478 HERA 
chiefs who came over to England with William the 
Conqueror; and derives its name from a village in the 
province of Normandy. The founder of the family was 
Mainfred, a Danilh chieftain, who made irruptions into 
France in the ninth century, and whofe fon, Geoffrey 
or Galfred, affifted Rollo in the conqueft of Normandy, 
and obtained confiderable pofTeflions in the new duchy. 
William de Percy, the fixth in defcent, appears to have 
lived in perfonal intimacy with William the Conqueror ; 
and his brother Serlo, prior of Whitby, is recorded to 
have been the favourite companioivof the early days of 
king William Rufus. William de Percy bore the ftyle of a 
baron of the realm from the period of the conqueft, was 
diftinguiftied by the furname of Alfgernoos, or William 
with the Whifkers, and died in the Holy Land in 1096. 
The'pofterity of William de Percy in the male line 
became extindt in William his grandfon ; and the fa¬ 
mily honours defcended to Agnes, daughter of this 
William, who married Jofceline de Louvaine, younger 
fon of Godfrey Barbatus duke,of Lorraine, and brother 
of Alicia conl'ort to Henry I. This r family defcended 
in the female line from Charlemagne emperor of Ger¬ 
many, .and Hugh Capet king of France. Upon his 
marriage, Jofceline aftumed the name of Percy. Richard 
de Percy, the youngeft fon of Jofceline, had a confide¬ 
rable fiiare in extorting Magna’Charta from king John; 
and Henry de Percy, grandfon- of Henry the elded Ion 
of Jofceline, diftinguiftied hirafelf ou both Tides iu the 
wars of the barons aga-inft Henry III. Henry de Percy, 
his fon, was a leader of the malcontents againft Edward 
II. and, together with Valence earl of Pembroke, be- 
fieged Piers Gaveftone in Scarborougli-caftle, who fur- 
rendered himfelf to them upon certain conditions. Thefe 
conditions were violated by the other hoftile barons; 
who, either through imprudence or treachery, were dif¬ 
fered to g r et- the prifoner into their poffefiion, and ftruck 
off his head at Warwick-caftle. It was this lord Percy 
who firft acquired by purchafe from Anthony Beck, 
bilhop of Durham, the barony of Alnwick, in the county 
of Northumberland. He died in 1315. 
Henry, fecond lord Percy of Alnwick, his fon, was in 
the memorable battle of Hallidown-hill, in the reign of 
Edward III. and, upon the furrender of the town of 
Berwick on the following .day, was appointed by the 
king to the office of governor. He was alfo in the great _ 
Tea-fight off Sluys, in 1340; and, in 1346, commanded 
in chief at the battle of Nevil’s-crofs againft the Scots, 
in which he gave them a complete defeat, and took 
David king of Scotland prifoner. Henry, his fon, third 
lord Percy of Alnwick, attended Edward III. at the 
famous battle of Creffy in 1346; and married Mary, 
daughter to Henry Plantagenet earl of Lancaller, grand¬ 
fon of Henry III. by which lady he had ilfue, 1. Henry, 
his fucceffor, afterwards created earl of Northumber¬ 
land. 2. Thomas, created by Richard II. in 1397, earl 
of Worcefter; but the title expired with him. 
Henry', fourth lord Percy of Alnwick, was intimately 
connedted with John of Gaunt duke of Lancaftbr; and, 
togethercwith that prince, countenanced and protected- 
dodlor John Wickliffe, the celebrated reformer. In 
1377, he was by Edward III. appointed lord marlhal of 
England; and July 163 in the fame year, by Richard II. 
advanced to the title of earl of Northumberland. In 
the following year he took the caftle of Berwick by 
ftorm, and was appointed governor of that place, which 
was retaken by the Scots in 1384. The e-arl having in 
this interval quarrelled, with the duke of; Laneafter, 
judgment of death and lofs of eftate was pronounced 
againft him at the duke’s inftiga-tioh in parliament for 
the lofs of this fortrefs, which fenterice was remitted by 
the king; He was appointed, in 1387, lord admiral of 
England ; and, being fufpedted of dii'aft’e<5lion, in 1399 
was, by Richard II. banilhed the realm. -This'treat¬ 
ment induced the earl of Northumberland, and Henry 
furnamed Hotfpur, hisdon, to declare againft-the prince 
L D R Y. 
