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Elizabeth Percy Seymour - The other Favourite

With today’s news that Yorgos Lanthimos’ film The Favourite, about the life of ambitious women in the court of Queen Anne, has received 10 Academy Award nominations, we thought we would look at the life of a woman who doesn’t feature in the film, but was just as influential on the Queen: Elizabeth Percy Seymour, heiress to Alnwick Castle.

Elizabeth was born in 1667, and when her father Josceline, the 11th Earl of Northumberland, died in 1670, she was his only surviving child. While she was able to call herself Baroness Percy, the young Elizabeth was not legally able to inherit the earldom in her own right; she had to marry a husband willing to take her name and titles. She ended up being married three times by the age of 16, with her third and final husband being Charles Seymour, the 6th Duke of Somerset.

When Elizabeth reached the age of 21, she released Charles from his obligation to become a Percy, and she took the surname ‘Seymour’ and the title ‘Duchess of Somerset’ instead of those from her own ancestry.

Elizabeth, like Sarah Churchill (played by Rachel Weisz in The Favourite), was a great friend of Princess Anne (played in the film by Olivia Colman) before she became Queen. In 1692, Sarah and her husband John Churchill were dismissed from the court - King William III suspected John of being in contact with Anne’s father, the deposed King James VII and II - and to leave Anne’s apartments in the Palace of Whitehall where they lived.

 Below: Sarah Churchill and Anne in The Favourite, photo source Yorgos Lanthimos

Anne was furious at the way her friends the Churchills had been treated, and, withdrawing from court herself, was offered accommodation by Elizabeth Percy Seymour and her husband at Syon House, the Percys’ home on the River Thames. It was there that Anne gave birth to her short-lived son George (represented, as with all Anne’s children, by rabbits in The Favourite).

In 1702, Anne became Queen. Sarah Churchill and Elizabeth were both given positions in her household.

Anne’s reign, and the influence of Sarah, challenged the traditionally male-dominated world of politics, as Lanthimos depicts in the film, but Elizabeth (along with Abigail Masham - played in The Favourite by Emma Stone - and Lady Elizabeth Hervey) contributed to this too.

In fact, the Duchess of Somerset’s closeness to the Queen led to detractors believing her a harmful influence. She was undoubtedly a powerful player at court, and used her political power to deny the writer Jonathan Swift a bishopric. Swift retaliated, warning people that “a most insinuating woman” was behind her well-mannered public face.

She is considered to have been among those who contributed to the downfall of the Churchills (by now the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough), which forms a major part of the plot in The Favourite, and while Abigail Masham rose in power and influence just as she does in Lanthimos’ film, Elizabeth Percy Seymour was the woman who replaced Sarah as ‘groom of the stole’, a key position close to the Queen.

Elizabeth and Anne were probably at their closest in the four years before Anne’s death in 1714; years in which Elizabeth was also Lady of the Bedchamber and Mistress of the Robes. She was certainly more influential than the Duke of Somerset, who was so self-important he was known as ‘the Proud Duke’. It may be that other political lords only tolerated him because of his wife’s closeness to the Queen!

In 1711, Swift launched a scathing poetic attack on Elizabeth and her influence over Queen Anne, writing in ‘The Windsor Prophecy’:

“Beware of Carrots from Northumberland.

(here, ‘Carrots’ refers to Elizabeth’s red hair, and ‘Northumberland’ her Percy ancestry)

Carrots sown Thyn a deep root may get

(’Thyn’ refers to Elizabeth’s second husband Thomas Thynne, who was assassinated soon after their marriage. The ‘deep root’ probably refers to Elizabeth’s position at court)

If so they are in Sommer set

(’Sommer set’ is a play on ‘summer’, to fit the references to ‘carrots’, but also refers to the Duke of ‘Somerset’)

Their Conyngs mark them, for I have been told 

(’Conyngs mark’ refers to ‘Koningsmarck’, the Swedish man who undertook Thynne’s assassination)

They assassine when young and poison when old”

(Finally, Swift suggests the teenage Elizabeth was behind her second husband’s murder - ‘they assassine when young’, and is now ‘poisoning’ Queen Anne with her views and political motivations.)

Happily, Anne remained loyal to her friend, and the Queen even intended for half her jewels to be left to Elizabeth on her death, calling her “the fittest person to wear them after [me]”. Unfortunately for the Duchess of Somerset, Anne had failed to make a will and so the jewels never came to her.

Despite Swift and her other detractors, Elizabeth appears to have been well-liked and well-respected at the time. One contemporary called her “the best bred as well as the best born woman in England”, and another considered her “in all respects a credit and ornament to the court”.

Elizabeth died in 1722, and following her death the ‘Proud Duke’ destroyed all her correspondence with Queen Anne. 

Sadly for us, this means we may never know the true extent of Elizabeth and Anne’s friendship, or to what extent she was a ‘favourite’ like Sarah Churchill or Abigail Masham... but we’ll still be rooting for The Favourite on Oscar night!

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Happy Father’s Day

Today is Father’s Day, and we asked three of our guides: who were some of the best (and worst!) fathers in Alnwick Castle’s long history?

Fatherhood is an incredibly important part of the Castle’s story. The dukedom of Northumberland - and before that, the earldom of Northumberland and barony of Alnwick - have traditionally been inherited through primogeniture, the law that usually takes the form of father-to-son. But some fathers have been more notorious than others!

1) Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland

(1342 - 1408)

Guide Gary says:

“The 1st Earl is my nomination for worst father... Not only did he lead his son, Hotspur, into rebellion, he then failed to join up with him in battle claiming a heavy cold or some such! Then he goes to York, meets the King and practically blames his son for the whole affair, his only punishment being a heavy fine and slap on the wrist! He ought to have been ashamed of himself!“

It is true that the 1st Earl did not actively take part in his son Hotspur’s rebellion in 1403, in which Hotspur was killed. It was reported that he was too ill even to mount his horse and was not physically able to be at the battle. Whether this was genuine ill health or effectively ‘calling in sick’ to avoid risking his own life is up for debate!

After hearing of Hotspur’s death, the Earl was summoned to answer for his conduct during the rebellion. It is unknown what exactly was said at this meeting between the Earl and King Henry IV, but it is clear he must have demonstrated submission, and that Henry must have shown some mercy in turn, but historians believe the Earl would have known “he had sinned past the royal forgiveness”, and Henry IV would have been “confident that the death of Hotspur would not [be] unavenged”.

Percy family historian de Fonblanque claims the 1st Earl was, from this time, “broken in health and inconsolable under the loss of the son... he so dearly loved”. He rebelled twice more himself until his death in 1408.

