In 1309 Henry de Percy acquired the barony
of Alnwick and proceeded to rebuild the Castle
But their winning mood was soon to change and focus on the avaricious and jealously motivated desires of the Crown whose courtly machinations were to eventually claim its victim. The Percies were by now one of the most powerful families in England and virtually ruled the North as their own principality.
They were forced though to react to these threats in a manner that was foreign to every ounce of their character. For to fight with politics and words was not a Percy way and their attempts at matching the cunning methods of their witful antaganists became their bette noir, from which they eventually paid so dearly by attainder, confisaction, imprisonment and the executioners axe.The irony in all of this too was that the Percies were as Royal and Noble as the rulers who manifested themselves so cleverly over them, those who were directly responsible for their cousins fate. For through the Percies veins ran the very same Royal blood which gave them their inimitable right to the Crown of England, the Crown they so very nearly won.
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So all this too, might tell you how they tenaciously held onto it all against the most extreme and tremendous odds, as this proud family undaunted by the fiercest of odds clawed back, maintained, sustained to grow back their power until today when the ancient banner of their most fascinating heritage can still be seen flying proudly from their magnificent castle at Alnwick in Northumberland.
In 1070 he was engaged on works connected with the rebuilding of York Castle after its destruction by the Danes and in 1072 he took part in the Conquerors expedition to Scotland. At the Domesday survey he was tenant in chief in the three ridings of Yorkshire, in Lindsey, with a small holding in Nottingham and of Humbledon Hants which he had received with his wife (Emma de Port). He built the castle at Topcliffe and before 1086 he refounded the monastery at Whitby. He was among the Barons present when the Conqueror heard a plea relating to property of the Abbey of Fecamp and he witnessed charters of William II in the period before 1095. In 1096 he set out on the first crusade and died and was buried at Mount Joy near Jerusalem. Following William's dying wishes Sir Ralph Eversly a Knight carried his heart back to England and it was buried at Whitby Abbey. William had sons Alan, Walter, William, Richard and Arnolde.
In 1175 the Percy inheritance was divided between the two daughters and co heirs of Willam de Percy, Maude wife of William Earl of Warwick and Agnes wife of Jocelin de Louvain the only one who had issue. Agnes de Percy heiress married Jocelin de Louvain who was the half brother of Queen Adeliza 2nd wife of Henry I. Their father was Godrey Barbatus, Count of Brabant and Louvain and it was through her (Adeliza's) endowment that Jocelin recieved the honour of the estate of Petworth in Sussex. In 1166 Jocelin held Knights fees amongst the tenants in chief in Yorkshire.
He Was born at Petworth in 1272 and succeeded his brother John in 1293. He was Regent during the Kings absence abroad and was among English magnates summonsed to a convention at York to which the Scottish prelates and nobles were ordered to attend.
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In 1299 Henrico de Percy was summoned to parliament with a Barony By Writ, whereby he is held to have become the 1st LORD PERCY. In July 1300 he was with his maternal grandfathers retinue at the siege of Carlaverock where he displayed for the first time a yellow banner with a blue lion. This represented a major change from the Percies ancient arms, azure, a fess engrailed argent and then azure, a fess engrailed d'or to this blazon D'or a lion rampant azure. The reasons why Henry de Percy changed his arms is unsure and it is still a matter of conjecture where this new blue lion originated. Some have associated the blue lion with that of Louvain, others with that of Fitzalan Earls of Arundel.
Henry was the constable of Scarborough castle by 1307 and was summonsed to the coronation of Edward II. In 1309 he acquired the barony of Alnwick from the Bishopric of Durham and he immediately set about the restoration of the Castle, with a view to converting it into a stronghold provided with all the improvements required by the warfare of the Edwardian period.
