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Biography of Henry George Alan Percy 9th Duke Northumberland 1912-1940

Paternal Family Tree: Smithson

Maternal Family Tree: Jean Nicholson 1778

On 18th November 1911 [his father] Alan Ian Percy 8th Duke Northumberland (age 31) and [his mother] Helen Gordon-Lennox Duchess Northumberland (age 24) were married. She the daughter of [his grandfather] Charles Gordon-Lennox 7th Duke Richmond (age 65) and [his grandmother] Isabel Sophie Craven. He the son of [his grandfather] Henry George Percy 7th Duke Northumberland (age 65) and [his grandmother] Edith Campbell Duchess Northumberland (age 62). They were fifth cousins.

On 15th July 1912 Henry George Alan Percy 9th Duke Northumberland was born to Alan Ian Percy 8th Duke Northumberland (age 32) and Helen Gordon-Lennox Duchess Northumberland (age 25).

30th August 1912. The Morpeth Herald 30/08/1912 reports:

Earl Percy's Heir Christened In London.

Lord Warkworth, the infant son of [his father] Earl (age 32) and [his mother] Countess Percy (age 25), was christened at St. Peter's, Eton Square, London, on Saturday morning. At the time of the service there were not a dozen people in the church, which was entirely devoid of special decoration, and the service itself was of the simplest possible description. The King, who had graciously consented to act sponsor, was represented by the [his grandfather] Duke of Northumberland (age 66), the other god father, on whose right hand stood Earl Percy. Others present included Countess Percy and Lady Caroline Gordon Lennox (age 67). Prebendary Storrs. vicar the parish, officiated, and Lord Warkworth, who raised no protest when water fell upon his forehead, was given the names of Henry George Alan Percy.

On 23rd August 1930 [his father] Alan Ian Percy 8th Duke Northumberland (age 50) died. His son Henry (age 18) succeeded 9th Duke Northumberland, 6th Earl Beverley, 12th Baronet Smithson of Stanwick in Yorkshire.

25th August 1930. The Belfast Telegraph reports:

The New Duke's Heritage. The new Duke of Northumberland (age 18) has come to his responsibilities at the age of 18, which is just twenty years younger than his father's age on succeeding to the dukedom. Henry George Alan Percy is the eldest of a family of four boys and two girls. He is an Anglo-Scot. The late Duke of Richmond and Gordon was his grandfather and the eighth Duke of Argyll his great grandfather. It may be predicted of the ninth Duke of Northumberland that he will follow his father in devotion to Northumberland. The late duke was an able manager of his own great heritage and gave royally of his time to the services of the county of which he was lord-lieutenant. Alnwick Castle is a home fit to inspire any young man with ideals of public service. Externally it is medieval fortress, with walls dating hark to about 1157. its outer ward ‘defended by a striking 14th century gatehouse. Internally it is an Italian palace, reconstructed by the Duke in 1853. In the famous library at Alnwick is a household book which was first kept in 1502, which records that “The family rose at six, dined at ten, supped at four. The gates of the castle were shut at nine and thereafter no one was permitted to enter or leave the castle.” Breakfast served at seven consisted of a loaf of bread, two manchets, a quart of beer, as much wine, two pieces of salt fish, six baconed herrings, four white ones and a dish of sprats. On "flesh" days half a chine of mutton or a chine of boiled beef was put on the breakfast table.

On 21st May 1940 Henry George Alan Percy 9th Duke Northumberland (age 27) was killed in action at Pecq in Belgium, serving with the 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards, in a brave charge against overwhelming odds that was described as suicidal. His body is interred in the Esquelmes War Cemetery. His brother [his brother] Hugh (age 26) succeeded 10th Duke Northumberland, 7th Earl Beverley, 13th Baronet Smithson of Stanwick in Yorkshire.

3rd June 1940. The Times.

Roll Of Honour — Death Of Duke Of Northumberland (deceased)

Alnwick, June 2 The flying of the Duke of Northumberland's flag, the blue lion rampant, at half-mast on the keep of Alnwick Castle this morning was the first intimation to the people of Alnwick that the Duke had been killed in action. The news had been conveyed, in a message from the Duchess of Northumberland, by Mr. T. W. Haward (the Duke's commissioner) and Archdeacon Mangin (his chaplain). People streaming from the churches glanced up at the flag and wondered. The news soon spread over the town and countryside, where the Duke was known as a benefactor of the people and a generous landlord to those on his large estates.