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2) Henry ‘the Magnificent’ Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland

(1478 - 1527)

Guide Olga says:

“Here is a good example of a bad father. The ‘Magnificent’ Earl was not magnificent to his son [who became 6th Earl]. He used to humiliate his son publicly, often calling him a ‘thriftless waster’. He did not respect his son's choice [of partner], Anne Boleyn, insisting that she was not a suitable bride, and forced a marriage with another woman upon his son, which resulted in a disaster. All his life, the 6th Earl was seeking approval and respect from other people and ended up as a ‘landless pensioner’, willing his fortunes to the Crown. Isn't that a good example of a bad father?“

It is true that the 5th Earl did not appear to hold a high opinion of his heir, Harry Percy. He worked closely with Cardinal Wolsey, advisor of King Henry VIII, to prevent the relationship between Harry and Anne Boleyn. When he met with his son regarding the matter, an eyewitness reported him saying:

‘Son, even as you have been, and always were, a proud licentious and unthrifty waster, so have you now declared yourself… having neither regard unto me, your natural father, nor yet to the King your natural Sovereign Lord... nor to the wealth of your own estate; but have unadvisedly assured yourself unto her, for whom the King is highly displeased with you... his indignation [could] ruin me and my posterity utterly... I assure you that if you do not amend your prodigality you will be the last Earl of our house; for of your natural inclination you are wasteful and prodigal, and will continue to waste all that your progenitors have with great care and travel gathered and kept together with honour… to tell you true, I intend not to make you my heir; for I thank God I have more boys, that I trust will prove much better than you…’

In 1523, Harry was married to Lady Mary Talbot in order to remove him from any attachment to Boleyn. He was banished from the royal court and forbidden from seeing Anne again. In the words of de Fonblanque, ‘thus passed away the one gleam of sunshine that ever brightened the sad life [of Harry Percy].’ He had been so rebuked that the fear of displeasing his father became the primary factor in his life.

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3) Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset

(1684 - 1750)

Guide Maria chose the 7th Duke as one of the best father’s in the Castle’s history, and says:

“I am sure he was a good father! [It’s popularly known] that the 7th Duke of Somerset went against his own father in order to ensure that his daughter Elizabeth and her husband Sir Hugh Smithson would inherit the Percy estates. This is a story that we've heard many times - [and they went on to become the 1st Duke and Duchess of Northumberland and restore Alnwick Castle. It couldn’t have happened without her father’s help!]“

Algernon was a Percy by blood, but not technically by name. Though he held the earldom of Northumberland and the barony of Percy, his Percy lineage came from his mother Elizabeth’s side of the family - his own father, Charles Seymour, had agreed to take the Percy name on their marriage (in fact, this was one of the main conditions of the marriage) but later ensured Elizabeth signed a contract to take his own name instead.

Charles’ hatred of his son’s family (particularly Algernon’s wife Frances) led him to secretly approach King George II to ensure his granddaughter Elizabeth and any children she had with Sir Hugh were excluded from any major inheritance.

The Duke’s plan was discovered and foiled at the last minute by Algernon and Sir Hugh, who convinced the King to suspend any decision. Frances wrote in 1744 that Algernon ‘wrote to the King and told him that it was not in the power of the Duke or Duchess of Somerset to hinder [Elizabeth] of the estates in Northumberland, and therefore he hoped that His Majesty would not do so great a hardship to him as to give the title from his only child.’

Algernon became Duke of Somerset in 1748, and the following year George II issued a patent stating that on Algernon’s death, the Percy titles and lands would pass to Sir Hugh and Elizabeth, and to their male descendants thereafter. Algernon died just four months later, but in 1750, an Act of Parliament stated that he ‘did in his lifetime express his desire that the name of Percy should be used and be the surname or family name of the Earls of Northumberland.’ This meant Hugh and Elizabeth could reclaim the Percy name, which had been so close to disappearing, and not only own Alnwick Castle, but transform it into their ancestral family home again.

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We hope everybody reading is able to treat their dads this Father’s Day - provided they’re more like Algernon and less like the two Henrys!

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"The King this Day did me the honour to tell me that he thought himself too happy.” The 1761 Royal Wedding

We write this post at the time of Prince Henry of Wales’ marriage to Ms. Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle, and the occasion got us wondering ... what were royal weddings of the past like, and did the Percy family of Alnwick Castle attend?

Luckily for us, Elizabeth Percy (1716-1776), Countess of Northumberland, and from 1766, Duchess, was a prolific diarist, writing numerous volumes over the course of her life detailing every aspect of Georgian high society.

It just so happens that she recorded the events around the wedding of King George III to his Queen, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, in 1761. We have reproduced her writings below, and will be fascinated to see how similar or different 2018′s royal wedding may be!

Wednesday, July 8th, 1761: “A Great Council was summoned at which were present 59 Privy Counselors.  His Majesty was pleased to make to them the following Declaration... I now, with great satisfaction, acquaint you, that, after the fullest Information, & mature Deliberation, I am come to a Resolution to demand in Marriage the Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a Princess distinguished by every eminent Virtue & amiable Endowment...”

Thursday, July 16th, 1761: “I waited on Lady Bute, who told me I was to be of the Queen’s Family...”

Saturday, August 1st, 1761: “I received at Breakfast at Syon the following Letter from the Duke of Manchester. ‘Madam, In Obedience to his Majesty's Commands, I have the honour to acquaint your Ladyship that you are desired to be at St. James's on Sunday next, to be presented as one of the Ladies of the Bedchamber to the Queen.  I am with great Respect, Madam,Yr. Ladyship's most Obedient Humble Servant, Manchester.’”

Sunday, August 30th, 1761: “I viewed the Queen's apartment; there are 7 Rooms, all of them dark & melancholy & most of them small; they are all fitted up with Sky Blue Damask.”

The wedding itself took place on September 8th.

Elizabeth describes the events as follows:

“At half-an-hour after Seven, everybody assembled at St. James's.  The Peers, Peeresses & Peers’ Daughters waited in the King's Levee Room, till the procession begun & proceeded down the great Stairs, which was lined with a double Row of Horse Guards (as was the Cloisters) in their Shoes.”

She describes the precise order of the procession, and after quite a length list, gets to the bride:

“...the Bride dressed in a Silver Tissue, stiffen body'd Gown, embroider'd & trimm'd with Silver on her Head a little of Cap of purple Velvet quite covered with Diamonds, a Diamond Aigrette in Form of a Crown, 3 Dropt Diamond Ear Rings, Diamond Necklace, Diamond Sprigs of Flowers on her Sleeves & to clasp back her Robe, a Diamond Stomacher, her purple Velvet Mantle was laced with Gold &  lined with Ermine.  It was fasten'd on the Shoulders with large Fossells of Pearl.“

Her gown was carried by 10 young ladies, “all dressed alike in Stiffen bodied Gowns of white Silk, the Stays & Sleeves embroidered & their Petticoats trimmed with Silver & all adorn'd with a great number of Jewells.”

Elizabeth then describes the chapel where the royal wedding took place:

“The Chapel was very handsomely decorated; it was hung with Crimson Velvet laced & fringed with Gold. On the sides were very fine pieces of Tapestry of the Cartoons put up in the manner of Pictures with frames of broad Gold lace.

