Normandy to Northumberland
The family of Percy is descended from Geoffrey, son of the Danish chieftain Manfred who, in 912, assisted Rollo in defeating and conquering the state of what came to be called Normandy. We therefore are descendants of Vikings.
For his deeds, Geoffrey was given considerable lands and possessions and it was he who founded the town of Perci (Percy). The name Perci was derived from the Roman personal name of Persius. Later descendants of Geoffrey were also to acquire the titles of Count of Caux and Poitiers.
The first Percy to venture to England did so when William the Conqueror invaded in 1066. This arrival date of the first Percy is however not unanimous among all historians. Some suggest that he went from Normandy to England the following year.
William de Perci (William of Perci) had been born in 1030 and was a "noble of consequence". Whether or not he was the Count of Caux and Poitiers is not recorded. In 1069 a major uprising against the rule of the Conqueror took place but was rapidly and brutally put down. As a reward for his services in aiding the King, William de Perci was granted a barony as well as large tracts of land in Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Huntingdonshire. One hundred plots of land in these counties are recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086.
Note that there is at this stage no mention of any lands in Northumberland. This is for two reasons. Firstly, the Auditors for the recording of the Domesday Book did not venture into the rather wild and relatively untamed north of the country. Secondly, the Percy family did not venture north to reside for another two hundred years.
William de Perci was to die near Jerusalem during the First Crusade. His heart however was to be brought back to Yorkshire and buried at Whitby Abbey where his brother, Serlo de Perci was Abbot.
We now stride forward a century or so to the next important, if rather unusual, chapter in this story.
King Henry I's second wife, Adeliza of Brabant, was 'casting about' for an English heiress for her younger half-brother Josceline de Louvain. This young man had no assets to speak of but he did have the blood of that most famous of emperors, Charlemagne, in his veins. He was also closely related to other royal houses, both in France and Germany. The family of Brabant is one of the oldest recorded families in Europe, dating back to the 6th Century and also includes the Mountbatten name!
The 'net' that Adeliza cast found one Agnes de Percy who was to inherit the considerable assets of the Percy family as her older siblings had all died childless.
However, Baron de Percy would not consent to the marriage if that meant that the Percy name was severed from it's land or titles. The House of Brabant, the blood of French Royalty, nor the King's wife meant little to him. So the groom had to consent to a contract that stipulated that any offspring from the union would carry the name of Percy. This was not to be the last time that such an occurrence would take place.
Some sixty years on King John ascended the throne of England. The King was not that well liked and was prone to over-extend his powers. As a result of this abuse of his power, he was induced in 1215 to pass into law the cornerstone of English law 'Magna Carta' by what became known as the 'Baronial Party'. Richard de Percy not only took a major role in this 'inducement' but was also chosen as one of the twenty-five guardians. They were to ensure that the articles of the charter were properly observed. Being a close friend of John's brother, Richard the Lionheart, rather helped de Percy in all these matters!
Almost another century passes before we arrive at the move from Yorkshire to Northumberland. During this century the Percy family were involved on the Scottish Border aiding in the skirmishes against their cross-border rivals, especially those of Clan Douglas. The 8th Baron Percy (the de had been dropped by this stage as it was considered to be too French) played a major role in the fighting against, and capture of, Sir William Wallace. Wallace, now more commonly known as "Braveheart", was imprisoned and then drawn and quartered for his "crimes". Percy, in great favour with King Edward ("The Hammer of the Scots") was permitted to purchase Alnwick Castle in Northumberland. The family have remained there to this day.
As an aside, it seems that the main activity of all the early Percies was fighting Scotsmen. There are numerous references to battles in which neither side showed any mercy to the captured peasantry. The lives of any wellborn, however, were to be spared as they could be ransomed. An early example of the golden rules - those with the gold make the rules!
This was an era of almost perpetual warfare on the borders. The Percies however were not to be trusted as they were apt to use any reason, no matter how trivial, as an excuse to seek retribution.
The century or so following the purchase of Alnwick Castle saw the family deeply committed not only on the 'border' but also serving in France with either the "Black Prince" or the English Monarchs of the day. These battles were principally those of Crecy, Sluys and Nantes.
