right|thumb|200px|Arms of Percy: Azure, five fusils conjoined in fesse or These arms are still quartered by the Dukes of Northumberland, but were superseded c. 1300 by the adoption by [[Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy (d.1314) of the arms Or, a lion rampant azure, the source for which is variously given as the "Lion of Brabant", the extinct arms of Redvers, Earls of Devon, or the Lion of Arundel combined with the tinctures of Warenne]]

The Percy family is an old English noble family. They were among the oldest and 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 feud between the two families, known as the Percy-Neville feud led to the Wars of the Roses, at the time known as the Civil Wars, in England.

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. 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. 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.

Earls of Northumberland

Dukes of Northumberland

Recurring names

Recurring names in the Percy genealogy include:

  • Henry (first borne by the 7th feudal baron of Topcliffe and his 10 immediate successors, including the 1st Earl and Harry Hotspur)
  • Hugh (first borne by the 1st Duke)
  • Joscelin/Josceline (first borne by Joscelin of Louvain)
  • Algernon (first borne by the 1st Baron as a nickname: Aux Gernons or "with moustaches").

Prominent members

Prominent members of the family include:

  • (d. 1096), 1st feudal baron of Topcliffe, Yorkshire,
  • Agnes de Percy (1134–1205), married Joscelin of Louvain (d. 1180).("Percy ancient") which he abandoned in favour of right: Or, a lion rampant azure ("Percy modern"/Brabant) Both arms were quartered by the Percy Earls of Northumberland and remain quartered by the present Duke of Northumberland

<gallery class="center">

File:Percy arms.svg|Arms of original de Perci family

File:Modern arms of Percy.svg|Arms of the Percy family descended from Joscelin de Louvain

File:Sir Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, KG.png|Sir Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, KG

File:Percy-Lucy quartered.svg|Coat of arms of Percy and Lucy families quartered, arms of the Earls and Dukes of Northumberland.

File:Percy Lucy (C).svg|Henry "Hotspur" Percy

File:Coat of Arms of Sir Henry "Hotspur" Percy, KG.png|Sir Henry "Hotspur" Percy, Knight of the Garter

File:Coat of Arms of Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland.svg|Sir Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, KG

File:Arms of Henry Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland.svg|Sir Henry Algernon Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland, KG

File:Arms of Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland.svg|Sir Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland, KG

File:Arms of Henry Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland.svg|Sir Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland, KG

File:Arms of Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland.svg|Sir Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland, KG

File:Arms of Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland.svg|Sir Algernon Percy, 10 Earl of Northumberland, KG

File:SmithsonAncient.JPG|Arms of Smithson of Stanwick, Yorkshire (ancient): Argent, a chevron engrailed sable between three oak leaves erect slipped vert

File:SmithsonAugmentedArms.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

File:Smithson tomb chest, St John the Baptist church, Stanwick - geograph.org.uk - 2018824.jpg|Monument of Sir Hugh Smithson, 1st Baronet (d. 1670), St John the Baptist's Church, Stanwick, Yorks.

File:Arms of Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland.svg|Arms of Hugh (Smithson) Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland.

File:Coat of Arms of the Duke of Northumberland.svg|Duke of Northumberland

File:Coat of arms of the duke of Northumberland.png|Current duke of Northumberland

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Buildings associated with the Percy family

<gallery mode="packed" heights="175px">

File:Alnwick Castle 02.jpg|Alnwick Castle

File:Warkworth Castle interior, 2007.jpg|Warkworth Castle

File:Sheriff hutton castle.jpg|Sheriff Hutton Castle

File:MiddlehamCJW.jpg|Middleham Castle

Wressle Castle.jpg|Wressle Castle

</gallery>

  • Topcliffe Castle, Yorkshire, recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as held by William I de Percy (d. 1096), whom it served as the caput of the feudal barony of Topcliffe. The Percy family's most ancient English seat.
  • Petworth, Sussex, acquired by Joscelin of Louvain (d. 1180), husband of Agnes de Percy, one of the two daughters and co-heiresses of William II de Percy (d. 1174–5), feudal baron of Topcliffe in Yorkshire (grandson of William I de Percy (d. 1096)). Jocelin's younger son Richard "de Percy" (d. 1244) adopted the surname "de Percy" and inherited his father's estate of Petworth and a moiety of his maternal barony of Topcliffe. Richard died without progeny when his estates descended to his nephew William III "de Percy" (1197–1245), grandson of Jocelin de Louvain, who had inherited the other moiety of Topcliffe from his great-aunt Maud de Percy.

thumb|100px|[[Canting arms of Lucy of Cockermouth Castle: Gules, three lucies hauriant argent]]

  • Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, purchased in 1309 by Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy (1273–1314) from Anthony Bek, Prince Bishop of Durham.
  • Warkworth Castle, Northumberland
  • Cockermouth Castle, Cumbria, inherited by Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland (1341–1408) and his heirs male, from his 2nd wife Maud de Lucy, sister and heiress of Anthony de Lucy, 3rd Baron Lucy (d. 1368), on condition that they should bear the arms of Lucy (Gules, three lucies hauriant argent) quarterly with their own.
  • Egremont Castle, Cumbria, purchased in 1529 by Henry Percy, 15th Earl of Northumberland from Robert Radclyffe, 1st Earl of Sussex (1483–1542).
  • Leconfield Castle, Yorkshire.
  • Syon House, Isleworth, Middlesex, the former Syon Monastery, acquired in 1594 by Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland (1564–1632).

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

See also

  • Percy (surname)
  • Percy (given name)
  • Percy (disambiguation)

References

Further reading

  • Brenan, Gerald; W. A. Lindsay ed. A History of the House of Percy (Freemantle & Co., 1902) in 2 vols.
  • Rose, Alexander. Kings in the North: The House of Percy in British History (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2002)
  • European Heraldry page