Henry Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland

Henry Algernon Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland KG, (13 January 1477 – 19 May 1527) was the eldest son of Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland and Maud Herbert. His maternal grandparents were William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1423–1469) and his wife Anne Devereaux.

Edward IV of England made him a Knight Bachelor in 1481. In 1495 he was made a Knight of the Garter. He fought against the Cornish rebels at Blackheath, London in 1497. He was appointed warden-general of the eastern marches in 1503.

He served in the War of the League of Cambrai (1508–1516) with a great retinue of his own. He notably served under Henry VIII of England at the Battle of the Spurs, 16 August 1513. The battle was a decisive victory over the forces of Jacques de la Palice, general of Francis I of France.

He was appointed a member of the Council of the North in 1522. He is buried at Beverley Minster.

Marriage and children

He married Catherine Spencer, daughter of Sir Robert Spencer of Spencer Court and Lady Eleanor Beaufort. Her maternal grandparents were Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset and Eleanor Beauchamp. They had five children:

*Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland (1502–1537).
*Sir Thomas Percy (c. 1504 – 2 June 1537. He was executed as a participant in the Pilgrimage of Grace. He was father of both Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland and Henry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland. A daughter, Joan, married an Arthur Harris of Essex.+
*Sir Ingelram Percy (c. 1506–1538). He was a participant in the Pilgrimage of Grace. He died imprisoned in the Tower of London.
*Margaret Percy (c. 1508–1540). She married Henry Clifford, 1st Earl of Cumberland.
*Maud Percy (c. 1510–?).

References

+Despite some difficulties with dates, strong evidence supports the Percy-Harris connection as given. See "The Visitations of Essex" by Hawley, 1552, Hervey 1558, Cooke, 1570, William Berry, College of Arms (Great Britain), 1870 - Heraldry (1878), P. 59 and P. 696; "The History of Rochford Hundred : From Former Authors, Ancient", Phillip Benton (1888), P.460; "The Plantagenet Roll of the Blood Royal, Mortimer-Percy Volume, Pt. I, Table II", The Marquis of Ruvigny and Raineval (1911); "Peerage of England", Sir Arthur Collins (1812), P. 309; "The History and Antiquities of the County of Essex", Phillip Morant (1768), P. 363;"Transactions of the Essex Archaeological Society, "The Essex Archaeological Society (Great Britain) (1865), P. 184; and" "A "Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland, Sir Bernard Burke (1863), P. 1255. ""At least three highly respected websites also accept the connection." "These are" Leo's Genealogics (http://www.genealogics.org/index.php) ;" The Ancient House of Percy" (http://www.geocities.com/percyfamilyhistory/page1.html) "'and "Tudorplace: Elizabethan Peerage" (http://tudorplace.com.ar/Peerage1.htm).
* [http://victoria.tc.ca/~tgodwin/duncanweb/documents/northumberland.html The Household of the 5th Earl] ; http://jillwheezul.livejournal.com/2007/03/09/ The listing of goods taken by Henry Percy in June 1513 to the Siege of Therouanne. From the Journal, The Antiquarian repertory: a miscellaneous assemblage of topography, history, biography, customs and manners, volume 4, 1807 - 1809, pages 356-373.