The Sunderland Echo 03/06/1940 reports:

Duke Killed In Action Loss To Famous Percy Family Large Landowner

The Duke of Northumberland, Henry George Alan Percy (deceased), has been killed action. This was learned yesterday when his flag, the blue lion rampant, floated at half mast on the keep of Alnwick Castle, a message having been received from the Duchess of Northumberland by the Duke's Commissioner and the Duke's Chaplain. The Duke was 27.

People streaming from the churches glanced at the flag and wondered. They were awestruck as the news passed round that the head of the historic House of Percy had passed away so young. The battlefield had claimed him like many of his ancestors.

Ninth Duke

He was the ninth Duke of Northumberland, son of the late Duke Alan and the present Duchess of Northumberland. He was 18 years of age when his father died. He succeeded to the title and dukedom and the extensive Percy estates. He celebrated his majority in 1933, when 3,000 tenants on the estate and other people were entertained at Alnwick Castle. In 1935 he was Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Lord Privy Seal and a year later he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Air, a post he held until Lord Swinton's resignation.

The Duke was joint Master with his mother of the Percy Foxhounds and he hunted a few days with them in the late winter when home on leave from his regiment. He was one of the largest landowners in England. When his father died in 1930 the estate was valued at £2,500,000 and death duties totalled more than £1,000,000. A year ago he closed down Alnwick Castle owing to these duties, income-tax. surtax, and depreciation of income. The castle, an historic fortress on the border, is almost the last stronghold of feudal tradition. When he left Alnwick Castle and moved to Lesbury House, some three miles away, last year he told the farmers and cottagers attending the annual rent audit: “No one is more alive to the value of tradition than I, but when it comes to choosing between the tradition of living in a castle and the tradition of doing one's best to maintain this estate there can be no hesitation.”

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All About History Books

The Deeds of King Henry V, or in Latin Henrici Quinti, Angliæ Regis, Gesta, is a first-hand account of the Agincourt Campaign, and subsequent events to his death in 1422. The author of the first part was a Chaplain in King Henry's retinue who was present from King Henry's departure at Southampton in 1415, at the siege of Harfleur, the battle of Agincourt, and the celebrations on King Henry's return to London. The second part, by another writer, relates the events that took place including the negotiations at Troye, Henry's marriage and his death in 1422.

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After 1945. Memorial to those who gave their lives in the World War 1939-1945 at the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Lesbury [Map] including the Henry George Alan 9th Duke of Northumberland.

Royal Ancestors of Henry George Alan Percy 9th Duke Northumberland 1912-1940

Kings Wessex: Great x 25 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England

Kings Gwynedd: Great x 22 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd

Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 28 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth

Kings Powys: Great x 23 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys

Kings England: Great x 7 Grand Son of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland

Kings Scotland: Great x 24 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland

Kings Franks: Great x 22 Grand Son of Louis VII King Franks

Kings France: Great x 9 Grand Son of Henry IV King France

Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 30 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine

Ancestors of Henry George Alan Percy 9th Duke Northumberland 1912-1940

Great x 4 Grandfather: Hugh Percy 1st Duke Northumberland

Great x 3 Grandfather: Algernon Percy 1st Earl Beverley 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Seymour Duchess Northumberland 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 2 Grandfather: George Percy 5th Duke Northumberland 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: Peter Burrell

Great x 3 Grandmother: Isabella Susan Burrell Countess Beverley

Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Lewis

Great x 1 Grandfather: Algernon George Percy 6th Duke Northumberland 10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: John Stuart 3rd Earl Bute 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 3 Grandfather: James Archibald Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Wortley-Montagu Countess Bute 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 2 Grandmother: Louisa Harcourt Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: David Cunynghame 3rd Baronet

Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Cunynghame

GrandFather: Henry George Percy 7th Duke Northumberland 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 2 Grandfather: Henry Drummond

Great x 1 Grandmother: Louisa Drummond Duchess Northumberland 15 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Archbishop Robert Hay-Drummond 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Hay-Drummond 10th Earl Kinnoul 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Henrietta d'Auriol

Great x 2 Grandmother: Henrietta Hay-Drummond 14 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Harley 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Sarah Harley Countess Kinnoul 13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Bangham

