Arms of Percy, Dukes of Northumberland:Quarterly: 1st and 4th grandquarters: 1st and 4th counterquartered: 1st and 4th, Or a Lion rampant Azure (Brabant and Lovaine,Percy modern); 2nd and 3rd, Gules three Lucies hauriant Argent (Lucy); 2nd and 3rd, Azure five Fusils conjoined in fess Or (Percyancient); 2nd and 3rd grandquarters: quarterly: 1st and 4th, Or three Bars wavy Gules (Drummond); 2nd and 3rd, Or a Lion's Head erased within a Double Tressure flory counterflory Gules (Drummond, coat of augmentation).
George FitzRoy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, an illegitimate son of kingCharles II, was created Duke of Northumberland in the Peerage of England in 1683. He had already been createdBaron of Pontefract,Viscount Falmouth andEarl of Northumberland in 1674, also in the Peerage of England. However, all the titles became extinct on his death in 1716 as he left no heirs.
The title was created for the third time in 1766 forHugh Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland (formerly Sir Hugh Smithson, 4th Baronet), who had assumed by Act of Parliament in 1750 for himself and his descendants the surname Percy, due to his having married in 1740 the daughter ofAlgernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset (1684–1750), whose motherLady Elizabeth Percy (1667–1722) was the last of the senior blood line of the ancientHouse of Percy, being the only surviving child ofJosceline Percy, 11th Earl of Northumberland (1644–1670). In 1749 King George II created Algernon (who had inherited the Dukedom of Somerset in 1748)Earl of Northumberland andBaron Warkworth, ofWarkworth Castle in the County of Northumberland, with special remainder to his son-in-law Sir Hugh Smithson, 4th Baronet.[1][2]
The above steps formed a deliberate move to allow ancient names and titles of the Percys to be revived in the male-heir exhausted senior branch of the Dukedom of Somerset, which at that time was about to see its largest removal – to another noble but very cadet branch (a fourth cousin) on Algernon's death. Algernon was also createdEarl of Egremont at the same time, with a different remainder.[3]
In 1784 the 1st Duke was also granted the substantive titleLord Lovaine, Baron of Alnwick in the County of Northumberland, in the Peerage of Great Britain, with remainder to his second sonLord Algernon Percy,[4] who succeeded and who was createdEarl of Beverley in 1790, and thus it too became a courtesy title.[5]
The 1st Duke was succeeded in the dukedom and associated titles by his eldest son,Hugh, the 2nd Duke, alieutenant-general in theBritish Army. The 2nd Duke was in his turn succeeded by his eldest son,Hugh, the 3rd Duke, who in 1812, five years before he succeeded in the dukedom, had been summoned to theHouse of Lords through awrit of acceleration in his father's junior title of Baron Percy.[6] The 3rd Duke later held office asLord-Lieutenant of Ireland from 1829 to 1830. He was childless and was succeeded by his younger brother,Algernon, 1st Baron Prudhoe, the 4th Duke, who in 1814 had been createdBaron Prudhoe, of Prudhoe Castle in the County of Northumberland, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.[7] The 4th Duke was anadmiral in theRoyal Navy and notably served asFirst Lord of the Admiralty in 1852. He was also childless and on his death in 1865 the barony of Prudhoe became extinct while the barony of Percy (which could be passed on through the female line) was inherited by his great-nephew,John Stewart-Murray, 7th Duke of Atholl. The Admiral was succeeded in the dukedom and remaining titles by his first cousin,George, the 2nd Earl of Beverley, eldest son of the second son of the 1st Duke. The barony of Lovaine and earldom of Beverley have since been merged in the dukedom as courtesy titles.
