Henry Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland
Encyclopedia
Henry Algernon Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland, KG (13 January 1477 – 19 May 1527) was an English noble who was a member of the courts of both Henry VII
and Henry VIII.
21 November 1489, at the time when Prince Arthur
was created Prince of Wales
.
On 28 April 1489 Henry Algernon Percy succeeded his father, Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland
as 5th Earl of Northumberland.
Northumberland attended Henry VII
at the conclusion of the treaty of Etaples in 1492, and took a prominent part in the elaborate ceremony of 1494, when Prince Henry was created K.B. In 1495 he was made a Knight of the Garter. In 1497 he served in the royal army against the Cornish rebels, and fought at the battle of Blackheath; on 14 May 1498 he received livery of his lands, and entered into the management of his various castles and estates.
How important Northumberland's position was can be seen from The Northumberland Household Book, which was edited from the manuscript in possession of the Duke of Northumberland by Thomas Percy
in 1770. It was begun in 1512. His income was about £2,300. a year, which probably does not include all that he received by way of gift. But on his various retinues of servants he spent no less than £1,500. a year, and as the margin had to meet all such expenses as his journeys to the court, and as he was extraordinarily magnificent in taste, he was soon in debt.
In 1500 Northumberland was at the meeting of Henry and the Archduke Philip. In 1501 he was appointed constable of Knaresborough, steward of the Lordship of Knaresborough, and master forester in the forest there. On 1 April 1502 he was a commissioner of oyer and terminer for London; he was also constantly in the commission of the peace for various counties. Northumberland received the important appointment of warden-general of the east marches towards Scotland on 30 June 1503, and one of his first duties was to escort Margaret to Scotland on her way to join James IV of Scotland, and his splendid dress and numerous servants pleased the princess.
Northumberland seems to have irritated Henry VII just before the king died. He had disposed of the wardship and marriage of Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of Sir John Hastings
. He was fined £10,000, an amount of money quite as difficult to raise; and it is extraordinary that he managed to pay half the money before Henry VIII came to the throne. The new king cancelled the remainder of the debt 21 March 1510. On 4 February 1512 he was a trier of petitions from Gascony and beyond the sea.
Northumberland served in the war of 1513 as a grand captain, with a very large retinue. From Calais he went to the siege of Terouenne and in the battle of the Spurs he commanded the "showrers and forridors", Northumberland men on light geldings. The next year he was a chief commissioner of array for various counties. As Thomas Wolsey rose, the great nobles had one by one to submit to his tyranny. Northumberland was suspected of being too friendly with Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham
, and so, on a charge of interfering with the king's prerogative about the wards, he was cast into the Fleet Prison
in 1516. Possibly he was only put there so that Wolsey might have the credit of getting him out. He was examined in the Court of the Star Chamber, and soon set free.
Northumberland was friendly with George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury
, and they arranged to go on a pilgrimage this year together. Shrewsbury had been anxious to marry his daughter to a son of Buckingham, but, having disputed about money matters, the parents broke off the match; it was now arranged, most unfortunately as it turned out, that the lady should marry Northumberland's son, the Lord Percy, in June 1517 Northumberland met Queen Margaret of Scotland
at York to conduct her on her way home; he undertook the duty with reluctance, doubtless from want of money, and his wife was excused attendance. In 1518 he was one of those who held lands in Calais. Wolsey in 1519, in a letter to the king, expressed suspicions of his loyalty. But he escaped the fate of the Duke of Buckingham, and went to the Field of the Cloth of Gold
, where he was a judge of the lists.
The same year, 1517, Northumberland had a grant of the honour of Holderness. He was present at Henry's meeting with the emperor in May 1522, and attested the ratification of the treaty made. He seems to have been offered, but not to have accepted, the wardenship of all the marches towards Scotland
in 1523, and is said to have incurred the contempt of his tenants by his refusal. But he continued active while Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey
was in chief command. In 1523 he made an inroad into Scotland, and was falsely accused by Dacre
of going to war with the crosskeys of York, a royal badge, on his banner; he cleared himself easily enough. In 1524 he was again on the border. In 1525 he had some trouble with the council of the north, of which he had been a member since 1522 ; but he cleared himself, and took part in the ceremony of the creation of Henry Fitzroy
, Henry VIII's natural son, Earl of Nottingham. He died at Wressell on 19 May 1527, and was buried at Beverley, where he had built a splendid shrine.
