Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy | |
|---|---|
| Earl of Northumberland | |
| Titles and styles | The Earl of Northumberland |
| Noble family | House of Percy |
| Spouse(s) | Eleanor Poynings |
| Issue | Ralph Percy Anne Percy Margaret Percy Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland Elizabeth Percy Mary Percy Eleanor Percy |
| Father | Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland |
| Mother | Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland |
Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland, (25 July, 1421 – 29 March, 1461) was the son of Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland and Lady Eleanor Neville, daughter of Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland and his second wife Joan Beaufort.
His maternal uncles included Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury. His maternal aunts included Cecily Neville, through whom he was closely related to the House of York: Edward IV of England, Margaret of York, George, Duke of Clarence and Richard III of England were all first cousins.
In consequence of his marriage to Eleanor, Lady Poynings, Henry Percy was summoned to Parliament from 14 December 1446 to 26 May 1455, by writs directed Henrico de Percy, chivaler, domino de Ponynges. His wife was a legatee in the 1455 will of her mother, Eleanor, Countess of Arundel (widow of the thirteenth Earl of Arundel).
Percy however followed his father in swearing allegiance to the House of Lancaster. On December 30, 1460, Percy is known to have fought on the Lancastrian side at the Battle of Wakefield. He commanded the Lancastrian van at the Battle of Towton, where he was slain fighting for the king on March 29 1461, burial, it is said, at St. Dionis, Yorkshire. His widow, Eleanor, died February 11 1483/4.
Marriage and children
He married on or before June 25 1435 Eleanor Poynings or Ponynges (1422-1480), de jure suo jure Lady Poynings, daughter and heiress of Richard Poynings, Knt., of Poynings, Sussex, by his second wife, Eleanor, daughter of John Berkeley, Knt., of Beverstone, Gloucestershire. She was born about 1422, and was heir general in 1446 to her grandfather, Robert Poynings, Knt., 4th Lord Poynings.
Their children were:
- Ralph (b. 1440), died young.
- Anne (1444-1522), married (1) Sir Thomas Hungerford, (2) Sir Laurence Rainsford, and (3) Sir Thomas Vaughn.
- Margaret (b. 1447), married Sir William "the Younger" Gascoigne.
- Henry (1449-1489), 4th Earl of Northumberland, 7th Lord Percy; married Lady Maud Herbert, daughter of the first Earl of Pembroke.
- Eleanor (b. 1455), married Thomas West, 8th Baron De La Warr.
- Elizabeth (1460-1512), married Henry Scrope, 6th Baron Scrope of Bolton.
- Mary, died young.
Further reading
- Rose, Alexander Kings in the North - The House of Percy in British History. Phoenix/Orion Books Ltd, 2002, ISBN 1-84212-485-4 (722 pages paperback)