Northumberland Estates manages 100,000 acres (40,000 hectares): directly managing 4,000 acres (1,600 hectares) of forestry and 20,000 acres (8,000 hectares) of farmland, with approximately 100 tenant farmers managing the remaining bulk of the land.[9][10][11]
The seat of the Dukes of Northumberland isAlnwick Castle, which is located inAlnwick, Northumberland.[12] The family's London residence isSyon House inBrentford, which replaced, as their London residence, the demolishedNorthumberland House in theStrand.[13]Warkworth andPrudhoe castles were the residences of theEarls of Northumberland in the Middle Ages, and ownership was retained by the later Dukes. Both are now in the custody ofEnglish Heritage.Albury Park is a former residence which has been converted into apartments, while the surrounding estate is still directly owned by the Duke.[14] The traditional burial place of the Dukes is theNorthumberland Vault inWestminster Abbey in London, the Percys thus being the last family to maintain such a privilege. The family vault is however nearly full and a new private graveyard has been created inHulne Park near Alnwick.
Cousin of the preceding; eldest son ofAlgernon Percy, 1st Earl of Beverley, second son of the 1st Duke of Northumberland – had succeeded in earldom in 1830
Alan Ian Percy 1880–1930 8th Duke of Northumberland, 9th Earl of Northumberland and Baron Warkworth, 5th Earl of Beverley, 6th Baron Lovaine
Henry George Alan Percy 1912–1940 9th Duke of Northumberland, 10th Earl of Northumberland and Baron Warkworth, 6th Earl of Beverley, 7th Baron Lovaine
Hugh Algernon Percy 1914–1988 10th Duke of Northumberland, 11th Earl of Northumberland and Baron Warkworth, 7th Earl of Beverley, 8th Baron Lovaine, 9th Baron Percy
Henry Alan Walter Richard Percy 1953–1995 11th Duke of Northumberland, 12th Earl of Northumberland and Baron Warkworth, 8th Earl of Beverley, 9th Baron Lovaine, 10th Baron Percy
On a Chapeau Gules turned up Ermine a Lion statant with tail extended Azure
Escutcheon
Quarterly: 1st and 4th grandquarters: 1st and 4th counterquartered: 1st and 4th, Or a Lion rampant Azure (Brabant and Lovaine); 2nd and 3rd, Gules three Lucies hauriant Argent (Lucy); 2nd and 3rd, Azure five Fusils conjoined in fess Or (Percy); 2nd and 3rd grandquarters: quarterly: 1st and 4th, Or three Bars wavy Gules (Drummond); 2nd and 3rd, Or a Lion's Head erased within a Double Tressure flory counterflory Gules (Drummond, coat of augmentation)
Supporters
Dexter: a Lion rampant Azure; Sinister: a Lion rampant guardant Or ducally crowned of the last gorged with a Collar company Argent and Azure
Since at least the mid 18th century, the family has maintained aNorthumbrian piper; the earliest known of these was Joseph Turnbull, who was painted in 1756 playing his pipes; the portrait, entitledJoseph Turnbull, Piper to the Duchess of Northumberland is at Alnwick Castle. At this time, before the Third Creation of the Dukedom, he would actually have been piper to the Countess. A later piper, William Green stated that "Joe Turnbull was the first Piper at Alnwick Castle – that was ever!" A list of the Ducal Pipers is at.[16] The Ducal Piper from 1982-2022 was Richard Butler and the position is currently held by Andrew Davison. The piper's main duty is to play at the Shrove Tuesday football match in Alnwick, but they are invited to a variety of other functions.
Other pipers have been associated less formally with the family – the notorious piper James Allan (1729–1810) was a favourite of the Countess; in the last centuryTom Clough andRichard Mowat are known to have played together with the Duke's then piper, James Hall, for the Duke and his guests at Alnwick; one such guest was Edward VII, in 1905.[17]
Lord Percy Percy, played byTim McInnerny, is a major character in the first two series of the British sitcomBlackadder. In the first series, he is the Duke of Northumberland, while the Lord Percy in the second series is presumably his descendant and is heir to the dukedom. The first series was partly filmed atAlnwick Castle, the residence and seat of the real Dukes of Northumberland.
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