Father: Alan Ian Percy 8th Duke Northumberland 12 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: John Campbell 4th Duke Argyll 7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 3 Grandfather: John Campbell 5th Duke Argyll 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Drummond Bellenden 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 2 Grandfather: John Douglas Edward Henry Campbell 7th Duke Argyll 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: John Barnaby Gunning

Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Gunning Duchess Hamilton and Argyll

Great x 4 Grandmother: Bridget Bourke

Great x 1 Grandfather: George Douglas Campbell 8th Duke Argyll 10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 3 Grandfather: John Glassel

Great x 2 Grandmother: Joan Glassel

GrandMother: Edith Campbell Duchess Northumberland 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: Granville Leveson-Gower 1st Marquess Stafford 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: George Granville Leveson-Gower 1st Duke Sutherland 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandmother: Louisa Egerton Countess Gower 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 2 Grandfather: George Sutherland Leveson-Gower 2nd Duke Sutherland 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: William Sutherland 18th Earl Sutherland 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Sutherland Duchess Sutherland 19th Countess Sutherland 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Georgiana Leveson-Gower Duchess Argyll 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: Frederick Howard 5th Earl Carlisle 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: George Howard 6th Earl Carlisle 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Caroline Leveson-Gower Countess Carlisle 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 2 Grandmother: Harriet Elizabeth Georgiana Howard Duchess Sutherland 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 3 Grandmother: Georgiana Cavendish Countess Carlisle 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandmother: Georgiana Spencer Duchess Devonshire 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Henry George Alan Percy 9th Duke Northumberland 7 x Great Grand Son of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: George Lennox Great Grand Son of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland

Great x 3 Grandfather: Charles Lennox 4th Duke Richmond 2 x Great Grand Son of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandmother: Louisa Kerr 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland

Great x 2 Grandfather: Charles Gordon-Lennox 5th Duke Richmond 3 x Great Grand Son of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: Alexander Gordon 4th Duke Gordon 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 3 Grandmother: Charlotte Gordon Duchess Richmond 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandmother: Jane Maxwell Duchess Gordon

Great x 1 Grandfather: Charles Gordon-Lennox 6th Duke Richmond 4 x Great Grand Son of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Bayly-Paget 1st Earl Uxbridge 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry William Paget 1st Marquess Anglesey 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Jane Champagné Countess Uxbridge

Great x 2 Grandmother: Caroline Paget Duchess Richmond 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: George Bussy Villiers 4th Earl Jersey 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 3 Grandmother: Caroline Elizabeth Villiers Duchess Argyll 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandmother: Frances Twysden

GrandFather: Charles Gordon-Lennox 7th Duke Richmond 5 x Great Grand Son of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: Fulke Greville 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Charles Greville 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 2 Grandfather: Algernon Frederick Greville 10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: William Cavendish-Bentinck 3rd Duke Portland 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward IV of England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Charlotte Cavendish-Bentinck 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandmother: Dorothy Cavendish 3rd Duchess Portland 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 1 Grandmother: Frances Harriett Greville Duchess Richmond 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 2 Grandmother: Charlotte Maria Cox

Mother: Helen Gordon-Lennox Duchess Northumberland 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: William Craven 6th Baron Craven

Great x 3 Grandfather: William Craven 1st Earl Craven 3 x Great Grand Son of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Berkeley Margrave Brandenburg Ansbach 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland

Great x 2 Grandfather: George Augustus Craven 4 x Great Grand Son of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland

Great x 3 Grandmother: Louisa Brunton Countess Craven

Great x 1 Grandfather: William George Craven 5 x Great Grand Son of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland

GrandMother: Isabel Sophie Craven 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: Charles Yorke

Great x 3 Grandfather: Admiral Joseph Sydney Yorke

Great x 4 Grandmother: Agneta Johnson

Great x 2 Grandfather: Charles Yorke 4th Earl of Hardwicke

Great x 4 Grandfather: James Rattray

Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Weake Rattray

Great x 1 Grandmother: Mary Catherine Craven 14 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry George Liddell 5th Baronet 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Liddell 1st Baron Ravensworth 14 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 2 Grandmother: Susan Liddell Countess Hardwicke 13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: John Simpson

Great x 3 Grandmother: Maria Susannah Simpson Baroness Calthorpe 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Lyon 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England