in the ancient Christian church, a name given to certain presbyters or priests, appointed in every church to receive the private confessions of the people, in order to facilitate public discipline, by informing them what sins were to be expiated by public penance, and to appoint private penance for such occult crimes as were not proper to be publicly censured. Penitentiary, at the court of Rome, is an office in which are examined and delivered out the secret bulls, graces, or dispensations relating to cases of conscience, confessions, and the like.

prison or place of confinement for criminals, in which the prisoners are made to labour, and a system of discipline is employed for effecting their reformation. See Prison and Prison-Discipline.

Penjine, a river of Asiatic Russia, near the northeastern extremity of the government of Irkoutsk. Its origin and course is but imperfectly known.

Penridge, a market-town situated within the hundred of Cuttlestone, in the county of Stafford, 129 miles from London. It stands on the river Penk, and has a market, which is held on Saturday. It is a very ancient town, being supposed to have been the Pennocricum of the Romans; but it has very little trade. The population amounted in 1801 to 1138, in 1811 to 1934, in 1821 to 2299, and in 1831 to 2351; but the parish, which is more extensive, appears by the last census to have contained 2991 persons.

Pennman-Mawr, a mountain in Caernarvonshire, 1400 feet in height. It hangs perpendicularly over the sea, at so vast a height, that few spectators are able to look down the dreadful steep. On the side which is next the sea, there is a road cut out of the side of the rock, about six or seven feet wide, which winds up a steep ascent.