The Percy family was also granted the 'Wardenship of the Scottish Marches' (borders), an honour they were to hold almost continuously for another two centuries. Battles against the Scots included Neville's Cross (1346) where Percy "chased the Scots to Berwick and saved the country from incalculable disaster." David Bruce, the Scottish King, was captured by Percy and imprisoned by the English. He was released eleven years later on payment of an enormous ransom to the English throne.
The end of the fourteenth century saw the Percy family not only still fighting the Douglas clan on the border, but also being alienated by their own king. They accused the king of not reimbursing them for all the money they had spent in defence of the realm.
Two of the family, father and son, were later to be immortalised by Shakespeare in the play "Henry IV". They were Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, and his rather rambunctious son, also named Henry, but more famously known as Henry Hotspur. The elder had led men in battle at the tender age of fourteen, whilst the younger performed the same duties on the border and in France at an even earlier age!
These two had played a major role in placing Henry IV on the throne but because of the money problem and other "annoyances" the Percy family came under great suspicion. In 1403 they rebelled. Unfortunately they fared badly with Hotspur (1403) and the 1st Earl (1409) both slain in battle. The Earl's younger brother Thomas (Earl of Worcester) was captured and beheaded! He was not to be the last Percy so treated. The Percy lands were confiscated - once again, not for the last time. These lands included some seven castles and thirteen manor houses!
Of course the Percies were not the only persons slain during this rebellion which bears their name. Many thousands of other northern gentry and peasantry suffered the same fate while following their "Princes". The Percy name generated a huge amount of loyalty, especially in Northumberland where it is claimed that "they acknowledge no Prince but a Percy."
A quick word on Hotspur before we move on. He was knighted at age eleven in the year before he led the attack on the Scots at Berwick. A tempestuous character, he was renowned as the greatest warrior of his age and attracted a great following. This was especially evident in London where the young "gallants" chose to adopt his mannerisms and affectations. His name lives on today with the Tottenham Hotspur Football Club of London, whose home ground occupies land originally owned by the Percy family.
Now back to the main narrative. The confiscated lands were reinstated to the family when Henry Hotspur's son came of age. Another named Henry, he had been "taken under the wing" by the Prince of Wales later to be crowned Henry V. This king became one of the greatest of English warrior kings.
The Earldom of Northumberland was also reinstated to the young Percy. This earl gained great favour with the Royal Family due to his great work in defending the border as well as being Ambassador to France. In the early years of Henry VI's reign, he was a trusted advisor to the young King. This very talented individual is often referred to as "The Great Earl of Northumberland".
The next great series of events to convulse England were the so-called "Wars of the Roses" between the rival claimants for the throne, York and Lancaster. Unusually for the times, both sides adhered to the policy of "kill the nobles, spare the commons" so that the loss of life among the leaders was exceptionally high.
Needless to say, the Percy family was deeply committed on the side of Lancaster and a number of prominent members were slain. It didn't help the family cause that the Lancastrian forces were usually on the receiving end in most of the battles. A great deal of property also changed hands as the victors claimed their rewards.
As so often happens however, one of the Percy family, the 4th Earl, was to play a pivotal role in the battle that really decided the final outcome of this lengthy war. The Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 began with the Earl commanding troops on the left of the Yorkist Army. Yes, a Percy had "changed sides" from the cause of Lancaster to that of the Yorkist King Richard III. At the crucial moment of the battle the Earl "stood idle at a distance" and did not lead his troops into the battle. This action, coupled with those of the Stanley faction who, although supposedly committed to the King, fought against him, proved to be disastrous for Richard who was slain. Who cannot forget Shakespeare's immortal words "A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse." Richard did not get his horse and the Lancastrian pretender to the crown, Henry Tudor (Henry VIII), got the throne. For this act of seeming treachery, the Earl of Northumberland was at first treated with some caution by the victors but was soon to gain a number of favours from the newly installed monarch.
The Earl was, however, to get his just desserts for this little act of betrayal. While collecting taxes for the new regime, he was murdered by the mob. The irony of it was that the Earl was in total disagreement with the taxation but because of the favours previously granted he was compelled to collect them.