Round the altar piece was a broad border of Gold flower’d Tissue and the steps &c. of the Altar was covered with Silver Tissue.  On one side of the Altar was a Throne for the King & Queen of Crimson Velvet adorn'd with Gold lace & fringe Carving & Gilding.  It was lined with Silver Tissue... On each side of the Chapel were 3 Rows of Benches where the Peeresses sat..  In the King’s Ladies’ & Maids of Honour’s Closets sat the Peers’ Daughters & the Foreigners.“

As for the ceremony itself, this is what happened:

“The moment the King enter'd the Chapel, the Service began.  The Duke of Cumberland gave away the bride and the Instant the King put on the Ring a rocket was let fly from the Top of the Chapel, as a Signal for the discharge of the Park & Tower Guns, which were immediately fired.“

There was to be a Royal Supper following the service, but

“The Royal Supper not being ready the Queen (at the King's request) played upon the Harpsichord & sung to [the whole Royal Family, who] all sup't with their Majestys, who did not get to Bed till three o'clock in the morning. “

Portrait of Queen Charlotte by Allan Ramsay, image by Royal Collection Trust

The following day, September 9th, was effectively the reception when the new Queen was presented to “a vast number of people”.

Elizabeth continues:

“We attended the Queen back to her Apartment & then retired but returned early in the afternoon & attended her Majesty to the Ball, where everything was vastly well conducted, nor was it too hot, not withstanding there were vast many people (all, very magnificently dressed) yet there was no Crowd... The first Minuet was composed in honour of the Occasion by the Duke of York, as was the figure of the first Country Dance (called the Royal Bride) by the King.  His Majesty this evening shew'd the most engaging attention towards the Queen even to the taking of Snuff (of which her Maj’y is very fond) wch. he detests & well, made him sneeze more prodigiously.  The Queen being much fatigued they retired at half an hour after Eleven & we all went to our respective Homes.”

The following day, September 10th, Charlotte “seem’d in better spirits & not near so much fatigued as the Day before.“ while the King told Elizabeth a private thought:

“The King this Day did me the honour to tell me that he thought himself too happy.“

However, “when we attended her Majesty back to her Dressing Room, her Train caught the Fender and drew it into the midst of the Room.  I disengaged her.  She laughed very heartily & told me a droll story of the Princess of Prussia having drawn a lighted Billet out of the Chimney & carrying it thro' the Apartment firing the Matt all the way she went. ”

Elizabeth goes on to mention a very early public appearance by the Royal Couple in the days following the wedding, when they attended the theatre:

“It is almost inconceivable the Crowds of People that waited in the Streets quite from St. James's to the Playhouse to see their Majesties.“

Image of George III from Royal Collection Trust

Finally, on Tuesday September 15th, Elizabeth wrote this diary entry:

“As nothing material happened this Day, I will endeavour to describe the King such as he was at that Time.  

King George the Third was at the Time of his Marriage just 23 years and a Quarter Old.  He was in his person Tall & Robust, more graceful than genteel tho’ both in a remarkable degree when he danced which he did better perhaps than anybody ever did & with an unparalleled Air of majestic Dignity.  There was a noble openness in his Countenance, blended with a cheerful good-natured Affability, he was fair & fresh coloured & had now & then a few pimples out.  His eyes were Blue, his Teeth extremely fine.  His Hair a light auburn, which grew very handsomely to his Face.  He had extremely good solid sense & more knowledge than most Princes, he was perfectly good-natured, a most dutiful Son, a fond Husband, an affectionate Brother & a firm friend. 

He had a proper firmness & resolution, great presence of mind, Calmness & Composure, an unaffected Piety, Sober & Virtuous in himself he only regarded others that were so; his Voice was strong, melodious & clear & he spoke with the greatest Grace, Justice & Precision; there was great dignity in all his Actions but not the least stiffness or Pride.  He was fond of Architecture & Drawing in both of which he was a great proficient himself. “

We’re sure that Prince Harry and Ms. Markle will be described in just as praiseworthy a way following their wedding at Windsor. Congratulations to the couple - and thanks to the 1st Duchess of Northumberland for recording what a Royal Wedding used to involve!

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Alnwick Castle’s Gunpowder Plotter

If you’ve been watching Gunpowder on BBC One over the past few weeks, you’ve probably heard the names ‘Thomas Percy’ and ‘Northumberland’ – one was a Gunpowder Plotter alongside Kit Harington’s Catesby, and the other part of King James’ council. But Northumberland – or Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland – and Thomas were also both strongly connected to Alnwick Castle. One was its lord and owner, and Thomas was its Constable.

Thomas, who was born in Yorkshire in 1560, was a distant cousin of the 9th Earl; they shared a great-great-grandfather, but while Thomas’ father was a country squire, he was proud of his Percy ancestry. Growing up near Beverley where the family had had great influence, he may have heard stories of famous rebellious forebears like Harry Hotspur, or another Thomas, beheaded for his Catholic faith by Elizabeth I.

He was probably given the role of Constable by the 9th Earl around 1594. Northumberland was looking for someone active, and high-profile, to be his most important northern official; the fact Thomas was a Percy was an advantage, but probably not the only reason for getting the job.

Being Constable of Alnwick Castle meant being an official at the highest level – the Constable was directly responsible to the Earl of Northumberland himself.

Thomas and the earl were similar ages, and both had been reckless and adventurous young men. Thomas once wrote to his cousin about “the errors and idle vanities of my youth”.

When Thomas arrived in Alnwick, he would have been a large, tall man with a blonde streak of hair. There was considerable trouble on the border between England and Scotland at this time, and so one of his first acts was ensuring the tenants of Alnwick had equipped themselves with helmets, shields, pikes and horses so they could defend their interests, and those of the earl, from Scottish attack. He also had to make sure Alnwick Castle had enough brewing, kindling, horse fodder, bedding and other supplies.

However, Thomas himself was suspected of allying with Scotland several times. One of his servants, a man called Davidson, was accused of joining with Scotland, and Thomas himself supposedly sold the bell of Warkworth Castle to the captain of a Scottish ship.

Eventually, Thomas became a messenger of the earl to the court of King James VI in Edinburgh on behalf of English Catholics.

Thomas’ religious beliefs were one reason to take on this role. Though probably not the most devout of the Gunpowder Plotters, he was a Catholic, and both he and the earl hoped for increased tolerance of private Catholic practices once James became King in England too.

(Northumberland himself is known to have said he did not trouble himself much over religion.)

Other reasons why Thomas became a messenger to the Scottish court included Alnwick’s proximity to Edinburgh, his great skill as a horseman, and the fact he had served with the earl’s predecessor as a young man – and the 8th Earl was likely a supporter of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Thomas made the trip across the border several times, and it seems that assurances had been made that James would consider some kind of Catholic tolerance in England. Perhaps his failure to do so was what provoked Thomas to join Catesby and the Plotters.

Most of Thomas’ time as Constable of Alnwick Castle appears to have been spent on horseback, travelling around the earl’s territories, chasing thieves and collecting rents. He would write regularly to the earl – his last letter surviving in Alnwick Castle’s archives is dated 19th September, 1605, just a few weeks before Gunpowder, and mentions meeting Northumberland in London on Thomas’ next visit – but by 1602 the earl’s other officials were also writing to complain about Thomas’ behaviour.

Complaints included the unjust imprisonment of tenants in Alnwick Castle, taking bribes, and constantly interfering in matters beyond Alnwick that did not concern him.

The 9th Earl seems to have trusted Thomas, however; at least in his early years as Constable. Surviving letters have him described as “my trusty and well-beloved cousin” and “my loving cousin Thomas Percy esquire”.

