Alan Ian Percy, 8th Duke of Northumberland, (17 April 1880 – 23 August 1930) was a British peer, army officer, and newspaper proprietor.

Military career

Percy was a second lieutenant of the 2nd Volunteer Battalion the Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment), when he was admitted as a second lieutenant in the

Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

on 24 January 1900. He was part of a detachment sent to South Africa in March 1900 to reinforce the 3rd battalion during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

, and served with his regiment there until the war ended. For his service, he received the

Queen's South Africa Medal The Queen's South Africa Medal is a British campaign medal awarded to British and Colonial military personnel, and to civilians employed in an official capacity, who served in the Second Boer War in South Africa. Altogether twenty-six clasps wer ...

. Following the end of the war, he returned to the United Kingdom in August 1902. During his time as ADC to the Governor General of Canada, he undertook a wager to walk 111 miles from one city to another in three days—despite blizzards and heavy snowfall, he completed the challenge and won the wager. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he served with the Grenadier Guards, working with the Intelligence Department to provide eyewitness accounts of battles and the front line. His brother Lord William Percy also served during the war; wounded in 1915, he spent the remainder of the war working as a military attorney. He was made a Chevalier of the ''

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

''. On 1 October 1918 he was appointed Honorary Colonel of the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment).''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage,'' 100th Edn, London, 1953: 'Northumberland'.

Political activities

Politically Percy was a Tory diehard. He was a staunch supporter of the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. He wrote for the ''

National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief is Rich L ...

'' on military matters. From 1921, he funded the Boswell Publishing Company, and then in 1922 until his death, the ''Patriot'', a radical right-wing weekly which published articles by Nesta Webster and promulgated a mix of

anti-communism Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism, communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global ...

and

antisemitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

. In 1924, he acquired an interest in ''

The Morning Post ''The Morning Post'' was a conservative daily newspaper published in London from 1772 to 1937, when it was acquired by ''The Daily Telegraph''. History The paper was founded by John Bell. According to historian Robert Darnton, ''The Morning ...

''.

Other activities

The Duke was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland. For one year before his death, he served as

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of the

University of Durham Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charter in 1837. It was the first recognised university to ...

, a role his father had also held. His father, the 7th Duke, was an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

on the

Middlesex County Council Middlesex County Council was the principal local government body in the administrative county of Middlesex from 1889 to 1965. The county council was created by the Local Government Act 1888, which also removed the most populous part of the cou ...

up to his death. In July 1918, he was chosen to fill the vacancy on the council in his father's place. In 1930, the Duke wrote a short story ''The Shadow on the Moor'', a fox-hunting ghost story in the manner of M R James set in Northumberland, in which the hunter becomes the hunted. Originally privately published, the story remains in print as a short novella.

Family

Percy was the son of Henry Percy, 7th Duke of Northumberland, and Lady Edith Campbell. On 18 October 1911, Percy married Lady Helen Magdalen Gordon-Lennox (daughter of Charles Gordon-Lennox, 7th Duke of Richmond). They had six children: * