1717, Hannah Penn, then the acting
proprietor of Pennsylvania to cover for William Penn’s poor health,
appointed Sir William Keith Governor of Pennsylvania.
William Penn drafted a new will in April 1712 which called for
the distribution of Pennsylvania lands to Hannah Penn’s children.
Very little was given to his son William Penn, Jr. who was known
to be an irresponsible delinquent. Not long after, Penn suffered
his first “apoplectic fit”. After taking a trip to the curative waters
of Bath, Penn suffered another stroke in October 1712. Just
three months later in December 1712, Penn suffered his third
debilitating stroke. One of his acquaintances, Simon Clement,
noted that the third stroke “impaired his memory, so that
though he knew his friends well…he could not hold any
discourse with them, or even call them by their names.” Penn’s
health continued to decline until he passed away on July 30,
1718 and was buried at Jordan’s Burial Ground outside London.
Penn’s Health
Pennsylvania Negotiations
Problems in Pennsylvania
The William Penn Project: Penn’s Final Years
Justin Schulberg
Professor Andrew Murphy, Department of Political Science
June 1710
Memorial To
Queen Anne
March 1711
Lower
County
Discussions
Start
Feb. 1712
Affirmation
Act Repealed
by the
Crown
April 1712
Penn Writes
New Will
May 1712
First Stroke
Sept. 1712
Agreement
Reached on
the Sale of
Pennsylvania
Oct. 1712
Second
Stroke
Dec. 1712
Final Stroke
May 1717
Sir William
Keith
Appointed
Governor of
Pennsylvania
July 30, 1718
Penn’s Death
Oct. 1984
William and
Hannah
Penn
Granted U.S.
Citizenship
Portrait of Hannah Penn
Jordan’s Burial Ground
The Lower Counties
Memorial to Queen Anne
Resolution for William and
Hannah Penn’s Honorary
Citizenship