Thomas’ letters were studied by former Alnwick Castle Archivist, Colin Shrimpton, for the 400th anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot. Shrimpton describes Thomas as ‘a man of great mood swings. It is hard to put your finger on it, but there is an underlying feeling that he was up to something.’

He definitely was – as we know from the Gunpowder series, Thomas took a leading role in the plan to blow up King James and the Houses of Parliament. Star Chamber, the official court based in the Palace at Westminster at the time, described him as ‘one of the principal conspirators in this… abominable treason’.

(Thomas was also married to Martha Wright, the sister of two other Plotters, John and Christopher Wright.)

As seen in Gunpowder, Thomas leased the storerooms under the Lords’ Chamber where Parliament would meet on the 5th November, 1605, and gave Guy Fawkes (using the name John Johnson) to oversee storage of gunpowder and wood there. Thomas also had a watch delivered to Fawkes for correctly timing the lighting of the fuse, but this detail has been changed for the series, as you will see if you watch the final episode!

Thomas himself arrived in London on the 1st November, after collecting various rents in the north, and on the 4th November, he met the 9th Earl of Northumberland at Syon House, one of his London properties (and one that still belongs to the Percys today). Thomas and the earl ate together on the 4th, and probably discussed Border matters, but we don’t know if Thomas also warned his cousin and employer about the Plot and what was going to happen the following day.

Unfortunately for the 9th Earl, having dinner with Thomas the day before Fawkes was discovered underneath Parliament with the gunpowder implicated him in the Plot, whether he was actually involved or knew about it or not.

Evidence given against the earl in the court proceedings following the discovery of the Plot state that on “the Monday [Thomas] went to Syon and then had secret conference with the Earl. And that Monday at 11 o’clock at night Percy sent Robert Keyes, one other of the said traitors, with a clock or watch unto Fawkes”.

One nobleman who was warned about the Gunpowder Plot was Lord Monteagle, who received a letter warning him not to attend Parliament on the 5th November. The Monteagle Letter ultimately led to the discovery and foiling of the Plot, and Thomas, who was an acquaintance of Monteagle, was at one time suspected of having written this letter. If this was true, it would follow that he had also warned his cousin the earl, and that even if the earl was not actively involved in the Plot, he was suspected of knowing about it.

However, Mark Nicholls of Cambridge University notes that the 9th Earl had travelled into London from Syon on the evening of the 4th, and his robes had been prepared for attending Parliament the following day, so perhaps he did not know anything about the Plot. It certainly appeared like he was not intending to avoid it.

When the Plot was discovered, Thomas and the other Plotters fled. On the 7th November, at Holbeach Hall in Staffordshire, a single shot killed both him and another Plotter. Some sources say this was Catesby; he and Thomas were standing back to back defending themselves, and the bullet went through one man and into the other, killing both. Thomas’ head was then cut off and exhibited in London.

When news of the Plot, and Thomas’ involvement in it, reached the region where he had been Constable, one man – George Whitehead, from Tynemouth Castle – proclaimed ‘I wish to God he had never been born.’

Thomas was now dead, but the Earl of Northumberland was still under suspicion. He was immediately suspected of involvement because, as Shrimpton states, he was ‘the Plotters’ likely chosen regent for the realm had the Plot succeeded’.

Nicholls agrees, noting that investigators were ‘convinced that so audacious a plan had wider ramifications’ and arrested several noblemen with known connections to the Plotters. The earl was one of these, and though Nicholls argues the Plotters had not definitively chosen a Lord Protector for their new realm (they had hoped to raise King James’ daughter Elizabeth as a Catholic Queen), Northumberland was a likely candidate. He was ‘a privy councillor, a member of the old nobility, a wealthy man and, though himself a Protestant, representative of one of the foremost Catholic families in England’.

Northumberland was arrested at Syon and taken straight away to Lambeth Palace for questioning before being transferred to the Tower of London (if you watch Gunpowder you may not see this take place on screen!). Star Chamber alleged he was part of the Plot because of his kinship with Thomas Percy, their meeting at Syon on the 4th November, and that while the Plotters were fleeing, the earl’s main concern was not that Thomas was apprehended, but that he didn’t steal his recently collected rents on the way!

The final charge against Northumberland was Thomas’ appointment as a Gentleman Pensioner, the select group of bodyguards that attended the King on ceremonial occasions. The earl was captain of the Gentleman Pensioners, and may have given Thomas the honoured role as reward for his journeys to James’ Scottish court. However, Thomas had never been made to swear the oath of loyalty that went with the position, and the fact that he, now a known would-be killer of the King, had been allowed to carry a poleaxe in James’ presence without having sworn any oath of loyalty was not favourable to Northumberland’s innocence.

(The fact Thomas’ appointment as a Gentleman Pensioner coincided with the time he committed himself to the Gunpowder Plot must not have helped the earl’s case.)

The Star Chamber report explains the situation: ‘he did either maliciously or negligently prefer Thomas Percy, an obstinate papist, into the king’s service to attend as a pensioner; and put an axe of defence into his hands that had formerly sworn to kill the king. To this the earl answered that he had trusted him long and knew no ill in him in that time.’

Thomas Percy was the only man who could clear Northumberland’s name – or condemn him – or in the words of the time, show him ‘clear as the day, or dark as the night’. In fact, the first messengers to reach London from Holbeach reported Thomas was only wounded, not dead. The 9th Earl asked for an immediate examination to take place to show his innocence – but Thomas was dead, and so this could not be done.

The report from Star Chamber declares that ‘some of the lords said that they had known some others convicted of treason upon lesser and more weak presumptions than these. And what this case deserved in regard of that most execrable powder treason, let all nations be mindful, for no tongue can express what ruin and desolation both nocent and innocent had tasted’.

Reports that Thomas had told one of the other Plotters that ‘if the business did miscarry, the Earl of Northumberland would curse him’ must have also counted against his cousin Henry. The 9th Earl of Northumberland was condemned to prison.

The 9th Earl spent nearly 17 years as a prisoner in the Tower of London, but maintained he was innocent throughout. He was also fined £30,000, an enormous sum of money to be raised from his estates.

However, he lived in very comfortable conditions for a prisoner. He could control his own diet, with everything from wine to lamprey pies being delivered to him from Syon. He had his library transferred to his cell, and built both a laboratory for his alchemy experiments and a schoolroom for his two sons to be educated in. His horse was brought up from his Sussex estate for him to inspect and ride, and he could go for walks on pathways he had re-gravelled. He could play games with his sons, bowl in the bowling alley made for his cell, and study military tactics with them using lead soldiers. He also set up a counting house for his auditors just outside the Tower, and could survey and map his lands, leading to a full involvement in the management of his estate that meant he could afford the £30,000 for his release.

By 1622, the earl was free, but confined to his estate in Sussex. He never visited Alnwick Castle again. The Gunpowder Plot, described at the time as ‘that most execrable and dampened powder treason, whereby the political head and many of the principal members of this commonwealth… should at one instant have been suddenly blown up and dismembered to the utter ruin of the whole monarchy’, had had a lasting effect on the castle, and its family. As the 9th Earl’s brother Josceline put it, there is ‘seldom treason without a Percy’.

The final episode of Gunpowder is broadcast on BBC One on Saturday 4th November, or is available to stream with the whole series on BBC iPlayer.

Gunpowder: Trailer - BBC One

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National Poetry Day: The Ballad of Chevy Chase

September 28th marks National Poetry Day, and at Alnwick Castle we are using the occasion to celebrate a famous poetic ballad written about the Percy family, and displayed as paintings in the castle’s State Rooms: the Ballad of Chevy Chase.

“To drive the deer with hound and horn,

Earl Percy took his way; 

The child may rue that is unborn

 The hunting of that day!

The chiefest harts in Chevy Chase 

To kill and bear away. 

These tidings to Earl Douglas came, 

In Scotland where he lay”

The ballad, which most likely dates back to the 15th century, tells the story of a fictional border skirmish between the Percy family and their chief Scottish rivals the Douglas family that ends in tragedy and mutual grief. In the first image, above, Percy sets out from Alnwick Castle to go hunting on Douglas’ land.

“Lo, yonder doth Earl Douglas come 

His men in armour bright – 

Full twenty hundred Scottish spears

 All marching in our sight. 

Show me, said he, whose men you be, 

That hunt so boldly here 

That, without my consent do chase 

 And kill my fallow deer?”

The ballad has been popular for centuries - writers such as Spenser and Jonson expressed their admiration for it, and in the 18th century it reached a new level of fame with its inclusion in Thomas Percy’s Reliques of Ancient English Poetry, a book that influenced Romantics like Wordsworth and Coleridge. 

“With that there came an arrow keen 

Out of an English bow, 

Which struck Earl Douglas to the heart, 

A deep and deadly blow; 

“A knight among the Scots there was 

Who saw Earl Douglas die; 

Who straight in wrath did vow revenge

 Upon the Lord Percy”

In the image above, the armies of Percy and Douglas have engaged in the skirmish; neither lord would survive the fight. The images are taken from frieze panels painted by Swiss artist Francis Gotzenburg, who was commissioned by the 4th Duke of Northumberland in the 1860s.

“Of twenty hundred Scottish spears 

Scarce fifty-five did fly;

Of fifteen hundred Englishmen 

Went home but fifty-three; 

God save our kind, and bless this land 

With plenty, joy and peace,

 And grant henceforth that foul debate

‘Twixt noblemen may cease!”

The moral of the ballad becomes clear in its final stanzas, where the communities of the rival lords come together in mourning their many losses. If the nobles could only get along, they could have been spared their grief. Gotzenburg’s finished panels were displayed in the Upper Guard Chamber of Alnwick Castle, where they can still be seen today.

Here you can see one of the panels in situ at Alnwick Castle. But what about the other famous Chevy Chase? The famous comedian’s grandmother claimed ancestry from the Douglas family, and would use ‘Chevy’ as a nickname - and so when he grew up, the name of the ballad became his stage name!

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Spotlight on... the 6th Duke and Duchess of Somerset

A complicated century

Elizabeth Percy and Charles Seymour

On the 30th August, 1682, Elizabeth Percy married Charles Seymour, the 6th Duke of Somerset. Elizabeth was the sole heiress of the Percy family and all its lands, including Alnwick Castle, and so was considered to be the greatest heiress of the time, but she agreed to the marriage with some hesitation; at the age of 15, she had already been widowed twice.

Charles was just one of her admirers, and was originally rebuffed by Elizabeth, who told him she had no wish to “alter her condition” and become his wife. This did not discourage Seymour, who, although he was a duke, was not a member of the senior branch of his family, and so did not have access to most of the Seymour estates, or their fortune.

A little like Elizabeth, who had become the sole heir of the Percys, he had become the Duke of Somerset a little unexpectedly. The 3rd Duke died in 1671, and Charles’ cousin became 4th Duke, dying just four years later. Charles’ brother then became 5th Duke, but he died three years later, murdered by a jealous husband while in Italy, leaving the 16-year-old Charles as the 6th Duke.

Marrying Elizabeth would mean a large fortune, which was much needed by the duke, but it came with a condition, demanded by Elizabeth’s grandmother as part of the marriage: Charles would change his name to Percy, ensuring their family name would survive.

However, when Elizabeth reached her majority, acquiring her full legal rights as an adult, Seymour broke this condition, persuading her to execute a deed that released him from the obligation of the Percy family name. He wasted no time at all on making this happen; Elizabeth came of age on the 26th January, 1688, and the deed was dated just four days later.

This meant the couple would not be known as Percys, but also gave Charles full control of his wife’s fortune. However, the Barony of Percy remained with Elizabeth as a title held in her own right, and would be passed to her heirs, whether male or female.

Charles Seymour, the ‘Proud Duke’

Charles was known as the ‘Proud Duke’, and for good reason. A contemporary named Lord Dartmouth claimed that he “was a man of vast pride, and having had a very low education, showed it in a very indecent manner. His high title came to him by one man’s misfortune, and his great estate by another’s; for he was born to neither, but elated with both to a ridiculousness.” While he was politically ambitious, fearless and energetic, he also had several major character defects, such as an excessive amount of pride, great personal vanity, an irritable and aggressive temper, and a childish petulance over any slights he felt against him, whether real or imaginary. This made him difficult to work with for colleagues, and an object of dislike or ridicule for opponents, as well as a stern patriarch and taskmaster at home.

However, he was able to hold high office for many years, possibly because he was a dangerous man to ignore. Contemporaries considered him someone “who acted more by humour than by reason”, who became a problem “if kept out of secrets, but more so if let into them”. It must have been easier to include him in the team than to leave him out!

The ‘Proud Duke’: public life

Charles Seymour was a prominent figure at the royal court and within politics from the time of King James VII and II in the 1680s to Queen Anne in the early 1700s.

James appointed him Lord Chamberlain after Seymour had played a part in putting down a rebellion by the Duke of Monmouth, an illegitimate son of King Charles II. His time in this position only lasted a couple of years, however, as he was dismissed for refusing to formally present a newly appointed ambassador sent by the Pope. Seymour is said to have pointed out to James that if he had done this duty, he would be breaking the laws against Catholicism; the King apparently replied that this did not matter, and Seymour responded that breaking the law may not matter to the King, but it did to him. This was the end of Charles’ career as Lord Chamberlain!

A few years later, he was among the noblemen who invited William, Prince of Orange, and his wife Mary to become King William III and Queen Mary II, and would hold various positions over the next few decades, the most important being Master of the Horse (the third most senior office in the Royal Household), looking after everything relating to horses, hounds and carriages. Unfortunately for him, he retired from public life in 1715 after finding out his son-in-law Sir William Wyndham had been imprisoned on suspicion of Jacobitism. Disgusted, the duke instructed his servants to “shoot all the rubbish” (meaning his insignia as Master of the Horse) into the courtyard of St. James’ Palace. He never returned to his former prominence at court.

The ‘Proud Duke’: personal life

Charles had been described by contemporaries as a “man in whom the pride of birth and rank amounted almost to a disease”, and many people had tales of how highly he thought of himself, and how pompously he behaved as a result. The following are a few of the more famous stories about the ‘Proud Duke’:

-          He would not permit servants to ever have their backs to him. One servant was dismissed for breaking this rule – he was using a bellows at a fire at the time, a very difficult task to complete without facing the fire!

