PEN 
564 
upon two conviflions of bribery, in Cornwall and in 
Devon, to a fine of io,oool. and two years’ imprifomnent; 
and that borough has really been disfranchifed. 
Penryn is diftant from Truro nine miles eaft, Gram- 
pound feventeen eaft, Marazion twenty weft, St. Ives 
twenty-two weft, Mitchel feventeen eaft, St. Columb’s 
fixteen eaft, Penzance twenty-three weft, Redruth eight 
weft, and from London two hundred and fixty-fix. Bri- 
tifh Diredory, vol. iv. Beauties of England, vol. ii. 
Oldfield, vol. iii. Gent■ Mug. 1819. 
PENS, a town of the ifland of Cuba: twenty-two 
miles fouth-weft of Bayamo. 
PENSACO'LA, the capital of Wed Florida, fituated 
on the weft fide of a bay, to which it gives name. The 
harbour is on the north fhore of the Gulf of Mexico ; 11 
leagues eaft of Port Lewis and Mobile, and 158 weft: of 
the iflands of Tortuga. It is fpacious, and fecure from 
all winds, having four fathoms of water at its entrance, 
deepening gradually to feven or eight. The bay lies in 
lat. 30. 15. N. Ion. 87.14. W. and admits of veffels draw¬ 
ing no more than 21 feet of water. 
The towm is of an oblong form, healthfully as well as 
delightfully fituated, about one mile in length, and a 
quarter of a mile in breadth. While the Britifh nation 
poflefied it, it contained feveral hundred habitations, and 
many of the houfes and public buildings were fpacious 
and elegant. But, after the Spaniards took pofleflion of 
it, it has been upon the decline. The exports from this 
town, confifting of fkins, logwood, dyeing fluff, and 
filver dollars, amounted, while it belonged to Great 
Britain, to 63,000!. annually; and the average value of 
imports from Great Britain was 97,000k The town and 
fort of Penfacola furrendered, after a fpirited defence, to 
the Spaniards in 1781; and with them the whole province. 
This place was delivered up to Gen. Jackfon on the 17th 
of July, 1821, by which the ceftion of the Floridas from 
the Spanilh to the American government was finally 
completed. The negociations on the fubjefl had lafted, 
we believe, twenty years. 
PEN'SAM, f. The ancient way of paying into the ex¬ 
chequer as much money for a pound fterling as weighed 
twelve ounces troy. Payment of a pound de numero, im¬ 
ported juft: twenty (hillings ; adfcalam, twenty drillings 
and fix-pence; and ad penjam, imported the full weight 
of twelve ounces. 
PEN'SEN, a town of Germany, in the principality of 
Culmbach : fix miles eaft of Bayreuth. 
PENS'FORD St. Thomas, or, as it is fonretimes called 
Publow St.Tliomas, a fmall town in the county of So- 
merfet, near Frome, on the road to Wells, is feated on 
the river Chew, which here flows through a fine wooded 
vale, environed by fmall hills, the acclivities of which 
are covered with orchards. It is a town of high anti¬ 
quity, and is conjectured by Dr. Stukely to have derived 
its name from the Britiftr words Pen Ifc, dignifying the 
Head of the River, being near the fource of the Chew. 
In the time of Leland it feems to have been a very flou- 
riflring place, for it is mentioned by that afliduous anti¬ 
quary as “a praty townlet, occupied with clothinge.” 
This bufinefs is now, however, much declined ; and the 
town is nearly bereft of all its former trade. None of 
its buildings deferve notice except the church, which is 
a handfome modern ftruClure, with a tower at the weft 
end, apparently of more ancient date than its other por¬ 
tions. An old (lone bridge of three arches is thrown 
over the river, and connects the town with the village 
of Publow, to the church of which that of Pensford is a 
chapelry, though in other refpeCts it is parochial. Ac¬ 
cording to the late population returns, Pensford town 
and pariftr contain 66 houfes and 144. inhabitants. By 
the fame cenfus the pariftr of Publow contains 166 houfes 
and 820 inhabitants. Wilkes’s Britiftr DireCfory fays, 
that its market, which was on Tuefdays, has been long 
difcontinued ; the fairs are, May 6, and Nov. 8, for cat¬ 
tle, (heep, and pedlary. Pensford lies near Frome, on 
PEN 
the road to Wells; fix miles fouth of Briftol, and 117 
weft of London. Lat. 51. 21. N. Ion. 2. 44. W. 
