JAMES SMITHSON AND HIS BEQUEST. 53 



years ago he was able to purchase the property on which Lord Percy 

 had his seat, in Yorkshire ; and a few years ago, the mansion, manors 

 and boroughs of Humphrey Morice, in the West, all were sold to the 

 Duke. In short, the rental, with the dukedom, he left at about 50,000 

 pounds, and to his second son 10,000 pounds per annum. The duke had 

 negotiated a further improvement of the Northumberland estate, but 

 did not live to see it completed."* 



On the death of the Duke of Northumberland, the following obituary 

 notice was given in the same magazine : 



" June 6, 178C. At eight o'clock this morning, died at Sion House 

 in his 74th year, the Most Noble Hugh, Duke and Earl of Northumber- 

 land, Earl Percy, Baron Warkworth and Louvaine, Lord Lieutenant 

 and Gustos Rotulorum of the counties of Middlesex and Northumber- 

 land, and of the town and county of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Knight of 

 the Most Noble Order of the Garter, and Baronet ; who with a princely 

 fortune, sustained his exalted rank through life with the greatest dig- 

 nity, generosity, and splendor, and will ever be considered as one of the 

 first characters of that age of which he constituted so distinguished an 

 ornament. We are well informed that his annual income was not less 

 than 45,000 1. per annum. His Grace's extensive charities to the poor, 

 his constant encouragement of literature and the polite arts, and his 

 generous patronage of every kind of merit, make his death truly a 

 public loss, and will cause it to be long and sincerely lamented. His 

 Grace was the son of Langdale Smithson, esq., and Philadelphia, 

 daughter of W. Reveley, esq., of Newby, co. York. Upon the death of 

 his grandfather (Sir Hugh Smithson, of Stanwick, Bart.), which hap- 

 pened in 1729, he succeeded to the title of baronet, and to his grand- 

 father's estate; and upon the death of his relation Hugh Smithson, esq., 

 of Tottenham, he came into the possession of other estates in Yorkshire 

 and Middlesex ; and also succeeded his relation as knight of the shire 

 for the county of Middlesex, which he represented in three parliaments. 

 Upon the death of his father-in-law, Algernon, Duke of Somerset, whose 

 daughter he had married, he succeeded to the title of Earl of Northum- 

 berland, the Duke having been created Earl of Northumberland upon 

 his daughter's marriage, with remainder to her husband, and their issue, 

 after the Duke's death. The reason of this creation was as follows: 

 The Duke's mother (whose third husband was the Duke's father) was 

 daughter and sole heiress of Joscelin, the last Earl of Northumberland, 

 which title was become extinct. Being so great an heiress she was 

 married three times while a minor. First, to the Earl of Ogle, who 

 died in a short time after, leaving no issue. She was next married to 

 Thomas Thynne, esq., of Longleate, co. Wilts, but he was assassinated 

 in Pall Mall by some rufiaaus hired by Count Coningsmarck, whose 

 object was to marry the widow. Her third husband was the Duke of 

 Somerset, and she was still a minor, as was also the Duke, bj whom she 

 had the above Algernon, who succeeded his father as Duke of Somerset, 

 and possessed all the Percy estates. He married Miss Thynne, grand- 

 daughter of the first Lord Weymouth, and by her had one son and one 

 daughter. Tiie son died unmarried, and the daughter married in 1740 

 the subject of this article, then Sir Hugh Smithson. The title of. Som- 

 erset going to another branch of the Seymour family, the title of North- 

 umberland was revived to the Duke's daughter in consideration of her 



* Gentleman's Magazine, 1786, vol. Ivi, p. 017. 