-          When travelling in his ducal carriage, the way would be cleared before him so he did not have to experience “the gaze of the vulgar”. Apparently, on one occasion a pig farmer refused to be cleared, saying “I shall see him, and my pig will see him too”!

-          When one of his daughters sat down in a chair while he was dozing, instead of standing behind his chair, he told her that her breach of respect and decorum would not be forgotten. He would eventually cut £20,000 from her inheritance!

-          When his second wife, who he married after Elizabeth’s death, playfully tapped his shoulder with a fan, she was bluntly told, “Madam, my first Duchess was a Percy, and she never took such a liberty!”

In 1743, a man named Jeremiah Miles recorded some of the duke’s daily activities in his retirement, noting that he would come down to breakfast at 8am in full dress and wearing the blue ribbon of the Order of the Garter.  Miles continues: “after breakfast he goes into his offices, [and] scolds and bullies his servants and steward till dinner time”. His table was always spread as if expecting company, but Charles would only ever be joined by his wife, his daughters, “and when he has a mind to be gracious, the Chaplain is admitted.” Miles concludes: “he treats all his country neighbours, and indeed everybody else, with such uncommon pride, and distance, that none of them visit him.”

Elizabeth Percy, Duchess of Somerset

As Duchess of Somerset, Elizabeth shared interests with Queen Mary, such as their enthusiasm for Chinese blue-and-white porcelain, and became especially close to Queen Anne during her reign from 1702-1714, to the extent that political opponents believed her to be a damaging influence on the Queen. Anne, however, stood by her friend, and even intended to leave Elizabeth half her jewels on her death, considering the duchess “the fittest person to wear them after her.” Unfortunately, Anne had failed to make a will, and so the jewels never passed to Elizabeth.

Lord Dartmouth called Elizabeth “the best bred as well as the best born woman in England”, while fellow contemporary Lord Onslow considered her “in all respects a credit and ornament to the court”, and it is clear she was both well respected and very popular. It may be because of her closeness to Queen Anne that Charles was tolerated despite his obvious flaws; it seems that it was Elizabeth, and not he, who had most political importance. It is a great shame that after Elizabeth’s death on the 23rd November, 1722, at the age of 55, Charles destroyed all her correspondence with Anne.

Elizabeth and Charles had six children who survived into adulthood. One of their sons, Algernon (born in November 1684), would become important to the next part of this story.

Algernon, Earl of Hertford

Algernon, who was known as the Earl of Hertford until becoming 7th Duke of Somerset in 1748, was involved in both military and political affairs. Having served in the army under the 1st Duke of Marlborough, Algernon rose through the ranks, becoming a general in 1747. In 1705, he was elected as an MP for a borough in Wiltshire, but three years later secured a county seat for Northumberland. In the same decade he became Lord Lieutenant of Sussex and Governor of Tynemouth Castle, and later in life he spent five years as Governor of Menorca, followed by eight years as Governor of Guernsey.

When his mother Elizabeth died in 1722, Algernon inherited her ‘personal honours’, including the Barony of Percy, and so could join the House of Lords as Baron Percy.

Seven years earlier, in March 1715, he had married Frances Thynne (coincidentally related to his mother’s second husband, Thomas Thynne), who the ‘Proud Duke’ very quickly developed an irrational, intense and almost violent dislike for. Frances wished to become a patroness of learning and was very fond of literature, even entertaining poets at Alnwick Castle, and seems to have been sensible, generous and affectionate. Algernon’s appreciation for, and championing of, his wife and her causes resulted in complete estrangement from his father, and consequently a potentially major problem for his daughter.

An inheritance crisis

Algernon and Frances had two children. Their daughter Elizabeth, called Lady Betty by her family, was born in November 1716, and her brother George, known as Lord Beauchamp, was born ten years later. He would have become the 8th Duke of Somerset, but this was not to be.

In September 1742, Lord Beauchamp went with his tutor, Mr. Storrocks, on the Grand Tour of Europe. Two years into the Tour, he wrote a letter to his mother expressing his excitement for seeing her again that Christmas. Six days later he died of smallpox in Bologna, aged just 19.

While George’s parents were deeply distressed by the news of his son’s death, it produced an apoplectic rage in his grandfather Charles, who blamed Algernon and Frances entirely for Lord Beauchamp’s death, and cruelly and bitterly reproached them. Charles would have known that without George, there was no direct male heir to the family’s titles after himself and Algernon, especially as Frances was now too old to have more children. His hatred of his son’s family took precedence in his mind, and the duke secretly approached King George II to ensure his granddaughter Elizabeth and any children she had with her husband Sir Hugh Smithson, who she had married in 1740, were excluded from any major inheritance.

A much earlier settlement meant that in this situation, the grand title of Duke of Somerset (but the smallest part of the family’s properties) would be inherited by Sir Edward Seymour, a direct male descendant of the 1st Duke of Somerset, who had been executed back in 1552. The fate of the Percy titles and estates, however, and the lands that came with them (including Alnwick Castle), was something the ‘Proud Duke’ thought he could change.

The King was asked to make it so these titles and estates, after Algernon’s death, would go to the duke’s grandson Sir Charles Wyndham (son of Sir William mentioned above). Elizabeth, who would inherit the title of Baroness Percy in her own right, would otherwise be disinherited from her Percy ancestry.

The duke’s plan was discovered and foiled at the last minute by Algernon and Sir Hugh, who managed to convince George II that it would conflict with an earlier settlement stating the Percy estates would go to Elizabeth. Frances wrote about the discovery of the plot on the 27th September, 1744:

“All this passed without our knowing a syllable of their scheme, which was so near being executed that it was to be signed on the Monday, and we did not hear of it until late on Friday night... On Monday, my lord finding the time so short, wrote to the King and told him that it was not in the power of the Duke or Duchess of Somerset to hinder Lady Betty of the estates in Northumberland, and therefore he hoped that His Majesty would not do so great a hardship to him as to give the title from his only child. This letter he sent by Hugh Smithson. The King immediately called him into his closet and allowed him to explain the case, which he listened to with the greatest attention and humanity, and said it was far from his intention to do a hardship to my Lord Hertford who had always been a faithful servant; but he had had the affair misrepresented and had proceeded so far that he was really at a loss what to do.”

The King, continued Frances, “resolved to suspend it till he could examine into the truth… and there the matter rests for the present.”

The duke made another attempt in spring 1745, but still did not succeed; on this occasion, Elizabeth herself wrote to him, asking him to reconsider.

The inheritance is split

Charles died on the 2nd December, 1748, and Algernon became the 7th Duke of Somerset. The following year, the King settled the matter of the inheritance, issuing two patents.

The first, issued on the 2nd October 1749, officially made Algernon Earl of Northumberland and Baron Warkworth, giving him the Percy estates in Northumberland and Middlesex, which included Alnwick Castle and Syon House as well as Northumberland House in central London. If Algernon had no male children – which was a certainty – these titles and lands would pass to Sir Hugh and therefore to Elizabeth, and to their male descendants thereafter. Importantly, only Sir Hugh’s children with Elizabeth would be entitled to this inheritance; any other children he may have had (namely illegitimate son James Smithson, who went on to bequeath money that founded the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC!) would receive nothing.