For the remainder of the Tudor dynasty the Percy family fortunes did not greatly improve. The next two Earls, "The Magnificent" and "The Unthrifty", were both very wasteful with their money. At this point we must point out that there is a theory that the ancestor of the Percy family in New Zealand may be one Josceline Percy, the youngest brother of the 5th Earl, but more on that later.
The next Percy to come into the spotlight was the future 6th Earl. He was in love with Anne Boelyn but because the King, then Henry VIII, wanted to marry her himself, Lord Percy had to give way. The King had "forced" Lord Percy's father, the 5th Earl, to intercede on his behalf. Later, of course, the King had his marriage to Anne annulled and had her beheaded!
One of the King's accomplices in this rather sordid affair was none other than Cardinal Wolsey. The cardinal greatly resented the baronial wealth and power not only of the Percies but of most of the other noble families of Britain. As the King's first minister, he did all in his power to destroy this wealth and influence. By a quirk of fate, the cardinal fell out with Henry VIII who, with his usual spite and rather evil sense of humour, had him arrested - by the 6th Earl of Northumberland!
At this time the Percy family acquired Syon House in London. This former monastery was "sold" to them by Henry VIII after he had dissolved the monasteries. It remains the London home of the Dukes of Northumberland to this day.
During the reign of the last of the Tudors (Elizabeth I) the 7th Earl was executed for his role in the "Rising of the North". On August 22 1572 "avowing the Pope's supremacy, and affirming the realm to be in a state of schism, and those obedient to Elizabeth no better than heretic," he lost his head. The Church of Rome number him among their martyrs and beatified him, the first step to being confirmed a saint.
The 8th Earl also died in unusual circumstances. He committed "suicide" in the Tower of London. He shot himself - three times! As he termed Elizabeth I "the Bitch" it is no wonder that he found himself incarcerated but the official verdict of suicide is a little difficult to comprehend. We remember that Elizabeth was the daughter of Anne Boelyn who not only wanted to marry a Percy but was also executed.
The 9th Earl also spent a considerable length of time in "The Tower". Known as the "Wizard Earl" for his love of and considerable ability in the sciences, he had thrown his considerable wealth and status behind the Stuart family in their quest for the throne of England. They already had the Scottish throne and wished to unify the nations. He had also in 1588 "hired a ship and participated in the victory over the Spanish Armada."
In 1594 the Earl appointed his cousin, Sir Thomas Percy, to be both his auditor and to be Constable of Alnwick Castle. This Thomas is a direct descendant of the aforementioned Josceline who may well be our forbear! By 1605 Thomas was one of the principal conspirators in "The Gunpowder Plot" where his role as Constable of Alnwick gave him direct access to munitions and to considerable stocks of gunpowder. The failure of the plot found Thomas a fugitive and he was hunted down and mortally wounded while 'strongly avoiding capture.'
The "Wizard", though in no way directly involved in the plot, was confined in The Tower for sixteen years and ordered to pay £30,000 stg by way of fines. Confined at the same time as Percy and to become his very good friend was Sir Walter Raleigh. Percy was eventually released on payment of the fines. Raleigh was beheaded!
Having been rather indifferently treated by the Tudors and now by the first of the Stuarts, James I, the Percy family now got a little "revenge".
Under King Charles I the 10th Earl, Algernon, had been Lord High Admiral and that "in comparison to the other leaders of the King's Council stood out for his intelligence." Charles then made the fatal mistake of alienating Algernon by appointing another to command in the war with Scotland (The Bishop's War, 1639/40).
The Scot's army crossed the Tyne and routed the English force there. Percy was then asked to take command but "fell ill". Whether this "illness" was purely tactical or perhaps psychosomatic is not known, but this intelligent and very capable aristocrat was able to steer a remarkably smooth course through waters that others found very turbulent. The Civil War, the Protectorate of the Cromwells and the Restoration of the Monarchy saw Algernon enjoying the respectful goodwill of whoever happened to be in power at that moment.
Charles then made a second and perhaps even more lethal mistake with his dealings regarding Algernon Percy. His appointment of a sycophant to replace Percy as High Admiral was checkmated. Algernon had already seen through the King's designs and had invited Sir Robert Rich, a Parliamentarian, to act as his deputy. The Fleet Captains decided that Rich was their preferred choice and therefore, without a shot being fired, Charles had lost the use of his entire naval force.
