The title of Earl of Northumberland has been created several times in the

Peerage of England The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. In that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were replaced by one Peerage of Great Britain. There are five peerages in th ...

and of Great Britain, succeeding the title

Earl of Northumbria Earl of Northumbria or Ealdorman of Northumbria was a title in the late Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Scandinavian and early Anglo-Norman period in England. The ealdordom was a successor of the Norse Kingdom of York. In the seventh century, the Anglo-Saxo ...

. Its most famous holders are the

House of Percy A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air co ...

(''alias'' Perci), who were the most powerful noble family in

Northern England Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angles, Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Scandinavian York, K ...

for much of the Middle Ages. The heirs of the Percys, via a female line, were ultimately made

Duke of Northumberland Duke of Northumberland is a noble title that has been created three times in English and British history, twice in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of Great Britain. The current holder of this title is Ralph Percy, 12th Duke o ...

in 1766, and continue to hold the earldom as a

subsidiary title A subsidiary title is a title of authority or title of honour that is held by a royal or noble person but which is not regularly used to identify that person, due to the concurrent holding of a greater title. United Kingdom An example in the U ...

History

Percy family

William de Percy, 1st Baron Percy, was in the

train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often ...

William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

. After arriving in England following the Harrying of the North (1069–70), he was bestowed modest estates in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

by Hugh d'Avranches. However, by the reign of Henry II the family was represented by only an heiress, Agnes de Percy (died 1203) following the death of the third

feudal baron A feudal baron is a vassal holding a heritable fief called a ''barony'', comprising a specific portion of land, granted by an overlord in return for allegiance and service. Following the end of European feudalism, feudal baronies have largely been ...

. As her

dowry A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment ...

contained the manor of Topcliffe in Yorkshire,

Adeliza of Louvain Adeliza of Louvain, sometimes known in England as Adelicia of Louvain, also called Adela and Aleidis; (c. 1103 – March/April 1151) was Queen of England from 1121 to 1135, as the second wife of King Henry I. She was the daughter of Godfrey I, ...

, the widowed and remarried second wife of

Henry I Henry I may refer to: 876–1366 * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry I the Long, Margrave of the N ...

, arranged the marriage of Agnes with her own young half-brother, Joscelin of Louvain. After their wedding, the nobleman from the

Duchy of Brabant The Duchy of Brabant was a State of the Holy Roman Empire established in 1183. It developed from the Landgraviate of Brabant and formed the heart of the historic Low Countries, part of the Burgundian Netherlands from 1430 and of the Habsburg ...

in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...

settled in England. He adopted the surname Percy and his descendants were later created Earls of Northumberland. The Percys' line would go on to play a large role in the history of both England and Scotland. As nearly every Percy was a

Warden of the Marches The Lord Warden of the Marches was an office in the governments of Scotland and England. The holders were responsible for the security of the border between the two nations, and often took part in military action. They were also responsible, alo ...

, Scottish affairs were often of more concern than those in England.''Northumberland Yesterday and To-day''
by Jean F. Terry, 1913, from

Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital libr ...

1309: 1st Baron Percy

In 1309,

Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy of Alnwick (25 March 1273 – October 1314) was a medieval English magnate. He fought under King Edward I of England in Wales and Scotland and was granted extensive estates in Scotland, which were later retaken ...

purchased

Alnwick Castle Alnwick Castle () is a castle and country house in Alnwick in the English county of Northumberland. It is the seat of the 12th Duke of Northumberland, built following the Norman conquest and renovated and remodelled a number of times. It is a G ...

from Antony Bek,

Bishop of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the Anglican bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in the Province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler has been the Bishop of Durham ...

. The castle had been founded in the late 11th century by

Ivo de Vesci Ivo de Vesci, sometimes spelt Vescy and first name sometimes Yves, was a prominent 11th-century English noble. He obtained lands and the lordship of Alnwick in Northumberland from King William II of England. He was also given lands in Malton, ...

