Isaac Penington (Quaker)

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For the 19th century physician, see the article Isaac Pennington

Isaac Penington (1616-1679) was one of the early members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).

Penington was the oldest son of Isaac Penington, a Puritan who had served as the Lord Mayor of London. Penington married a widow named Mary Springett and they had five children. Penington's stepdaughter Gulielma Springett married William Penn. Convinced that the Quaker faith was true, Penington and his wife joined the Friends in 1657 or 1658.

Penington became an influential promoter and defender of the Quaker movement, publishing several books about it. He was imprisoned six times for his beliefs, starting in 1661. Sometimes the charge was refusal to take an oath. Taking an oath was something that Friends were against doing (see Testimony of Integrity). Refusing to take an oath was prohibited by the Quaker Act of 1662. At other times Penington was charged with attending a Quaker meeting, which was forbidden by the Conventicle Act of 1664.

His complete works were first published in 1681. They are still in print today and can also be read online.