on the throne; and they were principally inftrumental in 
raifing Henry IV. to the crown. The earl of Northum¬ 
berland was rewarded for hi§ fervices upon this o ca- 
fton with a patent for life of the office of cobftable of 
England. It was in the preceding year that Henry Hot¬ 
fpur fought .the celebrated battle of Otterbourn ; and, 
being taken prilbner by the earl of Douglas, an intimate 
friendlhip commenced between thefe two noblemen, 
which terminated only with their lives. In 1402, the 
earl of Northumberland and his fon gained the battle of 
Homeldon againft the Scots; and king Henry, claiming 
to have their prifoners delivered into his polfeftion, gave 
occalion to the rebellion of thofe noblemen, which was 
terminated by the battle of Shrewfbtiry, July ar, 1403, 
in which the king was victorious, and Hotfpur was (lain. 
Previoufly to this battle a negotiation took place, in 
which king Henry offered an entire oblivion of what was 
pad; but this offer was treacheroully mifreprefented 
and TuppreffVd by Thomas earl of Worceffer ; in confe- 
quexice of which the battle was fought ; and the earl of 
Worcefter, being taken prifoner,was Toon after beheaded. 
The earl of Northumberland was pardoned by the king; 
blit, being Toured by the death of his gallant fon, he 
engaged in feveral confpiracies ; and, having retired firft 
to Scotland, afterwards to Owen Glendour in Wales, 
and laltly to Flanders, upon his return to England he 
was hoftilely affailed by the Iheriff of Yorklhire, and 
killed, in 1408. The earl of Northumberland married 
to his fecond wife Maud, lifter and heir to Anthony lord 
Lucy, and widow of Gilbert de Umfreville earl of An¬ 
gus, from whom the barony of Lucy has defcended to 
the prelent duke of Northumberland. Henry Hotfpur 
married Elizabeth, daughter of Edmund Mortimer earl 
of March. 
Henry, fecond earl of Northumberland, fon of Henry 
furnamed Hotfpur, was reftored in blood by Henry V. 
and in 1436, fought the battle of Pepperden, near the 
Cheviot-hills, againft the earl of Angus, .with a final 1 
army of about four thoufand men each, in which' the 
Scots had the advantage. This battle is thought to 
have given rife to the celebrated ballad of Chevy Chace. 
In 1450 the earl of Northumberland was appointed to 
the office of conftable of England; and, being a Itre- 
mtous alfertor of the Lancaftrian intereft, he was killed 
in the firft battle of Saint ATban’s, May 32, 1455. He 
had iffue, 1. Henry, third earl of Northumberland. 2. 
Thomas, who was created November 20, 1499, baron 
Egremont, of Egremont-caftle, in the county of Cum¬ 
berland ; and was flain fighting for the houfe of Lan- 
cafter in the battle of Northampton, July 19, 1460. 
3. Ralph, who alfo died in defending the fame caule in 
a Ikirmilh at Hedgeley Moor in the county of Northum¬ 
berland,. in 14(14. 4. Richard, killed in the battle of 
Tovvton Field, March 29, 1461. 
Henry, third earl of Northumberland, married Elea¬ 
nor, daughter and heir of Richard, only fon of Robert 
lord Poynings, Fitzpayne, and Bryan, from whom thefe 
titles defcended to the family of the duke of Northum¬ 
berland. This earl was killed in the battle of Towton 
Field;, and, being attainted in parliament, the earldom 
of Northumberland was conferred upon John Nevile 
lord Montagu, brother to Richard Nevile earl of War¬ 
wick and Salilbury, furnamed the King-maker. In 1470, 
lord Montagu having fallen into difgrace with Edward 
IV. the family honours were reftored to Henry, fourth 
earl of Northumberland, fon of Henry, third earl ; at 
the fame time that the title of marquis was conferred 
on his rival. This earl accompanied Richard duke of 
Glou.eefter, afterwards Richard III. in his expedition 
to Scotland, in which-they took Berwick, and the city 
of Edinburgh. By king Richard, in 1483, he -was ap¬ 
pointed lord high chamberlain of England, and was one 
of the principal noblemen of the royal party at the battle 
of Bolworth ; but, being fuppofed to have acted rather 
a.neutral part upon that occafion, he was received into 