Northumberland was magnificent in his tastes, and being one of the riches magnates of his day, kept a very large establishment, and was fond of building. Leland praised the devices for the library at Wressell, presumably arranged by him. He encouraged the poet John Skelton
, who wrote the elegy on his father. A manuscript formerly in his possession forms British Museum Reg. Bib. 18 D ii. It consists of poems, chiefly by Lydgate
.
, by Maud, daughter of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke of the second creation Alan Percy
was his younger brother.
Northumberland married Catherine Spencer (d. 1542), daughter of Sir Robert Spencer and Eleanor Beaufort
, Countess of Ormonde. By Catherine he had three sons and two daughters:
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
and Henry VIII.
Biography
Henry Algernon Percy was well looked after and brought up at the court of Henry VII, while his sisters' marriages were the object of careful negotiation. He was made K.B.Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
21 November 1489, at the time when Prince Arthur
Arthur, Prince of Wales
Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales was the first son of King Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and therefore, heir to the throne of England. As he predeceased his father, Arthur never became king...
was created Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
.
On 28 April 1489 Henry Algernon Percy succeeded his father, Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, KG son of Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland and his wife Eleanor Poynings, daughter of Richard Poynings, Lord Poynings....
as 5th Earl of Northumberland.
Northumberland attended Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
at the conclusion of the treaty of Etaples in 1492, and took a prominent part in the elaborate ceremony of 1494, when Prince Henry was created K.B. In 1495 he was made a Knight of the Garter. In 1497 he served in the royal army against the Cornish rebels, and fought at the battle of Blackheath; on 14 May 1498 he received livery of his lands, and entered into the management of his various castles and estates.
How important Northumberland's position was can be seen from The Northumberland Household Book, which was edited from the manuscript in possession of the Duke of Northumberland by Thomas Percy
Thomas Percy
Thomas Percy was Bishop of Dromore. Before being made bishop, he was chaplain to George III. Percy's greatest contribution is considered to be his Reliques of Ancient English Poetry , the first of the great ballad collections, which was the one work most responsible for the ballad revival in...
in 1770. It was begun in 1512. His income was about £2,300. a year, which probably does not include all that he received by way of gift. But on his various retinues of servants he spent no less than £1,500. a year, and as the margin had to meet all such expenses as his journeys to the court, and as he was extraordinarily magnificent in taste, he was soon in debt.
In 1500 Northumberland was at the meeting of Henry and the Archduke Philip. In 1501 he was appointed constable of Knaresborough, steward of the Lordship of Knaresborough, and master forester in the forest there. On 1 April 1502 he was a commissioner of oyer and terminer for London; he was also constantly in the commission of the peace for various counties. Northumberland received the important appointment of warden-general of the east marches towards Scotland on 30 June 1503, and one of his first duties was to escort Margaret to Scotland on her way to join James IV of Scotland, and his splendid dress and numerous servants pleased the princess.
Northumberland seems to have irritated Henry VII just before the king died. He had disposed of the wardship and marriage of Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of Sir John Hastings
John Hastings
John Hastings is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2003....
. He was fined £10,000, an amount of money quite as difficult to raise; and it is extraordinary that he managed to pay half the money before Henry VIII came to the throne. The new king cancelled the remainder of the debt 21 March 1510. On 4 February 1512 he was a trier of petitions from Gascony and beyond the sea.
Northumberland served in the war of 1513 as a grand captain, with a very large retinue. From Calais he went to the siege of Terouenne and in the battle of the Spurs he commanded the "showrers and forridors", Northumberland men on light geldings. The next year he was a chief commissioner of array for various counties. As Thomas Wolsey rose, the great nobles had one by one to submit to his tyranny. Northumberland was suspected of being too friendly with Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham
Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham
Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, KG was an English nobleman. He was the son of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and the former Lady Catherine Woodville, daughter of the 1st Earl Rivers and sister-in-law of King Edward IV.-Early life:Stafford was born at Brecknock Castle in Wales...
