Re: George Penn

Giles was a Bristol merchant who became amerchant adventurer, trading between Bristol and the Barbary Coast. Quite an exciting life, lots of ups and downs. At the end of his career he worked to release British hostages in Sallee, as a result of which he was given an official post as consul there.

He had two sons and at least two daughters.
One of the daughters married a Bradshaw and another a Markham. The Bradshaw and Markham nephews are mentioned in Giles's will, but it's not clear which daughter married which husband.

There were 20 years between the sons: William was born on April 23 1621 and George on October 1, 1602. George went into his father's business. He met his wife, a ROman Catholic Spanish girl, in Antwerp. After marrying, they settled in San Lucar, a port near Seville. In 1643 he was taken by the Spanish Inquisition and tortured for three years: his posessions were confiscated and he was thrown out of Spain without his wife or fortune. It's said, though there are no State papers to corroborate the story, that in 1664 Charles II appointed him envoy to the Spanish court in order that he could demand satisfaction, but he died in July of that before being able to take up his post.

According to Brigadier O F Hogg in his papers on the ancestry of William Penn, George didn't have any children of his own, but he invited his wife's sisters to share their home.