Edward Penrhyn

Edward Penrhyn was born on 16 September 1794, originally with the surname Leycester. He was the son of the Reverend Oswald Leycester, who later adopted the surname Penrhyn, and his wife Mary, daughter of Mr. P. Johnson of Timperley, Cheshire. Penrhyn was educated at Eton College and matriculated at St John's College, Cambridge, in the academic year 1813–1814. He was admitted to the university in February 1813, became a member of St John's College in 1813, and earned a scholarship. He served as President of the Cambridge Union Society in Easter 1816 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1817. He later attained a Master of Arts degree in 1820.

In 1818, Penrhyn was admitted to the Middle Temple, a professional association for barristers in England. In 1817, the same year his father changed the family surname to Penrhyn in accordance with the will of Baroness Penrhyn, he adopted the surname Penrhyn, replacing Leycester.

On 16 December 1823, Penrhyn married Lady Charlotte Elizabeth Stanley, who was born in 1801 and died in 1853. She was the daughter of Edward Smith-Stanley, the 13th Earl of Derby, and a sister of Edward Smith-Stanley, the 14th Earl of Derby, who became Prime Minister in 1852. The couple had two sons: Edward Hugh Leycester Penrhyn (1827–1919), who became the first Chairman of Surrey County Council from 1889 to 1893, and Oswald Henry Leycester Penrhyn (1828–1918), who served as Vicar of Huyton in 1869, Canon of Liverpool Cathedral in 1880, and Rector of Winwick in 1890.

As of 1823, Penrhyn was recorded as residing "of East Sheen." He served as a Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury from 1830 to 1832, representing the Whig party. Additionally, he held the position of chairman of the Quarter Sessions for Surrey during his career in public service. Edward Penrhyn passed away on 6 March 1861.