Life History

Notes

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  Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy of Alnwick (1273-1314)[1] was a mediaeval English magnate.
  
  He fought under King Edward I of England in Wales and Scotland and was granted extensive estates in Scotland, which were later retaken by the Scots under King Robert I of Scotland. He added Alnwick to the family estates in England, founding a dynasty of northern warlords. He rebelled against King Edward II over the issue of Piers Gaveston and was imprisoned for a few months. After his release he declined to fight under Edward II at the Battle of Bannockburn, remaining at Alnwick, where he died a few months later, aged forty-one.
  
  Origins
  
  Henry was born at Petworth in Sussex on 25 March 1273, seven months after his father's death, saving the family line from extinction, as two older brothers had died in infancy, and all six uncles had died without leaving any legitimate heir. He was fortunate in having the powerful Earl Warenne as his maternal grandfather. Henry was the son of Henry de Percy (d.1272), 8th feudal baron Baron Percy, Yorkshire, by his wife, Eleanor de Warenne, daughter of John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey by Alice de Lusignan, Countess of Surrey, half sister of Henry III. His great-great-grandfather was Jocelin de Louvain (d.1180) who had married Agnes de Percy (d.1203), one of the two co-heiresses of William II de Percy (d.1174/5), 3rd feudal baron of Topcliffe, whose descendants had adopted the surname "de Percy."
  --  Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_de_Percy,_1st_Baron_Percy
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  Petworth House
  
  Petworth House Summer 2012
  
  Petworth House in Petworth, West Sussex, England, is a late 17th-century mansion, rebuilt in 1688 by Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset, and altered in the 1870s by Anthony Salvin. The site was previously occupied by a fortified manor house founded by Henry de Percy, the 13th-century chapel and undercroft of which still survive.
  --  Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petworth_House
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  Millennium File
  Henry De Percy
  Birth Mar 1273 Petworth, Northumb, England [Note:  as far as I can tell Petworth is in Sussex]
  Death Oct 1314 Fountains Abbey, Yorks, England [this location is his place of burial, not his place of death, which was his estate of Alnwick]
  Marriage Date 1300
  Father Henry (7Th Baron Percy) De Percy
  Mother Eleanor De Warenne
  Spouse Eleanor Fitz Alan
  Children Henry (Sir) De Percy
  
  There is an excellent memorial giving much of his life story on Find a Grave.
  
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  Henry Percy
  Birth Mar 1273 Petworth, West Sussex, England
  Death Oct 1314 Alnwick, Northumberland, England
  
  1st Baron Percy of Alnwick
  The son of Henry de Percy and Eleanor de Warenne, daughter of John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey and Alice de Lusignan, half sister of Henry III.
  
  Henry came from an eminent family and he would inherit the Earldom of Sussex. His land holdings were extensive and included the purchase of Alnwick Castle in 1309, establishing a dynasty of warlords in northern England. The castle would remain in the Percy family to this day. Henry fought for King Edward I of England against rebellions in Wales and in Scotland against William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, estates granted to him in Scotland, the estates of Ingram Balliol, were taken back by the Scottish King Robert I.
  
  Henry was born at Petworth in Sussex posthumously, the only living son and heir. Two brothers had died in infancy, all six uncles had no living heir. His mother's father was John de Warenne, the prominent Earl of Surrey and grandson of William Marshall. Henry inherited all the estates in 1293, which included estates in Sussex, Yorkshire and Topcliffe Castle.
  
  When Henry married Eleanor in 1294 at Alnwick, the daughter of Richard FitzAlan, the Earl of Arundel, he changed his coat of arms to the Arundel lion and the Warrene royal colors.
  
  In 1296, Henry was with his grandfather, Warrene, and King Edward as they surrounded Berwick. The conflict between Edward and John Lackland, and between the French allied to the Scots and England over Aquitane boiled towards war. Edward knighted Henry at Berwick on May 30th just before they took Berwick. The town's reaction of scorn angered Edward that he ordered the death of 7,500 people, regardless of age or sex. Henry was then sent north to Dunbar where he took the castle, and Scotland belonged to the English within weeks. King John Balliol was removed, replaced by Warenne who would govern the entire province while Henry Percy governed Ayr, Galloway and Cumberland.
  
  The following year, the war with Wallace and Bruce commenced with the battle of Sterling Bridge at the River Forth, where the English were badly defeated and expelled from Scotland. Percy was among those who watched helplessly from the castle. Edward returns from the wars in France, and caught up with Wallace at Falkirk on July 22, 1298 where Henry Percy was part of the fourth reserve cavalry. Henry Percy is known to have played a prominent role in the negotiations between the Scots and Edward after Robert the Bruce changed his support over to the English in 1304. On 25 March 1306 Robert Bruce was crowned King of Scotland at Scone Abbey, upon which Edward confiscated his lands and gave them to Henry Percy. The King now appointed Percy to command northwest England and southwest Scotland, with orders to suppress the rebellion without mercy.
  
  When King Edward II favored Gaveston over his wife, he set off a chain of events and scandal that resulted Percy being removed from Scarborough Castle, and finally the execution of Gaveston by the barons at Warwick, Percy's arrest and the forfeit of his lands July 28, 1312, despite that Percy did not directly participate in the execution. Percy was formally pardoned and released the following year.
  
  Edward prepared for the Battle of Bannockburn, summoned Percy and five other Earls who refused to participate, the English were completely defeated. Percy stayed at Alnwick defending the castle against Scottish raiders, but lost a friend, Robert Clifford in the battle. Percy died later that year of unknown causes. He was fourty one.
  
  Henry and Elianore had three children:
  Alianore Percy m John FitzWalter
  William de Percy 1301-1355
  Sir Henry Percy, 2nd Lord Percy 1301-1352
  
  Parents:
  Henry De Percy (1235 - 1272)
  Eleanor De Warenne De Percy (1251 - 1282)
  
  Spouse:
  Eleanor Fitz Alan Percy (1282 - 1328)
  Children:
  Henry de Percy (1301 - 1352)
  
  Burial Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire, England
  
  Maintained by Anne Shurtleff Stevens, Originally Created by Jerry Ferren Jun 14, 2010
  --  Find A Grave Memorial #53678731, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=53678731
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Sources

• 1. Millennium Files, Ancestry.com
• 2. Wikipedia
  • "Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_de_Percy,_1st_Baron_Percy
• 3. Find a Grave Memorial Registry
  • Memorial #53678731, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=53678731
• 4. World Family Tree Vol. 4
  • Pedigree #3168
• 5. World Family Tree Vol. 4
  • Pedigree #123
• 6. Wikipedia
  • "Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy of Alnwick," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_de_Percy,_1st_Baron_Percy
• 7. Wikipedia
  • "Eleanor FitzAlan," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_FitzAlan
• 8. Dictionary of National Biography, Volumes 1-20, 22