Hugh_Percy,_10th_Duke_of_Northumberland

Hugh Percy, 10th Duke of Northumberland

Hugh Percy, 10th Duke of Northumberland

British politician (1914–1988)

Hugh Algernon Percy, 10th Duke of Northumberland KG GCVO TD PC JP FRS (6 April 1914 – 11 October 1988), styled Lord Hugh Percy between 1918 and 1940, was a British landowner, soldier and peer. He was the son of Alan Percy, 8th Duke of Northumberland, and Lady Helen Gordon-Lennox. He succeeded to the dukedom of Northumberland in 1940 when his brother, the 9th Duke, was killed in action in World War II.

Quick Facts Lord Steward of the Household, Monarch ...

He served in the Northumberland Hussars and the Royal Regiment of Artillery during World War II, rising to the rank of captain. After the war, he served as a Conservative whip in the Churchill caretaker ministry. Later, he served as Lord Steward of Queen Elizabeth II's Household from 1973 until his death, Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland from 1956 until 1984 and as the first Chancellor of the University of Newcastle upon Tyne from its formation in 1963 until his death.

Early life and family

Hugh Algernon Percy was born on 6 April 1914. He was the second son of Alan, Earl Percy, later the 8th Duke of Northumberland, and his wife, Lady Helen Gordon-Lennox, herself the daughter of the 7th Duke of Richmond.[1] From birth, as the younger son of an earl, he was entitled to the prefix The Honourable by courtesy.[2] When his father acceded to the dukedom upon the death of his paternal grandfather, the 7th Duke, in 1918, he became known as Lord Hugh Percy. His siblings included: George, 9th Duke of Northumberland; Elizabeth, Duchess of Hamilton; Diana, Duchess of Sutherland; and Lord Richard Percy.[1]

He was educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford.

Career

On 15 April 1936, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Northumberland Hussars.[3] He became 10th Duke of Northumberland on 21 May 1940 when his childless elder brother was killed in action in Flanders, Belgium, in the leadup to the Battle of Dunkirk.[4][5] In 1940, as a lieutenant, he transferred to the Royal Regiment of Artillery. He served in Crete and on the North African campaign.[6] In 1947, as a captain, he transferred back to the Northumberland Hussars.

Following the death of his brother, he took his seat in the House of Lords as a Conservative Lord Temporal, making his maiden speech on 29 November 1944 in reply to King George VI's Speech from the Throne.[7] He also took on management of the family estates, namely Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, Albury Park in Surrey and Syon House in London. He also succeeded his brother as Master of the Percy Foxhounds.

On 1 June 1945, he was appointed Lord in Waiting to King George VI, remaining in the position until 23 October 1945.[8][9] As Lord in Waiting, he was a junior government whip in the Churchill caretaker ministry.[10]

In 1957, he gained the additional peerage of Baron Percy upon the death of his kinsman, James, 9th Duke of Atholl.

In 1963, when the University of Newcastle upon Tyne became independent from the University of Durham, Northumberland was appointed their first Chancellor and retained the post until his death. As chancellor, the Duke presented an honorary degree to the Martin Luther King Jr. in November 1967, five months before Dr King's assassination.[11] He donated many books and works of art to the university's library.[12]

He was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland on 18 May 1956, a position previously held by his father and many of his ancestors which he held until 1984.[13] On 2 January 1973, Northumberland succeeded the 10th Viscount Cobham as Lord Steward of the Household of Queen Elizabeth II, the most senior of the Great Offices of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom.[14]

In 1970, he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society.[12] On 9 March 1973, he was appointed a member of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts.[15] He chaired or was a member of a number of councils and committees such as the Agricultural Research Council, Medical Research Council and the Committee of Enquiry on Foot and Mouth Disease.[12] He was president of the Royal Agricultural Society of England in 1956 and 1962.