The opening battles of the Civil War which soon followed split the country. Percies, like many other families, fought on either side. Like all civil wars, brother was likely to be found fighting brother. Divisions were not always along class or religious lines, but often to be along the autocratic right of King and ruling class against those supporting the right of democracy and freedoms for all.
With the King defeated in battle and captured, Algernon Percy was appointed guardian to his two youngest children. The eldest, the future Charles II, was in France with his mother.
Algernon was also appointed to be one of the commissioners to negotiate with the King. Charles, however, proved to be very obstinate and refused to agree to terms. So began his demise. Percy, although no great favourite of the King, headed the opposition to the "trial" as he wanted concessions from the King (shades of his ancestors' role during the Magna Carta saga) not his death. Found guilty, the King was executed.
Algernon vehemently opposed the execution and with the advent of the Commonwealth, and the Restoration, remained aloof from politics. He did however campaign to restore the throne to Charles II for which he was honoured by being named a Privy Councillor. The Earl of Clarendon, Charles II's Lord Chancellor, called Algernon Percy "the proudest man alive".
Algernon's heir died aged twenty-six and leaving an only daughter. Because there were no male heirs the Earldom lapsed, though the daughter succeeded to the Barony. The Earldom was to be subject to a number of claims including from our own supposed direct line.
The heiress married at the age of twelve to the rather appropriately titled Earl of Ogle. He also took the name of Percy but died shortly afterward. She then married Thomas Thynne, of the family of the Marquis of Bath, but he was murdered. There is more than a passing thought that his wife may have arranged for the murder to be carried out. Finally, in 1682, she married Charles Seymour, later to become the 6th Duke of Somerset. Though she was Duchess of Somerset, she was also Baroness Percy. Upon her death the barony went to her son, the 7th Duke of Somerset, and when he died to his youngest daughter and heir. She was Lady Elizabeth Seymour and also Baroness Percy! Confusing isn't it!
When Elizabeth Seymour married in 1740 it was to get even more confusing. She and her husband Sir Hugh Smithson decided that the name of Percy with all the rights and privileges (plus all the land) that went with it was more befitting so they changed their names. So we have the situation of a Seymour marrying a Smithson and becoming Percies! This couple were later to become the 1st Duke and Duchess of Northumberland and that line survives to this day.
This 1st Duke and Duchess were mainly responsible for the restoration of Alnwick Castle although they themselves did not spend a lot of time in Northumberland. Of course they did not have the same affinity to Northumberland as the "old" Percy family did, for neither the Seymours nor the Smithsons were from that county. The "new" Percy family preferred the delights of London (Syon) and of their sumptuous country house at Petworth (s.w. of London). Syon House was to become a regular haunt of James Boswell, the biographer of Samuel Johnson, who was enamoured with the rather ostentatious Percy family.
There is another side to this Hugh Smithson come Hugh Percy. He later sired an illegitimate son who was to become prominent in mineralogy and chemistry circles and a rather wealthy man. Smithsonite (Calamine in Britain) the natural form of zinc oxide is named after him. When this Smithson died very embittered with this father, and all Percies in general, he willed in excess of £100,000 stg to the U.S.A. Government to "found at Washington an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men." That establishment is known as "The Smithsonian Institute", probably the foremost of its type in the world.
This Smithson was not the only person with an axe to grind - and perhaps a title to claim. After the death of the 11th Earl one James Percy, a trunkmaker of Dublin, claimed the Earldom through descent from another line of the family. This was probably the most famous of all the claims, but like all the others was doomed to failure. More on these later.
Since those early days of the 1st Dukedom, the lineage has continued uninterrupted with just a couple of minor hiccups caused by war. Most of the Dukes, including the incumbent, have remained a little aloof from public life but a couple did enter the political arena with views more than a little to the right of centre. They have remained masters of large estates in Northumberland and have reserved most of their efforts to the management of these estates, the upkeep of the castle and the love of all things outdoor.
