Percy family
The Percy family is an English noble family. They were among the most powerful noble families in Northern England for much of the Middle Ages. The noble family is known for its long rivalry with the House of Neville, another family powerful in northern England during the 15th century. The Percy-Neville feud led to the Wars of the Roses, at the time known as the Civil Wars, in England.
Percy
House of Brabant (since the late 12th century)
House of Smithson (since the mid 18th century)
1067
William de Percy (d.1096), 1st feudal baron of Topcliffe
The House of Percy descends from William de Percy (d. 1096), a Norman who crossed to England after William the Conqueror in early December 1067. William de Percy was created as the 1st feudal baron of Topcliffe in Yorkshire.[4] He was rebuilding York Castle in 1070.
The Percy surname derives from the manor of Percy-en-Auge in Normandy, the home of the Percy family at the time of the Norman Conquest.[5] Family members have held the titles of Earl of Northumberland or Duke of Northumberland to this day, in addition to Baron Percy and others.
The Percy surname twice died out in the male line only to be re-adopted later by the husband or son of a Percy heiress. In the 12th century, the original Percy line was represented by Agnes de Percy, whose son by her husband Joscelin of Louvain adopted the surname. Again in the 18th century, the heiress Elizabeth Seymour married Sir Hugh Smithson, who adopted the surname Percy and was created Duke of Northumberland.[6]
Family residences[edit]
The seat of the Dukes of Northumberland is Alnwick Castle, which is located in Alnwick, Northumberland.[21] The family's London residence is Syon House in Brentford, which replaced, as their London residence, the demolished Northumberland House in the Strand.[22] Warkworth and Prudhoe castles were the residences of the Earls of Northumberland in the Middle Ages, and ownership was retained by the later Dukes. Both are now in the custody of English Heritage. Albury Park is a former residence which has been converted into apartments, while the surrounding estate is still directly owned by the Duke.[23] The traditional burial place of the Dukes is the Northumberland Vault in Westminster Abbey in London, the Percys thus being the last family to maintain such a privilege. Their family vault is however nearly full, and a new private graveyard has been created in Hulne Park near Alnwick.
Recurring names in the Percy genealogy include:
Agnes de Percy (1134-1205), married (d.1180).[24]
He was a son of Godfrey I, Count of Louvain of the House of Louvain, ancestor of the Dukes of Brabant
, House of Hesse, and so the Mountbattens) either by his second wife, Clementia of Burgundy, or by a mistress (see Dukes of Brabant family tree). He was also brother-in-law to King Henry I, whose second wife was Joscelin's step-sister Adeliza of Louvain.
Joscelin of Louvain
(1684–1750), son of Elizabeth Seymour
Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Northumberland
(1716–1776), daughter and heiress of the 7th Duke of Somerset, married Sir Hugh Smithson (who adopted the name Percy)
Elizabeth Percy (née Seymour), Duchess of Northumberland, 2nd Baroness Percy
Prominent members of the family include:
Arms of original de Perci family
Arms of the Percy family descended from Joscelin de Louvain
Sir Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, KG
Coat of arms of Percy and Lucy families quartered, arms of the Earls and Dukes of Northumberland.
Henry Percy, "Hotspur"
Sir Henry "Hotspur" Percy, KG.png
Sir Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, KG
Sir Henry Algernon Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland, KG
Sir Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland, KG
Sir Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland, KG
Sir Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland, KG
Sir Algernon Percy, 10 Earl of Northumberland, KG
Arms of Smithson of Stanwick, Yorkshire (ancient): Argent, a chevron engrailed sable between three oak leaves erect slipped vert[27]
![Arms of Smithson of Stanwick, Yorkshire (ancient): Argent, a chevron engrailed sable between three oak leaves erect slipped vert[27]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/SmithsonAncient.JPG/87px-SmithsonAncient.JPG)
Augmented arms of Smithson Baronets of Stanwick to Sir Hugh Smithson, 1st Baronet by King Charles II of England for loyalty: Or, on a chief embattled azure three suns proper[28]
![Augmented arms of Smithson Baronets of Stanwick to Sir Hugh Smithson, 1st Baronet by King Charles II of England for loyalty: Or, on a chief embattled azure three suns proper[28]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/SmithsonAugmentedArms.JPG/88px-SmithsonAugmentedArms.JPG)
Monument of Sir Hugh Smithson, 1st Baronet (d.1670), St John the Baptist's Church, Stanwick, Yorks.[29]
![Monument of Sir Hugh Smithson, 1st Baronet (d.1670), St John the Baptist's Church, Stanwick, Yorks.[29]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/Smithson_tomb_chest%2C_St_John_the_Baptist_church%2C_Stanwick_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2018824.jpg/120px-Smithson_tomb_chest%2C_St_John_the_Baptist_church%2C_Stanwick_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2018824.jpg)
Arms of Hugh (Smithson) Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland.
Duke of Northumberland
Current duke of Northumberland
Paternal arms of Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy (1273–1314): Azure, five fusils in fess or,[25]("Percy ancient") which he abandoned in favour of right: Or, a lion rampant azure ("Percy modern"/Brabant)[26] Both arms were quartered by the Percy Earls of Northumberland and remain quartered by the present Duke of Northumberland
Following the death of his grandson Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset in 1750, the former Percy estates were split between the Smithson ("Percy", Duke of Northumberland) and Wyndham (Earl of Egremont) families