The second patent was issued the next day, and officially made Algernon Earl of Egremont and Baron Cockermouth, giving him the Percy estates in Cumberland, Yorkshire and Sussex, including Petworth House (which the family had used for centuries). If, as above, Algernon had no male children, these titles and lands would pass not to Hugh and Elizabeth, but to Sir Charles Wyndham and his male descendants.

The return of the Percy name

Since Elizabeth Percy signed her deed in 1688, there had been no Percy family by name, even though the Barony of Percy still existed. However, when Algernon died just four months after George II’s patents were issued, a private Act of Parliament dated February 1750 stated “Algernon, late Duke of Somerset, did in his lifetime express his desire that the name of Percy should be used and be the surname or family name of the Earls of Northumberland.”

This meant Hugh and Elizabeth, the new Earl and Countess of Northumberland, were permitted to change their name from Smithson to Percy. Elizabeth was able to reclaim her Percy ancestry, to which she had been related by blood if not by name, and after the couple visited Alnwick Castle in 1750, fully intended to restore its greatness and splendour.

She and Sir Hugh spent the following decades transforming Alnwick into a palatial residence, and simultaneously restoring their other houses. In 1766, King George III made them the 1st Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, completing the dramatic social ascent that had begun with the sad death of her brother two decades earlier. Elizabeth, who had been prepared to live with her husband at his provincial but comfortable house in Yorkshire, and Hugh, whose grandfather had been a haberdasher, were now one of the most important couples in the country, Percys once again lived at Alnwick Castle, and this very complicated part of the Percy family’s story was over.

All image credits: Northumberland Estates.

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Spotlight on... the 11th Earl and Countess of Northumberland

In this new series of posts, we will look at a few details from the lives of members of the Percy family who were part of Alnwick Castle's history. 

First up are Josceline Percy, 11th Earl of Northumberland, and his countess Elizabeth (also known as Betty).

Josceline Percy, 11th Earl of Northumberland (1644-1670)

Josceline, born in 1644, was the subject of a large commitment by his father, the 10th Earl, to his training and education, in order to make Josceline “a citizen to his country”. The 10th Earl also negotiated a marriage for his son, to a lady named Audry Wriothesley who he “judged... to be of a Nature, Temper and Humour likely to have made him an excellent wife, which would have brought me much comfort in the latter part of my life”.

The 10th Earl’s use of “would” above is due to the fact that Audry died before the marriage could take place. Her sister Elizabeth, or Betty, would instead be selected as Josceline’s wife.

Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland

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WHO WERE AUDRY AND BETTY WRIOTHESLEY?

The Wriothesley sisters were daughters of the 4th Earl of Southampton. Southampton’s father, the 3rd Earl, was the famous Wriothesley who patronised William Shakespeare, and to whom two of Shakespeare’s longer poems are dedicated (the only known occasions when Shakespeare directly wrote as himself).

Betty would also stand to inherit an annual sum of £5000 from her grandfather the Earl of Chichester.

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Josceline appeared to be ill quite frequently. One letter he wrote to his tutor, Dr Mapletoft, states "I believe that few persons have suffered more in diseases without dying than I have done. I did not stir one inch from the place I was in for 22 days, being kept first 14 or 15 by the smallpox, and then by a fever  which was, in my opinion, much the worse of the two." 

Four months later, another letter mentions “a very high fever, which afterwards proved to be the scarlet fever”. Though Josceline died in his late twenties, he seems to have been lucky to have survived as long as that!

He seems to have had some level of self-awareness, too. An additional letter to Mapletoft has Josceline declaring “I hear so little of truth from anybody, that I am the last man that learns of anything amiss concerning myself”.

Betty was known for her beauty - Samuel Pepys described her in his Diary as “a beautiful lady indeed!” - but her marriage to Josceline was delayed due to his repeated illnesses.The marriage took place on the 23rd December, 1662: Josceline was in his late teens, and Betty was a couple of years his junior.

Their first child was born in 1666, which must have been a relief to the 10th Earl, who was apparently becoming concerned at the absence of an heir to continue the Percy family line. However, the child was a daughter, Elizabeth, and the couple only received a ‘grudging congratulation’ from the Earl. In 1668, very shortly before the Earl’s death, a son was born, and the continuation of the earldom was assured. Unfortunately, the son died in infancy.

When the 10th Earl died, Josceline became 11th Earl of Northumberland, and Betty his Countess. He received many letters expressing condolences for his father’s death, including one from the future King James VII and II. 

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WHAT DID JAMES WRITE?

In his letter to Josceline, the future King wrote:

“It will not be necessary for me to use many words to persuade you how sensibly I am touched with the loss you have made of your father, since you know so well the kindness that I have for your whole family... I do assure you you shall find the continuance of my kindness for you upon all occasions; and as I lost in him a very good friend, so I hope I shall find you as much so as he was, since you will always find me your most affectionate friend...”

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The new Earl’s health did not improve, and when a second daughter died in 1670, he and the pregnant Betty decided to travel abroad, accompanied by their friend and physician, the learned philosopher John Locke.

Once they had reached Paris, Locke and the Countess remained - she was unable to conduct a long journey all at once - but the Earl continued to Rome. He was described as having “heated himself with travelling... for many days”, and by the time he reached Turin he had caught a fever which resulted in his death in his late twenties.

A few weeks after Josceline’s death, Betty gave birth to a stillborn child. Their only surviving daughter, three year old Elizabeth, inherited all the titles and lands that were transmissible to her as a female heir.

Elizabeth Percy, daughter of Josceline and Betty, later Duchess of Somerset

Betty, at the age of 25, was now a widow who had lost a husband, a son and a daughter within five months. She returned to England, but found herself under the imperious attention of her commanding mother-in-law, as well as romantic attentions from suitors - she was, after all, renowned for her great beauty, as well as her youth, high rank and wealth. She moved again, and began to live in Paris, but found suitors there too.

One of these suitors was William Seymour, 3rd Duke of Somerset, who died in 1671, aged 21, apparently “at grief for the unkindness” of Betty, “whom he had long courted in vain”. The most famous one, however, was the English Ambassador in Paris, Ralph, Lord Montagu.

The courtship of Montagu and Betty became a frequent subject of correspondence among the aristocratic ladies of France at the time, including Madame de Sevigne, now considered one of the most iconic letter-writers in French literature, and the author Madame de la Fayette, who jealously found the Countess badly-dressed and without any grace, and who wondered what Montagu saw in her! Men, however, found plenty to admire about Betty.

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DE LA FAYETTE? I KNOW THAT NAME...

The most famous Lafayette is probably the Marquis de Lafayette, who fought in the American Revolution and is currently a major character in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical Hamilton. He is descended from the Madame de la Fayette who was so disparaging about the widow Betty Percy - but how?

Madame de la Fayette’s son, the marquis Rene-Armand, bequeathed the name and property of the House of Lafayette to his distant cousin Charles Motier de Champetieres in 1692 - Rene-Armand’s brother was an abbot, and he had no sons. However, his daughter Marie-Madeleine did inherit the Lafayette lands.