He held the position of Honorary Colonel in various battalions of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, Northumbrian Volunteers and the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.[16]

In recognition of his service, on 24 April 1959, he was appointed the 922nd Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter and made a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order in the 1981 Birthday Honours.[17][18]

Marriage and issue

On 12 June 1946, he married Lady Elizabeth Diana Montagu Douglas Scott, daughter of the 8th Duke of Buccleuch, at Westminster Abbey.[6] The Duke rode on horseback from Alnwick to Drumlanrig Castle to propose to Lady Elizabeth.[6] The marriage united the Percy and Douglas families who had feuded for centuries, including at the Battle of Otterburn in 1388.[19] Guests at the wedding included King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary, King George II of Greece, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret.[6][20]

They had seven children:

Death

The Duke died of a heart attack at his London home, Syon House, on 11 October 1988 at the age of 74.[22] He was succeeded as duke by his eldest son, Henry, Earl Percy, who became the 11th Duke of Northumberland. He was succeeded as Lord Steward and Chancellor of Newcastle University by the 4th Viscount Ridley, who had succeeded him as Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland four years earlier. His ashes were interred on 18 November 1988 in the Northumberland Vault at Westminster Abbey.[23][12]

Arms

Coat of arms of Hugh Algernon Percy, 10th Duke of Northumberland, KG, GCVO, TD, PC, JP, FRS
Coronet
A Duke's Coronet
Crest
On a chapeau Gules turned up Ermine a lion statant tail extended Azure.
Escutcheon
Quarterly 1st and 4th, quarterly 1 and 4 Or a lion rampant Azure (Percy/Louvain); 2 and 3 Gules three lucies haurient Argent (Lucy); 2nd and 3rd Azure five fusils conjoined in fess Or (Percy).
Supporters
Dexter a lion Azure; sinister a lion guardant ducally crowned Or gorged with a collar compony Argent and Azure.

Honours

Appointments

Military ranks

Honorary military appointments

References

  1. [1]
    Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage. Vol. 2 (107 ed.). Wilmington, Delaware: Burke's Peerage. ISBN 978-0-9711966-2-9.
  2. [2]
    "Courtesy Titles". Debrett's. 24 June 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  3. [3]
    "No. 34274". The London Gazette. 14 April 1936. p. 2455.
  4. [4]
    "'Northumberland' killed in Flanders". Northumberland Archives. 21 May 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  5. [5]
    "Lieutenant Henry George Alan Percy". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  6. [6]
    St. Claire, Mary (29 June 1947). "London's most spectacular wedding for years". The Australian Women's Weekly. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  7. [7]
    "Address in Reply to His Majesty's Most Gracious Speech". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Lords. 29 November 1944.
  8. [8]
    "No. 37106". The London Gazette. 1 June 1945. p. 2795.
  9. [9]
    "No. 37320". The London Gazette. 23 October 1945. p. 5185.
  10. [10]
    Butler, David; Butler, Gareth (1994). British Political Facts 1900–1994 (7 ed.). Basingstoke and London: Macmillan Press. pp. 17–20. ISBN 978-03-12121-47-1.
  11. [11]
    "Martin Luther King Honorary Degree Ceremony". Newcastle University. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  12. [12]
    Henderson, FRS, Sir William (March 1990). "Hugh Algernon Percy, 10th Duke of Northumberland". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 35: 355–359. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1990.0016. S2CID 72984977.
  13. [13]
    "No. 40781". The London Gazette. 18 May 1956. p. 2919.
  14. [14]
    "No. 45868". The London Gazette. 2 January 1973. p. 105.
  15. [15]
    "No. 45930". The London Gazette. 16 March 1973. p. 3514.
  16. [16]
    "No. 46626". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 July 1975. p. 8692.
  17. [17]
    "No. 41691". The London Gazette. 24 April 1959. p. 2687.
  18. [18]
    "No. 48639". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 1981. p. 4.
  19. [19]
    "Chatelaine united feuding families". Sydney Morning Herald. 29 September 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  20. [20]
    "Thousands Break Cordon at Abbey Wedding". British Pathé. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  21. [21]
    Cope, Rebecca (21 April 2021). "Who are the Queen's godchildren?". Tatler. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  22. [22]
    "Hugh Algernon Percy, Duke of Northumberland, 74". The New York Times. 12 October 1988. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  23. [23]
    "Elizabeth, Duchess of Northumberland & Percy family". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  24. [24]
    "No. 41122". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 April 1957. p. 4097.
  25. [25]
    "No. 42515". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 November 1961. p. 8340.
  26. [26]
    "No. 36576". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 June 1944. p. 2981.
  27. [27]
    "No. 38609". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 May 1949. p. 2347.
  28. [28]
    "No. 44283". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 April 1967. p. 3812.
  29. [29]
    "No. 44819". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 March 1969. p. 3456.
  30. [30]
    "No. 45055". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 March 1970. p. 2848.
  31. [31]
    "No. 45575". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 January 1972. p. 648.
  32. [32]
    "No. 46551". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 April 1975. p. 5158.
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