Without interfering with the general form and design of the Castle, the 1st Lord Percy of Alnwick proceeded to rebuild the greater part of it. He reconstructed the Keep in the form of seven semi-circular towers round an irregular-sided court, with the great hall and kitchens on the East Side, and he also rebuilt most of the towers along the curtain wall. Those portions of his work, which still remain, are the semi-circular tower on the north-east side of the Keep. This now forms part of the dining-room, the draw-well, the Middle Gateway between the Outer and Second Baileys, the Abbot's Tower, Western Garret, Auditor's Tower, Eastern Garret, the lower part of the Record Tower, the Constable's Tower and Postern Tower, as well as the greater part of the curtain walls.
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Henry de Percy became the head one of the most powerful families in England. He had already greatly distinguished himself in the Scottish wars, and had been rewarded with further lands by Edward I and Edward II. But he nevertheless joined the revolt of the barons against the latter, and was one of those chiefly concerned in the capture and execution of the King's favourite, Piers Gaveston. For this conduct his estates were confiscated by the King, but subsequently restored to him. He took part in Edward's invasion of Scotland in 1314, was taken prisoner at Bannockburn and ransomed shortly afterwards.
In 1318 while still a minor he was given custody of Alnwick castle. In 1321 he was given the cusody of Scarborough castle and a day later did homage and had order for livery of his inheritance and in 1322 was Knighted by the King at York. He spent practically the whole of his life in the Scottish wars and was a member of the Regency appointed to govern the kingdom during the minority of Edward Ill.
Perpetual warfare had reduced the inhabitants of the Border lands to a condition of misery, which induced Edward Ill in 1326 to resume hostilities, and Henry de Percy was ordered to fortify and provision Alnwick Castle and to guard the north-eastern march. In 1327 Edward Ill led a large army into the North to drive back a Scottish incursion, but the Scots evaded him, and he was compelled to disband his army. Henry de Percy was keeper of Bamburgh castle in 1330 and overseer of an array in the Northern counties. In spite of Percy's almost continuous service on the Borders, he had found time to fight on the Continent. In 1340 he was engaged in the naval Battle of Sluys in Flanders, in 1342 he served in the Siege of Nantes and was fighting under the Black Prince in France in 1347. He continued the restoration of the Castle, which his father had begun. The two octagonal towers on either side of the entrance to the Keep are his work, and date from about 1350. It is said that he built these towers with the money obtained by the ransoms of the Scottish prisoners captured at Neville's Cross.
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He married Idonea de Clifford and they had 4 sons and 4 daughters. He died and was buried at Alnwick in 1353. His widow, a dowager died in 1365 and was buried in Beverly Minster under the Percy shrine. Henry was succeeded by his son Henry.
Had before he succeeded, taken part in the French wars, and had been at the Battle of Crecy in 1346, after which he returned in time to fight at Neville's Cross in the same Year. He was commissioned to arrange the terms upon which David of Scotland, who had been taken prisoner at Neville's Cross, should be allowed to return to his dominions, and in 1354 he signed the treaty which set the Scottish King at liberty. In 1356 he took part in Edward Ill's invasion of Scotland. That monarch after burning several towns, including Edinburgh, and laying waste all the country which he traversed, was compelled for want of provisions to beat a retreat which had disastrous consequences. The Scots, inflamed with the desire to avenge their miseries, followed the retiring army and in their turn devastated Northumberland. Edward's raid into Scotland became famous as the 'Burnt Candlemas'. For several years after this the Earl was continuously employed in warfare either on the Borders or in France. He married 1stly Mary Plantagenet daughter of Henry Earl of Lancaster and grandaughter of Henry III. They had 2 sons and one daughter.
At the age of twelve he and James, the young son of the King of Scotland, were in a ship travelling to France to be educated there, when the vessel was captured by English privateers near Flamborough Head. Both were made prisoners and sent to Windsor, where the Prince of Wales, afterwards Henry V, struck up a close friendship with Percy, which led to the restoration of his honours including the Earldom , the Baroies and estates in 1414. When Henry V set out on his French expedition, he made Northumberland General Warden of the Marches, a post, which he held throughout the reign, and also during the early years of Henry VI.
