Nat Gould

Frederick Pennington 1819-1914

Frederick Pennington was born on 7 March 1819, the son of John Pennington, a cotton spinner and merchant of Hindley in Lancashire and his wife nee Elizabeth Hargreaves, daughter of John Hargreaves of Westhoughton in Lancashire.

Frederick Pennington was educated at Dr Formby's school at Southport and in Paris from 1830 to 1832. After many years trading as an East India merchant, he retired from business in 1865.

Pennington was a member of the council of the Anti-Corn Law League which he supported generously. He held advanced views and was part of the radical Liberal group. He stood for Parliament unsuccessfully at West Surrey in 1868, but at the 1874 general election he was elected Member of Parliament for Stockport. He held the seat until 1885.

He lived at Broome Hall at Holmwood in the Surrey Hills where weekend gatherings included many eminent guests from the worlds of politics, art and literature. He was appointed a Justice of the Peace for Surrey.

In 1854 Frederick Pennington had married Margaret Landell Sharpe, daughter of the Reverend John Sharpe 1792-1860, the Vicar of Doncaster. She became heavily involved in the women's movement and a campaigner for emancipation and suffrage (1).

He died on 11 May 1914 at the age of 94.

(1) Elizabeth Crawford The Women's Suffrage Movement : a Reference Guide 1866-1928 (2001) pages 532-533.