Person

Sir William Penn

1621–1670 · 17th century

Sir William Penn was an English admiral who commanded the fleet of Oliver Cromwell's Western Design against the Spanish Caribbean. With General Robert Venables he failed to take Santo Domingo in 1655 but captured Jamaica instead, beginning English rule of the island. On their return both men were briefly imprisoned. He was the father of William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania.

Sir William Penn — Image: Peter Lely · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Spanish Jamaica Colony of Jamaica

See also

Cite this entry

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Sir William Penn. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sir-william-penn
MLA: “Sir William Penn.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sir-william-penn. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Sir William Penn.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sir-william-penn.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Sir William Penn’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sir-william-penn (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