They have also amassed considerable wealth. When the current duke, a land agent, inherited the title from his late brother, the Estate was valued at some $700,000,000 NZ. This included the land, castle, paintings etc. In fact, during the valuation process, some almost priceless paintings by the renowned Italian "Old Master" Titian were discovered. The family had not known about them!
That concludes a rather quick rundown of "The" Percy family, but there have been a number of other notable Percies.
Thomas Percy, Bishop of Dromore during the 18th Century, achieved notability as the collector and editor of the very famous "Reliques of Ancient Poetry" one of the cornerstones of English Verse.
During the American War of Independence, General Hugh Percy, a son of the Duke, was commended for his intelligent command of the British troops during the retreat from Concord (1775). It was written that "his skill and determination saved the British Army from rout", and this praise was accorded him from both sides in the skirmishes, making his actions all the more commendable.
Another son of a Duke, Henry Percy, was aide-de-camp to both Sir John Moore at the Battle of Corunna (1809) during the Peninsular War and to Sir Arthur Wellesley (Viscount Wellington) at Waterloo (1814). In fact it was this Henry Percy who carried the despatches back to England that announced the defeat of Napoleon's Army. Henry Percy's brother, Hugh, ended his career as Bishop of Carlisle! This is rather typical of the English nobility where the eldest son inherited all the land and money and of course the major titles. The younger sons joined the armed services or the church, whilst the daughters learnt to be ladies and then married. Of course all the family who married were expected to marry others of the same or similar status. In this instance, Hugh married the daughter of the Archbishop of Canterbury. No wonder is it that he became a Bishop!
On the subject of religion, it must be noted that all through the years the Percy family both in England and New Zealand have been unable to make up their minds as to which religion they should embrace. They appear to have dabbled in almost all of them - Catholic, Presbyterian, Anglican and Wesleyan. No Buddhists though - I think!
Hugh's marriage to the archbishop's daughter was later to realise the line of Heber-Percy. Included in the Heber-Percy line is an aide to the Governor General of New Zealand (1933-37). This gentleman's second marriage was to one Daphne Parker-Bowles!
The 4th Duke was made Admiral and 1st Lord of the Admiralty in 1852. His cousin was a Rear Admiral. Running parallel to these were three other notable Percies. Henry Hugh Manvers Percy won the Victoria Cross in the Crimean War. John Percy developed a method for extracting silver from other metals. Sidney Richard Percy R.A. was a noted landscape painter and founder of the "School of Barnes". Actually Sidney was not a Percy but that is nothing new. Just another trying to cash in on our good name.
To finish this brief stroll through the annals of the Percy family of Northumberland is a quote from a "Burke's Peerage" of the 1860's.
"We cannot more appropriately introduce the lineage of the Percy's than by the following extract from a work of great ability and influence. The Percy's, whose nobility dates as remotely as the sovereignty of Normandy, and whose renown, coeval with its nobility, has flourished in every age, and co-existed with every generation since. Not more famous in arms than distinguished for its alliances, the House of Percy stands pre-eminent for the number and rank of the families which are represented in the banner of the Duke of Northumberland which consequently exhibits an assemblage of nearly nine hundred armorial ensigns; among which are those of Henry VII; of several of the younger branches of the Blood Royal; of the Sovereign Houses of France, Castile, Leon, and Scotland, and of the Ducal Houses of Normandy and Brittany, forming a galaxy of heraldic honours altogether unparalleled."
Before we leave the Percy family of Northumberland, let us reflect on a few words written by men more able than me.
Phillip Mansel writing in his history of the Royal Guards of Europe ('The Pillars of Monarchy') states
"Another common aristocratic attitude was to prefer to weaken the authority of monarchs, who were from families believed to be no older and certainly no abler than those of, for example, Talleyrand, Guise, Condé, Percy, Grenville ….. Bismarck."
Another well known author, James Herriott, speaking of the town of Topcliffe in Yorkshire goes on to say, "It was for centuries a famous seat of the powerful family of the Percies and a resting place of the Kings of England. For eight hundred years the Percies, probably the greatest uncrowned family in Europe, held lands and a manor house here."
For our parting shot we should remind the reader that the Percy family of Northumberland is the only family in Britain who can claim burial rights in Westminster Abbey.