, a nobleman from Vassy or

Vichy Vichy (, ; ; oc, Vichèi, link=no, ) is a city in the Allier department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of central France, in the historic province of Bourbonnais. It is a spa and resort town and in World War II was the capital of ...

. A descendant of Ivo de Vesci,

John de Vesci John de Vesci, sometimes spelt Vescy, was a prominent 13th-century noble. He was the eldest son of William de Vesci and Agnes de Ferrers. He married firstly Agnes de Saluzzo and secondly Isabella de Beaumont. John died c. 1289. He succeeded to h ...

, succeeded to his father's titles and estates upon his father's death in

Gascony Gascony (; french: Gascogne ; oc, Gasconha ; eu, Gaskoinia) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part ...

in 1253. These included the barony of Alnwick and a large property in

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land ...

and considerable estates in Yorkshire, including Malton. Due to being under age, King

Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of King John and Isabella of Angoulême, Henry ...

conferred the wardship of John's estates to a foreign kinsman, which caused great offence to the de Vesci family. The family's property and estates had been put into the guardianship of Bek, who sold them to the Percys. From this time, the fortunes of the Percys, although they still held their Yorkshire lands and titles, were linked permanently with Alnwick and its castle.

1316: 2nd Baron Percy

Henry de Percy, 2nd Baron Percy Henry Percy, 9th Baron Percy of Topcliffe, 2nd Baron Percy of Alnwick (6 February 1301 – 26 February 1352) was the son of Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy of Alnwick, and Eleanor Fitzalan, daughter of Sir Richard FitzAlan, 8th Earl of Arundel, a ...

, who was granted the lands of

Patrick IV, Earl of March Patrick IV, 8th Earl of Dunbar and Earl of March (124210 October 1308), sometimes called Patrick de Dunbar "8th" Earl of March, was the most important magnate in the border regions of Scotland. He was one of the Competitors for the Crown of Scot ...

, in

, by

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to ...

in 1316, began to improve the size and defences of the castle. He was appointed to

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...

's Council in 1327 and was given the manor and castle of

Skipton Skipton (also known as Skipton-in-Craven) is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the Riv ...

. Was granted, by Edward III, the castle and barony of Warkworth in 1328. He was at the siege of Dunbar and the

Battle of Halidon Hill The Battle of Halidon Hill took place on 19 July 1333 when a Scottish army under Sir Archibald Douglas attacked an English army commanded by King Edward III of England () and was heavily defeated. The year before, Edward Balliol had seiz ...

and was subsequently appointed constable of

Berwick-upon-Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census re ...

. In 1346, Henry commanded the right wing of the English Army which defeated a larger Scottish force at the

Battle of Neville's Cross The Battle of Neville's Cross took place during the Second War of Scottish Independence on 17 October 1346, half a mile (800 m) to the west of Durham, England. An invading Scottish army of 12,000 led by King David II was defeated with heavy los ...

. His son,

Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy Henry Percy, 3rd Baron Percy of Alnwick (c. 1321–1368), was the eldest son of Henry de Percy, 2nd Baron Percy (1301–1352), and his wife, Idoine de Clifford (Idonea in Latin and also in English), daughter of Robert de Clifford, 1st Baron de ...

married

Mary of Lancaster Mary of Lancaster, Baroness Percy ( – 1 September 1362), was the youngest surviving child of Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster by his wife Maud Chaworth. Through her father, she was a great-granddaughter of Henry III of England. Family Mary was bor ...

, an aunt of

John of Gaunt John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340 – 3 February 1399) was an English royal prince, military leader, and statesman. He was the fourth son (third to survive infancy as William of Hatfield died shortly after birth) of King Edward ...

's wife

Blanche of Lancaster Blanche of Lancaster (25 March 1342 – 12 September 1368) was a member of the English royal House of Plantagenet and the daughter of the kingdom's wealthiest and most powerful peer, Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster. She was the first w ...

