Our family is descended from the ancient family of Pennington of Muncaster, who flourished in the reign of King Henry II. The oldest Pennington we know of, Gamel de Peninton or Penitone, bore an Old Norse first name, indicating Viking ancestry. He held the manor during the time of King Henry II. During the War of the Roses, Holy King Harry, Henry VI, became lost after the Battle of Towton in 1464. Sir John Pennington rescued him near Muncaster. In gratitude, King Henry presented Sir John with a fragile glass cup called the “Luck of Muncaster” and a blessing the family would never run out of male heirs so long as the cup remained unbroken. Though the cup still survives, the last male Pennington of this line died in 1917.
