4 
MEMO! 11 OF PENNANT. 
of the various natural productions of his country, 
which were thus often presented before him. 
Having thus slightly sketched the ancestry and 
abode of this gi'eat Welsh naturalist, we shall endea- 
vour to trace his career in life, and particularly as it 
is connected with the many and voluminous works 
which he finished, and which, to the present time, 
hear a high rank in their particular department of 
the literature of our country. 
Thomas Pennant was born at Downing on the 
14th June 1726; and, as he himself tells us, to pre- 
vent all disputes regarding that event, “ in the room 
called the Yellow Room; that the celebrated Mrs 
Clayton of Shrewsbury ushered me into the world, 
and delivered me to Miss Jenny Parry of Merton, 
who, to her dying day, never failed telling me, ‘ Ah, 
you rogue ! I remember you when you had not a 
shirt on your hack 
In those days, it was customary for the children 
of the higher ranks to be nursed fi'om home, and 
there was generally considerable competition in the 
selection of a nui'se. The ofl’spiing of persons hold- 
ing a station in society, as the foster-brother or 
sister, was generally looked upon as a dependant of 
the family, who, in their turn, thought it incumbent 
upon them to do what lay in their power for their 
support and prosperity in after life. Accordingly, 
• Hist, of Whiteford and Holywell, p. 2. 