1377 creation

In 1377, the next Henry Percy was created Earl of Northumberland, which title he was given after the coronation of

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father ...

. Nor was this all, for he was that Northumberland whose doings in the next reign fill so large a part of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's '' Henry IV'', and he was the father of the most famous Percy of all, Henry Percy the fifth, better known as "Hotspur". Hotspur never became Earl of Northumberland, having been slain at

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

in the lifetime of his father, whose estates were forfeited under

attainder In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditar ...

on account of the rebellion of himself and his son against King Henry IV.

1416 creation

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

restored Hotspur's son, the second Earl, to his family honours, and the Percys were staunch Lancastrians during the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the throne of England, English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These w ...

which followed, the third Earl and three of his brothers losing their lives in the cause. The fourth Earl was involved in the political manoeuvrings of the last

Yorkist The House of York was a cadet branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet. Three of its members became kings of England in the late 15th century. The House of York descended in the male line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, t ...

kings

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in Englan ...

and

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Bat ...

. Through either indecision or treachery he did not respond in a timely manner at the

Battle of Bosworth Field The Battle of Bosworth or Bosworth Field was the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the houses of Lancaster and York that extended across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 Augu ...

, and thus helped cause his ally Richard III's defeat at the hands of Henry Tudor (who became Henry VII). In 1489, he was pulled from his horse and murdered by some of his tenants. The fifth Earl displayed magnificence in his tastes, and being one of the richest magnates of his day, kept a very large household establishment. Henry Percy, the sixth Earl of Northumberland, loved

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key f ...

, and was her accepted suitor before

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

married her. He married later to Mary Talbot, the daughter of the Earl of Shrewsbury, but as he died without a son, his nephew Thomas Percy became the seventh Earl. Thereafter, a succession of plots and counterplots—the Rising of the North, the plots to liberate Mary Queen of Scots, and the Gunpowder Plot – each claimed a Percy among their adherents. On this account the eighth and

ninth In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second. Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...

Earls spent many years in the

Tower A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures. Towers are specific ...

, but the tenth Earl, Algernon, fought against King Charles in the Civil War, the male line of the Percy-Louvain house ending with Josceline, the eleventh Earl. The heiress to the vast Percy estates married the Duke of Somerset; and her granddaughter married a Yorkshire knight, Sir Hugh Smithson, who in 1766 was created the first

and Earl Percy, and it is their descendants who now represent the famous old house. The current duke lives at

and

Syon House Syon House is the west London residence of the Duke of Northumberland. A Grade I listed building, it lies within the 200-acre (80 hectare) Syon Park, in the London Borough of Hounslow. The family's traditional central London residence h ...

, just outside London.

List of titleholders

Early earls

Earls of Northumberland, first creation (1377)

Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, 4th Baron Percy, titular King of Mann, KG, Lord Marshal (10 November 134120 February 1408) was the son of Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy, and a descendant of Henry III of England. His mother was M ...

(1341–1408) (attainted 1405) ** Sir Henry Percy, also called Harry Hotspur KG (c. 1365–1403) ''heir apparent''

Earls of Northumberland, second creation (1416)

Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland (3 February 139322 May 1455) was an English nobleman and military commander in the lead up to the Wars of the Roses. He was the son of Henry "Hotspur" Percy, and the grandson of Henry Percy, 1st Earl of N ...

(1394–1455), grandson of Henry (1341–1408) and son of "Hotspur" *

Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland, (25 July 1421 – 29 March 1461) was an English magnate. The Earldom of Northumberland was then one of the greatest landholdings in northern England; Percy also became Lord Poynings on his marr ...

(1421–1461), (forfeit 1461), son of Henry 2nd Earl

Earl of Northumberland, third creation (1464)

* John Neville, Earl of Northumberland, (1st Marquess of Montagu) (1431–1471), (1464–1470 released)

Earls of Northumberland (1416, cont.)

Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland (c. 1449 – 28 April 1489) was an English aristocrat during the Wars of the Roses. After losing his title when his father was killed fighting the Yorkists, he later regained his position. He led the ...

(1449–1489) (restored 1470–1473), son of Henry 3rd * Henry Algernon Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland (1478–1527), son of Henry 4th * Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland (1502–1537), son of Henry 5th, died without children * Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland (1528–1572) (father attainted, restored 1557), grandson of Henry 5th *

Henry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland Henry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland, 2nd Baron Percy (153221 June 1585) was an English nobleman and conspirator. Origins He was born in about 1532 at Newburn Manor (Northumberland), the second of two sons of Sir Thomas Percy (c. 1504–15 ...

(1532–1585), also grandson of Henry 5th, younger brother of Thomas * Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland (1564–1632), son of Henry 8th *

Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland, 4th Baron Percy, KG, JP (29 September 160213 October 1668) was an English aristocrat, and supporter of the Parliamentary cause in the First English Civil War. The Percies had been the leading fami ...

(1602–1668), son of Henry 9th * Josceline Percy, 11th Earl of Northumberland (1644–1670), son of Algernon, died leaving only one daughter, so the Earldom became extinct Various references use at least three different sequences of numbers for the Earls; the ones shown here are those used in the individual articles on the 12 Earls. The major difference arises from the question of whether Henry (1394–1455) was 1st as a new creation or 2nd as a restoration of the rights of his grandfather, Henry (1341–1408). Additionally, there is some debate about whether the 7th Earl was restored to the previous creation or was given a new creation.

Earls of Northumberland, fourth creation (1674)

* George FitzRoy, Earl of Northumberland (1665–1716) (became

in 1683; extinct)

Earls of Northumberland, fifth creation (1749)

Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset General Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset (11 November 16847 February 1750), styled Earl of Hertford until 1748, of Petworth House in Sussex, was a British Army officer and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1708 until 17 ...

(1684–1750), female-line grandson and heir of the 11th Earl of the 1416 creation ** Elizabeth Percy ''née'' Seymour (1716–1776), only daughter of the 1st Earl, married Sir Hugh Smithson * Hugh Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland (1714–1786), changed his name to Percy when he inherited the Earldom of Northumberland from his father-in-law by special remainder; became

in 1766 The line continues with the Dukes of Northumberland (third creation)

Family tree

References

Bibliography

Non-Fiction

* *Rose, Alexander. ''Kings in the North: The House of Percy in British History''. Phoenix/Orion Books Ltd, 2002. , . * Tate, George,
The history of the borough, castle, and barony of Alnwick
'. Henry Hunter Hare, Alnwick, 1866

The Earls of Northumberland in Literature and Media

*The 1st Earl of Norhumberland and his son, Henry "Hotspur" Percy, play large roles in Shakespeare's play, "Henry IV, Part 1). *A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury by Edith Pargeter (1st Earl of Northumberland and Henry "Hotspur" Percy) *Lion of Alnwick (Book 1 of The Percy Saga) by Carol Wensby-Scott (1st Earl of Northumberland and Henry "Hotspur" Percy) *Lion Dormant (Book 2 of The Percy Saga) by Carol Wensby-Scott (Hotspur's son the 2nd Earl of Northumberland and his son the 3rd Earl of Northumberland) *Lion Invincible (Book 3 of The Percy Saga) by Carol Wensby-Scott (The 4th Earl of Northumberland) *Alnwick Castle, the traditional home of the Earls of Northumberland, was used as the location of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies.

Notes

*This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain in the US:
Northumberland Yesterday and To-day
' by Jean F. Terry, 1913 {{DEFAULTSORT:Northumberland Extinct earldoms in the Peerage of England History of Northumberland Earldoms in the Peerage of Great Britain Noble titles created in 1377 Noble titles created in 1416 Noble titles created in 1464 Noble titles created in 1674 Noble titles created in 1749 Peerages created with special remainders