Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland
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His Grace The Duke of Northumberland FRS |
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|---|---|
The 2nd Duke of Northumberland.
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Hugh Smithson 14 August 1742 |
| Died | 10 July 1817 (aged 74) |
| Resting place | Northumberland Vault, Westminster Abbey |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Whig |
| Spouse(s) | Lady Anne Crichton-Stuart m. 1764; div. 1779 Frances Julia Burrell m. 1779 |
| Parents |
Sir Hugh Smithson Lady Elizabeth Seymour |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of Great Britain United Kingdom
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| Service/branch |
 British Army
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| Years of service | 1759–1777 1798–1806 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Unit | 85th Regiment of Foot |
| Commands | Colonel of the 5th Regiment of Foot (1774) Percy Yeomanry Regiment (1798) Colonel of the Royal Horse Guards (1806) |
| Battles/wars | |
Lieutenant General Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland FRS (14 August 1742 – 10 July 1817) was an officer in the British army and later a British peer. He participated in the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the Battle of Long Island during the American War of Independence, but resigned his command in 1777 due to disagreements with his superior, General William Howe.
Born Hugh Smithson, he assumed the surname of Percy by Act of Parliament along with his father in 1750 and was styled Lord Warkworth from 1750 until 1766. He was styled Earl Percy from 1766, when his father was created Duke of Northumberland. He acceded to the dukedom in 1786.
He was the son of Sir Hugh Smithson and Lady Elizabeth Seymour, heiress of the House of Percy. In 1750, upon the death of his maternal grandfather Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset, his father became Earl of Northumberland and changed his name to Percy.
In 1759, he joined the British Army as a teenager and was a captain of the 85th Regiment of Foot by age 17, an achievement that demonstrated the power of wealth and family standing. He was, nonetheless, a good soldier and fought with distinction in 1759 at the battles of Bergen and Minden. In 1760, he went up to St John's College, Cambridge. Afterwards, he married Lady Anne Crichton-Stuart, daughter of Lord Bute, on 2 July 1764. In 1766, his father was granted a dukedom and he was styled Earl Percy. As a Member of Parliament and the son-in-law of Lord Bute, Percy was promoted to full colonel and appointed an aide-de-camp to the King in 1764, having barely reached his majority. Percy was in chronically poor health from gout and had poor eyesight. He was physically unattractive, being overly thin and having a large nose. Yet, "He was honorable and brave, candid and decent, impeccably mannered, and immensely generous with his wealth."
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