(1644-1718) Member of the Society of Friends (Quakers) who founded Pennsylvania, the "holy experiment," in 1682. The colony was named after his father, Admiral Penn, who was owed a large sum by King Charles II. Penn intended his colony to be a refuge from religious persecution.

William Penn came from Exeter in Devon where he owned a large area of land. After moving to the New World he granted the land to the city. This land was developed and named Pennsylvania in honour of William Penn's colony in across the Atlantic. This is the only example I can think of of a place in Britain being named after a place in America. It is usualy the other way around.

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