PENS'HURST, or Penchester, a village in Kent, by 
the Medway, three miles fouth-weft of Tunbridge. 
Here is a fair, July 1. Here was the manfion of the Sid¬ 
ney family. It was the fcene of fir Philip Sidney’s 
poetic dreams, and the birth place of that renowned pa¬ 
triot Algernon Sidney; It has fince heard the warblings 
of the poet Waller in praife of his Sachariffa, who was 
an inhabitant of it, and whofe picture is ftill preferved. 
It is a noble ftrudture; and, though its park is greatly 
diminiftied by enclofures, ftill retains much of its ancient 
beauty and magnificence. 
Penftiurft Place was, in the time of Edward I. in the 
pofleflion of Sir Stephen de Peneftiurfte, who was made 
Conftable of Dover Caftle, and Warden of the Cinque 
Ports, by Henry III. after which it was conveyed to John 
de Pulteney ; who, in the reign of Edward II. had li¬ 
cence to embattle his manfion-houfe of Penftiurft; and 
in the reign of Edward III. he was fo highly favoured as 
to receive from that prince the honour of knighthood. 
In the fame reign he was four times eledted to the high 
office of lord-mayor of the city of London. From this 
family it came by marriage to fir John Devereux ; who, 
in the fucceeding reign of Richard II. had alfo a licence 
to embattle and fortify this manfion. After pafiing 
through feveral hands it was at length forfeited to the 
crown, in the fourth year of Edward VI. by the attain¬ 
der of fir Ralph Vane. The eftate was then given by 
that young prince, in 1553, to fir William Sydney, 
who enjoyed it but a few months : from him it devolved 
to his infant fon fir Henry, who, from his childhood, 
was bred at court, and was the playmate and bed-fellow 
of prince Edward. The young monarch afterwards made 
him gentleman of the privy chamber; and is faid to have 
taken fo much delight in his company, as to have rarely 
permitted his abfence. The young prince expired in his 
arms at Greenwich foon after ; at which period fir Henry 
retired to Penftiurft, there to indulge his grief; and, by thus 
withdrawing himfelf efcaped the fury of the times, and 
moft probably the fatal confequences that attended his 
father-in-law,thedukeofNorthumberland, in thefucceed- 
ing reign of the bigotted Mary. This faff is adverted to 
in the infcription over the gateway at the grand entrance. 
This ancient manfion has been formerly a place of con- 
fiderable ftrength, as appears from its immenfe walls and 
high embattled towers. The principal entrance to the 
great quadrangle, which is of hewn done, is nearly in its 
original gothic ftate of defign, and impreffes the mind 
very forcibly with the gloomy and referved pomp of our 
brave anceftors. The hall is fpacious and lofty, and the 
fragments of ancient armour, here exhibited, ftrongly re¬ 
call to memory 
The ancient errant knights, 
Who won their ladies hearts in fights. 
And cut whole giants into fritters, 
To put them into amorous twitters. 
The apartments of this famous manfion have been much 
modernized within a few years by the late owner, Wil¬ 
liam Perry, efq. who became poflefied of this eftate by 
marriage with the Hon. Elizabeth Sydney, niece to the 
late earl of Leicefter. Ireland's Pitturefque Views on the 
Medway, 1793. Willies's Britijh DireElory, vol. v. 
PENSICULA'TION, f, [from the Lat. penficulo, to 
ponder.] A deliberate confideration. Cole. 
PEN'SILE, adj. [penfilis, Lat.] Hanging; fufpended. 
—Two trepidations ; the one manifeft and local, as of the 
bell when it is penfile ; the other fecret, of the minute 
parts. Bacon. 
This ethereal fpace, 
Yielding to earth and fea the middle place, 
Anxious I a(k you, how the penfile ball 
Should never drive to rife nor never fear to fall. Prior. 
3 Supported 
