Duke of Northumberland

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Coat of arms of the current Dukes of Northumberland

Duke of Northumberland is a hereditary British title of nobility awarded twice in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of Great Britain .

History of the title

Historical creation

The Ealdormans of Northumbria were called Dux when they were vassals of the Anglo-Saxon kings of Wessex . The lords of Bamburgh , Osulf († 963) and his son Waltheof I , were Dukes of Northumbria in this sense. Soon after the Norman conquest of England , the great earldom was split up, with the descendants of the Dukes keeping the earldoms of Huntingdon and Northampton .

First award

Coat of arms of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland

The title Duke of Northumberland was first created on October 11, 1551 in the Peerage of England for John Dudley, 1st Earl of Warwick . The name of the title was created as a historical allusion, as he and his family saw themselves as heirs to the Bamburgh dynasty, descendants of a daughter of Simon II. De Senlis , Earl of Huntingdon-Northampton, who in turn was a descendant of Waltheof. John Dudley had already been awarded the title Viscount Lisle on March 12, 1543 and the title Earl of Warwick on February 16, 1547 , which he then led as a subordinate title.

Dudley tried to support his daughter-in-law Lady Jane Gray's claim to the English throne. When she was deposed by Queen Mary , Dudley was convicted of high treason and executed. His titles expired. An illegitimate son of his surviving heir, Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester , claimed the Duke title for himself in the early 17th century but found no recognition in England.

Second award

In the second bestowal, the title was recreated on April 6, 1683 in the Peerage of England for George FitzRoy, 1st Earl of Northumberland . He was the illegitimate son of King Charles II and his mistress Barbara Villiers, 1st Duchess of Cleveland . He had already been raised on October 1, 1674 to Earl of Northumberland , Viscount Falmouth and Baron Pontefract . Since the Duke left no legitimate heirs, the titles expired on his death in 1716.

Third award

In the third award, Hugh Percy (née Smithson), 2nd Earl of Northumberland in the Peerage of Great Britain was raised to Duke of Northumberland on October 22, 1766 . Along with the Dukedom, he was awarded the subordinate title Earl Percy . Since then, the eldest son of the respective duke has had the courtesy title Earl Percy as his heir . Already in 1750 he had the titles of 2nd Earl of Northumberland and 2nd Baron Warkworth , of Warkworth Castle in the County of Northumberland from his father-in-law Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset , which he inherited in favor of Hugh Percy on October 2, 1749 had been awarded. He had also inherited the title of 4th Baronet , of Stanwick in the County of York, from his father Sir Hugh Smithson, 3rd Baronet , in 1729 , which had been bestowed on an ancestor in 1660. On January 28, 1784, the 1st Duke was also given the title of Baron Lovaine , of Alnwick in the County of Northumberland. This award was made with the special note that the title would be bequeathed to his second-born son Algernon Percy and his descendants upon his death .

His eldest son, the 2nd Duke , inherited the title 3rd Baron Percy, created in 1722, from his mother in 1776 . His younger son, who later became the 4th Duke , was raised to Baron Prudhoe , of Prudhoe Castle in the County of Northumberland, on November 27, 1816 , but died childless and this barony became extinct again. The Dukedom and the rest of the titles went to his cousin, George Percy, 2nd Earl Beverly . This was the son of the above-mentioned Algeron Percy, 2nd Baron Lovaine , who had also been raised to Earl of Beverley , in the County of York in 1790 . The Barony of Percy fell instead of him in the female line of John Stewart-Murray, 7th Duke of Atholl as 6th Baron Percy and only fell back in 1957 to the 10th Duke of Northumberland as 9th Baron Percy.

Today's title holder has been Ralph Percy as the 12th Duke since 1995 .

Alnwick Castle

The Dukes' third award family residence is Alnwick Castle in Alnwick , Northumberland ; her London residence is Syon House in Brentford . The Dukes have their family vault in Westminster Abbey in London, where they will continue to be buried.

List of the Dukes of Northumberland

Duke of Northumberland, first bestowal (1551)

Duke of Northumberland, second bestowal (1683)

Hugh Percy, 10th Duke of Northumberland, outside Syon House in Brentford

Duke of Northumberland, third award (1766)

Heir apparent is the son of the current owner George Dominic Percy, Earl Percy (* 1984).

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