In 1436 the Earl led a force up the Breamish River towards Scotland, but was met and defeated, by Douglas at Piperden, where his cousin Sir Richard Percy was killed. This fight is interesting, as it probably forms the source of the legendary battle of Chevy Chase. Northumberland retired to Alnwick, where he rallied his forces and marched to the relief of Roxburgh, which was holding out gallantly against the Scots. Under the walls of that town he defeated and dispersed the Scottish army. This Scottish expedition became known as 'the Dirtin Raid'.
In 1448 Northumberland invaded Scotland and burnt Dumfries, in revenge for which Douglas burnt the town of Alnwick. The Earl in his turn invaded Scotland again with a large army, but was defeated at the river Sark in Annandale, where his life was saved by his son Henry, who however, fell into the enemy's hands.
Earl Henry married Eleanor Nevill and had 7 sons and 3 daughters, including Ann, who married Sir Thomas Hungerford, one of the DePoe ancestors.
In 1452 began the long struggle known as the Wars of the Roses. The Earl took the Lancastrian side, and was killed in the first battle of the war, at St. Albans, in 1455, and was succeeded by his son Henry.
Spent his whole life in warfare either against the Scots or the Yorkists. He took part in a raid, assisted by Earl Douglas, in 1456, into Berwickshire, which ended disastrously.
In 1460 he fought at the Battle of Northampton, where the Lancastrians were defeated and the King, Henry VI, was taken prisoner. The forces of the North rallied round Queen Margaret, and in 1461 she was victorious at Wakefield and St. Albans, but was defeated at Mortimer's Cross. In the same year Edward IV proclaimed himself King and both sides made supreme efforts to obtain a decision.
On March 28th the great Battle of Towton, the bloodiest battle ever fought on British soil, resulted in the decisive defeat of the Lancastrians. The Earl of Northumberland commanded the vanguard, which, harassed by a blinding snowstorm and the enemy's arrows, received orders from him to charge, whereupon a fierce hand-to-hand conflict ensued, which ended in the complete rout of the attacking force. The Earl was among the 38,000 who are said to have fallen on that 'Evil Palm Sunday'.
After his death he was attainted and his estates were confiscated and the Earldom bestowed on Lord Montagu, brother of Warwick the Kingmaker. In July 1461 Alnwick Castle capitulated to Lord Hastings. The extreme north of England now became the principal seat of war, as Henry had taken refuge in Scotland and the Lancastrians relied on the help of the Scots.
In 1462 Queen Margaret entered Northumberland from Scotland and laid siege to Alnwick Castle, which was defended by Sir Ralph Grey of Wilton. It surrendered, either through treachery or want of provisions, and she proceeded to garrison it as well as Bamburgh, Dunstanboro' and Warkworth with Englishmen, Scotsmen and Frenchmen who had been sent to her aid by the French King.
In December 1462 King Edward's forces under the Earl of Warwick besieged these castles. An army of 20,000 Scots marched to the relief of Alnwick but on nearing one another both armies, equally anxious to avoid an encounter, withdrew. The garrison at Alnwick decided to accompany the retiring Scots, and abandoned the Castle to Warwick, who took possession in January 1463. In May, however, the commander of the Yorkist garrison treacherously surrendered it to Henry VI.
In 1464 Queen Margaret again invaded Northumberland, and was joined by many of the northern leaders, including Sir Ralph Percy, brother of the late Earl. Their forces were, however, defeated at Hedgeley Moor on April 25th, where Ralph Percy was killed. This was followed in May by the complete defeat of the Lancastrians at Hexham, and on June 23rd Alnwick Castle again surrendered to Warwick. A few years of peace now ensued but the increasing power and treasonable designs of Warwick and his faction rendered Edward IV uneasy. As a counterpoise to the Warwick influence in the North, he decided to restore the young son of the 3rd Earl of Northumberland to his father's honours and estates. He had been seized and imprisoned in the Tower, where he resided until 1469, when he was liberated and restored to his estates. His formal restoration to the Earldom took place in 1473.
Source: The Ancient House of Percy, http://www.geocities.com/percyfamilyhistory/
