Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland
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Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland KG PC (c. 1714 – June 6, 1786) was the son of Langdale Smithson.
The Duke was born with the name Hugh Smithson but changed the family surname to Percy when he married Elizabeth Seymour, daughter of Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset, on 16 July 1740, who was Baroness Percy in her own right. They had two children:
The remainder of the Duke of Somerset's title, Earl of Northumberland passed to Hugh Percy as the husband of his daughter when he died. In 1766, the earl was created 1st Duke of Northumberland and was created Baron Lovaine on 28 June 1784, with a special remainder in favour of his youngest son, Algernon. He was created a Knight of the Order of the Garter (K.G.) in 1756 and a Privy Counsellor in 1762.
The duke and duchess were prominent patrons of Robert Adam for neoclassical interiors in the Jacobean mansion Northumberland House, the London seat of the Earls of Northumberland; it was demolished ca. 1870–1871, in connection with the creation of Trafalgar Square. Remnants of the Northumberland House Glass Drawing-Room are preserved at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The greater Adam interiors for the Duke are at Syon House, executed in the 1760s. At Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, the Duke employed James Wyatt, whose work has been effaced by later remodelings.
His illegitimate son (by Elizabeth Hungerford Keate), James Smithson (1765–1829), is famed for having made the founding bequest for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
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| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Francis Child William Pulteney |
Member of Parliament for Middlesex with William Pulteney 1740–1742 Sir Roger Newdigate, Bt 1742–1747 Sir William Beauchamp-Proctor, Bt 1747–1750 1740–1750 |
Succeeded by Sir William Beauchamp-Proctor, Bt George Cooke |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by The Duke of Manchester |
Lord Chamberlain to Queen Charlotte 1762–1763 |
Succeeded by The Earl Harcourt |
| Preceded by The Earl of Halifax |
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1763–1765 |
Succeeded by Viscount Weymouth |
| Preceded by The Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven |
Master of the Horse 1778–1780 |
Succeeded by The Duke of Montagu |
| Honorary Titles | ||
| Preceded by Mark Kirby |
High Sheriff of Yorkshire 1738 |
Succeeded by Sir George Cooke |
| Preceded by The Earl of Tankerville |
Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland 1753–1786 |
Succeeded by The Duke of Northumberland |
| Custos Rotulorum of Northumberland 1753–1786 |
||
| Preceded by The Duke of Newcastle |
Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex 1762–1786 |
Succeeded by Vacant |
| Custos Rotulorum of Middlesex 1762–1786 |
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| Titles of Nobility | ||
| Preceded by Hugh Smithson |
Baronet (of Stanwick) 1733–1786 |
Succeeded by Hugh Percy |
| Preceded by Algernon Seymour |
Earl of Northumberland 1750–1786 |
|
| Preceded by New Creation |
Duke of Northumberland 1766–1786 |
|
| Preceded by New Creation |
Baron Lovaine of Alnwick 1784–1786 |
Succeeded by Algernon Percy |