Charles’ son Edouard took the name of Lafayette, and it was Edouard’s son Jacques to whom Marie-Madeleine transmitted the Lafayette lands on her death in 1717. Jacques was her cousin, and was only aged 6 at the time. When Jacques died in January 1734, his brother Michel became the Marquis de Lafayette - and as Michel was born on 13th August 1731, he was only two years old at the time! 

Finally, Michel’s son Gilbert du Motier became marquis on his father’s death, travelled to America, and became the Lafayette so involved with the revolutions across the world at the end of the 18th century.

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Montagu, who later became Duke of Montagu, had a reputation of being irresistible, but Betty was not won over easily. It took Montagu some considerable time to court her, even refusing to do so much as look at other known beauties in case he offended her. Eventually, his attempts to woo her succeeded, and they married in autumn 1673.

However, as soon as the marriage was announced, Betty’s mother-in-law, the formidable Dowager Countess of Northumberland, claimed custody of her daughter Elizabeth citing a clause in Josceline’s will.

Betty, now Lady Montagu, protested, implored, and attempted to resist, but was not successful, and the Percy heiress was transferred from her mother to a much stricter guardian. The young Elizabeth had been in the care of her father’s old tutor, Dr Mapletoft, and Betty wrote to him, declaring:

“I desire that you would stay to come with her; for I shall not be at ease if you are not with her. And pray take care to defend her from her grandmother, who has not so much civility left as to come and speak to me herself; but by a letter has let me know that she does expect to have her delivered up; if not, she must use force. Poor child! Pray God send her health, and protect her from all the designs that are upon her at this time.”

Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Wriothesley, Countess of Northumberland and later Duchess of Montagu

Though their time together was short, and Josceline’s life equally so, the 11th Earl and Countess of Northumberland are an essential part of Percy family and Alnwick Castle history. They can be seen as the end of one era, that of the earldom of Northumberland, and the beginning of another, where the Percy family line, and that of Alnwick Castle, would become more complicated and eventually culminate in the dukedom of Northumberland in 1766.

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Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them (At Alnwick Castle

We're so excited about the release of Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them and the return to the wizarding world that we went around Alnwick Castle looking for as many magical creatures as we could!

Dragons are the most common beast found at Alnwick Castle. Iggy here is completely domesticated ... provided he never escapes his cart in Knight's Quest...

The castle also features dragons from across the world. This beautiful blue dragon is from China and can be seen in the State Rooms.

Any search for fantastic beasts would be a failure if you didn't find a unicorn.

The Sea Unicorn, however, is a much rarer creature. The head, horn and body of a unicorn, with the tail of a fish!

If you've read Newt Scamander's book, you'll know centaurs were offered 'being' status but chose to remain 'beasts'. This centaur in the State Dining Room has made a human friend - they're not all hostile!

This gorgon, with snakes in her hair, shares a frightening property with the Basilisk - look her in the eye and you'll be Petrified and turned to stone. She guards the doors of the castle's Drawing Room.

The rare golden Sphinx, spotted here on the carved ceiling of the Library, is most commonly found in Egypt. Alnwick is lucky to have one!

Can you spot any fantastic beasts in the painting 'Orpheus Attacked by the Thracian Women'? We think the deer with spots like a leopard must have magical qualities - as No-Majs, we've never seen one in the wild!

And finally, the most fantastic beast of all - the Percy Lion. Usually blue in colour, the Percy Lion has defended Alnwick Castle for over 700 years, and will straighten its tail if it senses humans nearby - so take care. 

We hope everybody enjoys the new film - we can't wait to see it!

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The Constable’s Tower (2)

In our last blog, we began the process of refurbishing the displays in Alnwick Castle’s Constable’s Tower museum by removing items from the tower in order for conservation and documentation to take place. That work has now begun.

The first items to be cleaned are the gunpowder horns seen in part 1 of this series. Each horn is in a different condition, some better than others:

Under the guidance of expert conservator Karen Barker, our cleaning team are learning about the cleaning of metals, wood and leather in order to remove 200 years of tarnish from the horns.

After each horn is cleaned using an anti-static cloth, tarnish on the brass is removed by applying Prelim surface cleaner.

Some more intricate parts of the metalwork require wrapping a small amount of fine wire wool, covered with Prelim, around a cocktail stick or skewer

The tarnish is meticulously removed from each horn

The result: cleaning team member Maria can almost see her reflection in this horn!

As well as being in different conditions - cleaning team member Katy claims to have had the “meanest” horn to clean today - some horns have cord hangers which are probably original. A number of horns no longer have stoppers - the cap that would fit on the end to pour out gunpowder - but these may have become detached and stored elsewhere.

Once each horn is fully cleaned to an appropriate standard, the horn and brass are swabbed with industrial methylated spirit to remove any residues. A new catalogue number is added, and a description of it, with dimensions, condition, conservation method, and time taken, is entered into a database.

Here an original catalogue number can be seen; this will be removed during the process.

There are estimated to be just under 250 horns in need of cleaning, and while some take just a couple of hours to clean, others may take a couple of days. But there are plenty of other items to clean too!

Once the horns are complete, the cleaning team will move on to pieces of armour, and wooden artillery pieces such as these:

It’s going to be a long process, but our team all believe the finished result will be fully worth the work!

Join us again soon for an update on this ongoing project.

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The Constable’s Tower

The Constable’s Tower is one of the oldest parts of Alnwick Castle. An original medieval watchtower standing along the castle’s eastern wall, it has had a long and varied history; even the weather vane on its roof was struck by lightning in the 1930s.

The Constable’s Tower on the Inner Bailey of Alnwick Castle

Since 1996, the tower has been home to the museum of the Percy Tenantry Volunteers, exploring the story of a voluntary force raised from the tenants of the estate of the 2nd Duke of Northumberland during the Napoleonic Wars.

The tower’s middle room

Over the course of winter 2016, however, the Constable’s Tower and the items within it will be undergoing considerable work in order to create a brand new museum experience for Alnwick Castle’s visitors from summer 2017.

The new-look Constable’s Tower will not only explore the Percy Tenantry Volunteers, but also other parts of the tower’s history, with new objects and displays to accompany it.

Follow us here on the alnwickcastleofficial Tumblr as we take you through the full story of the Constable’s Tower updates!

The first stage of the works began in November 2016, as the existing displays were carefully moved from the tower for cleaning and conservation work.

Collections Assistant Eve places sabre scabbards onto acid-free tissue paper to ensure they can be safely and securely moved from the tower

Transport team member Peter moves a box of Napoleonic-era gunpowder horns from the display area. Each horn is marked with the Duke of Northumberland’s heraldic crescent and could have contained up to 20 shots’ worth of powder.

Some of the incredible details that can still be seen on some of the objects will require many hours of dedicated work this winter

Horns, powder flasks and pistols, ready to be transported

Join us again soon for Part 2 of this blog series, looking at the beginning of cleaning works!

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We’re on Tumblr!

Welcome to the official Alnwick Castle Tumblr! Join us to learn more about the castle, its history, its film connections, and exciting new developments!