, and so, on a charge of interfering with the king's prerogative about the wards, he was cast into the Fleet Prison
Fleet Prison
Fleet Prison was a notorious London prison by the side of the Fleet River in London. The prison was built in 1197 and was in use until 1844. It was demolished in 1846.- History :...
in 1516. Possibly he was only put there so that Wolsey might have the credit of getting him out. He was examined in the Court of the Star Chamber, and soon set free.
Northumberland was friendly with George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury
George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury
George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury, 4th Earl of Waterford, 10th Baron Talbot, 9th Baron Furnivall, KG was the son of John Talbot, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury and Lady Catherine Stafford, daughter of the 1st Duke of Buckingham....
, and they arranged to go on a pilgrimage this year together. Shrewsbury had been anxious to marry his daughter to a son of Buckingham, but, having disputed about money matters, the parents broke off the match; it was now arranged, most unfortunately as it turned out, that the lady should marry Northumberland's son, the Lord Percy, in June 1517 Northumberland met Queen Margaret of Scotland
Margaret Tudor
Margaret Tudor was the elder of the two surviving daughters of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and the elder sister of Henry VIII. In 1503, she married James IV, King of Scots. James died in 1513, and their son became King James V. She married secondly Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of...
at York to conduct her on her way home; he undertook the duty with reluctance, doubtless from want of money, and his wife was excused attendance. In 1518 he was one of those who held lands in Calais. Wolsey in 1519, in a letter to the king, expressed suspicions of his loyalty. But he escaped the fate of the Duke of Buckingham, and went to the Field of the Cloth of Gold
Field of the Cloth of Gold
The Field of Cloth of Gold is the name given to a place in Balinghem, between Guînes and Ardres, in France, near Calais. It was the site of a meeting that took place from 7 June to 24 June 1520, between King Henry VIII of England and King Francis I of France. The meeting was arranged to increase...
, where he was a judge of the lists.
The same year, 1517, Northumberland had a grant of the honour of Holderness. He was present at Henry's meeting with the emperor in May 1522, and attested the ratification of the treaty made. He seems to have been offered, but not to have accepted, the wardenship of all the marches towards Scotland
Scottish Marches
Scottish Marches was the term used for the Anglo-Scottish border during the late medieval and early modern eras—from the late 13th century, with the creation by Edward I of England of the first Lord Warden of the Marches to the early 17th century and the creation of the Middle Shires, promulgated...
in 1523, and is said to have incurred the contempt of his tenants by his refusal. But he continued active while Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey
Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey
Henry Howard, KG, , known as The Earl of Surrey although he never was a peer, was an English aristocrat, and one of the founders of English Renaissance poetry.-Life:...
was in chief command. In 1523 he made an inroad into Scotland, and was falsely accused by Dacre
Baron Dacre
Baron Dacre is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of England, every time by writ. The first creation came in 1321 when Ralph Dacre was summoned to Parliament as Lord Dacre. He married Margaret, 2nd Baroness Multon of Gilsland, heiress of a large estate in Cumbria centred on...
of going to war with the crosskeys of York, a royal badge, on his banner; he cleared himself easily enough. In 1524 he was again on the border. In 1525 he had some trouble with the council of the north, of which he had been a member since 1522 ; but he cleared himself, and took part in the ceremony of the creation of Henry Fitzroy
Henry Fitzroy
Henry Fitzroy may refer to:*Henry FitzRoy , illegitimate son of Henry I of England*Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset, the only illegitimate child acknowledged by Henry VIII...
, Henry VIII's natural son, Earl of Nottingham. He died at Wressell on 19 May 1527, and was buried at Beverley, where he had built a splendid shrine.
Northumberland was magnificent in his tastes, and being one of the riches magnates of his day, kept a very large establishment, and was fond of building. Leland praised the devices for the library at Wressell, presumably arranged by him. He encouraged the poet John Skelton
John Skelton
John Skelton, also known as John Shelton , possibly born in Diss, Norfolk, was an English poet.-Education:...
