D. H. Pennington

Donald Henshaw Pennington (15 June 1919^[1][2] – 28 December 2007^[3]) was a historian of 17th-century England. He taught at Manchester and Oxford universities, becoming a tutor at Balliol College, Oxford in 1965.^[3]

Donald was born in Marple, Greater Manchester, near Stockport.^[2] His father, Frederick Pennington, was the Headmaster of the Albert Schools in Marple when Donald was born. His mother Gladys (nee Prentice) also taught at Marple School. Donald's mother was a sister of Frederick's first wife, Clara Prentice. Frederick and Clara Prentice were married on 3 August 1905 at Marple,^[4] however, Clara died in 1915.^[5] Donald's parents were then married in Marple on 30 August 1918. By 1931 his father had become Headmaster of the Willows School.^[6][7]

On the 23 1955 he spoke on a forty five minute radio broadcast programme with Veronica Wedgwood and Hugh Trevor-Roper, about the causes of the English Civil War.^[8] There was a follow-up programme broadcast four days later.^[9] Winston Churchill also consulted Donald about the origins of the English Civil War. He was rewarded with signed copies of the first two volumes of Churchill's A History of the English-Speaking Peoples.^[10]

In 1956 Donald was actively engaged in the work of the National Committee for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons Tests which was a precursor of the CND.^[10] He became a founding member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and was involved with that organisation from the outset. Donald served as the north-west regional secretary, and a member of the national executive.^[3]

His works include Europe in the Seventeenth Century, Members of the Long Parliament (with D. Bruton) and Puritans and Revolutionaries, Essays Presented to Christopher Hill (with Keith Thomas).

• The Guardian newspaper 21 Feb 2008