Matthijs naiveu biography of william

Throughout the year we’ve been celebrating the unique clothing of the various people living and visiting Pennsbury Manor in the late 17th Century.  After featuring the Laborers and the Servants/Tradespeople, we can highlight the Community Leaders! 

This class of people would not have been as high as Governor William Penn and his wife Hannah, but they would have been acquaintances and even friends.  While many people immigrating to the colony came with very little money, posessions, or even skills, there were some that came ready and able to establish themselves in the New World.  They had enough with them to build up a home, start a business, finance merchant vessels, and encourage the trade network that helped build up a strong economy, which was vital to a colony’s survival. 

The clothing of these leaders would need to reflect their prosperous positions. While they certainly had work to do, their station allowed them more free time to devote to public duties.  Th

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