, who wrote the elegy on his father. A manuscript formerly in his possession forms British Museum Reg. Bib. 18 D ii. It consists of poems, chiefly by Lydgate
Lydgate
Lydgate could refer to:*Lydgate, Greater Manchester, a village in Greater Manchester, England*Lydgate, West Yorkshire, a village in Calderdale, England.*Dr. Tertius Lydgate, a character in the novel Middlemarch by George Eliot...
.
Family
Northumberland was son of Henry Percy, 4th Earl of NorthumberlandHenry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, KG son of Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland and his wife Eleanor Poynings, daughter of Richard Poynings, Lord Poynings....
, by Maud, daughter of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke of the second creation Alan Percy
Alan Percy
Alan Percy was an English churchman and academic, Master of St John's College, Cambridge, and later Master of Trinity College, Arundel which he surrendered to Henry VIII in 1545.-Life:...
was his younger brother.
Northumberland married Catherine Spencer (d. 1542), daughter of Sir Robert Spencer and Eleanor Beaufort
Eleanor Beaufort
Eleanor Beaufort was the daughter of Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset and his second wife, Lady Eleanor Beauchamp, Duchess of Somerset. She was a sister of the 3rd and 4th Dukes of Somerset....
, Countess of Ormonde. By Catherine he had three sons and two daughters:
- Henry Percy, 6th Earl of NorthumberlandHenry Percy, 6th Earl of NorthumberlandHenry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland, KG was an English nobleman, active as a military officer in the north. He is now primarily remembered as the betrothed of Anne Boleyn, whom he was forced to give up before she became involved with King Henry VIII.-Early life:He was eldest son of Henry...
(1502–1537) - Sir Thomas Percy (c. 1504 – 2 June 1537). He was executed as a participant in the Pilgrimage of GracePilgrimage of GraceThe Pilgrimage of Grace was a popular rising in York, Yorkshire during 1536, in protest against Henry VIII's break with the Roman Catholic Church and the Dissolution of the Monasteries, as well as other specific political, social and economic grievances. It was done in action against Thomas Cromwell...
. He was father of both Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of NorthumberlandThomas Percy, 7th Earl of NorthumberlandBlessed Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland, 1st Baron Percy, KG , led the Rising of the North and was executed for treason. He was later beatified by the Catholic Church.-Early life:...
and Henry Percy, 8th Earl of NorthumberlandHenry Percy, 8th Earl of NorthumberlandHenry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland, 2nd Baron Percy was an English aristocrat and conspirator.-Life:He was born at Newburn Manor about 1532, was second of the two sons of Sir Thomas Percy, who was executed in 1537 as a chief actor in the Pilgrimage of Grace, and Eleanor Harbottle...
. A daughter, Joan, married an Arthur Harris of Prittlewell, Essex and had issue. Percy's wife, Eleanor Harbottle, had been previously married to Sir Richard Holland. Between 15 September 1562 and 27 January 1563 his step-daughter Mary Holland, who died before 16 November 1570, married Arthur Pole, without issue. - Sir Ingelram Percy (c. 1506–1538). He was a participant in the Pilgrimage of GracePilgrimage of GraceThe Pilgrimage of Grace was a popular rising in York, Yorkshire during 1536, in protest against Henry VIII's break with the Roman Catholic Church and the Dissolution of the Monasteries, as well as other specific political, social and economic grievances. It was done in action against Thomas Cromwell...
. He died imprisoned in the Tower of LondonTower of LondonHer Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
. He had an illegitimate daughter, Isabel, who married Henry Tempest. - Lady Margaret (c. 1508–1540), who married Henry Clifford, 1st Earl of CumberlandHenry Clifford, 1st Earl of CumberlandHenry Clifford, 1st Earl of Cumberland KG was a member of the Clifford family which held the seat of Skipton from 1310 to 1676. He was a close friend of Henry VIII and his son Henry married the King's niece Lady Eleanor Brandon. He was created Earl of Cumberland on June 18, 1525 and made a Knight...
. - Maud, who may have married William, Lord ConyersWilliam Conyers, 1st Baron ConyersWilliam Conyers, 1st Baron Conyers , also known as William Conyers of Hornby, was an English baron and aristocrat.-Personal life:...
(but there is no record of the marriage in the Conyers' pedigree).