a municipal borough and market-town of England, in the county of Cornwall, stands on the N.W. shore of Mounts Bay, 24 miles S.W. of Truro, and 281 W.S.W. of London. It is the most westerly town in Great Britain, and is beautifully placed along the curving shore, encircled by rocky eminences. The principal streets, four in number, meet in the market-place; they are for the most part ill paved, and lined with mean houses. The town-hall is a handsome building of granite in the Grecian style, surmounted by a cupola. There are two Episcopal churches, one of which, recently built, is a fine granite edifice, in the early English style, containing a pulpit made of a single block of granite. The town also contains places of worship belonging to Methodists, Independents, Baptists, Roman Catholics, and Jews. The Royal Geological Society of Cornwall has its head-quarters here, where there is a museum with a valuable collection of minerals. There Penzing is also here a natural history and antiquarian society, an agricultural society, a literary institution, and a public library. The town has a custom-house, and a pier 600 feet long, with a lighthouse at the end. The harbour, however, is only suitable for small vessels. The trade of the place is considerable: tin, copper, china clay, and fish, being exported; while iron, timber, hemp, hides, and tallow are the chief articles of import. Fishery is actively carried on in Penzance, pilchards being the fish chiefly obtained; and there are here tanneries and smelting-houses for tin. The climate of Penzance is extremely mild, and much less variable than that of London. The mean temperature of summer is 60°-5, and of winter 44°-66. Markets are held twice a week, and there are three annual fairs. The number of vessels registered at the port in 1857 was 81, aggregate tonnage 7299. In the same year there entered the port 733 sailing-vessels, tonnage 45,338; and 72 steamers, tonnage 23,042; and there cleared 221 sailing-vessels, tonnage 14,092; and 1 steamer, tonnage 32.

The environs of the town are very beautiful; and many interesting remains are to be seen in the neighbourhood. A curious custom is observed in Penzance on the 23rd and 28th of June, which is supposed to be a remnant of the ancient sun-worship practised at the summer solstice. After burning a number of tar barrels in conspicuous places, they dance about with blazing torches, and on the following day festivities of a more quiet character are celebrated.

Penzance was destroyed by the Spaniards in 1695, and was afterwards sacked by the parliamentary party under Fairfax in 1646. Sir Humphry Davy was born here in 1778. Pop. (1851) 9214.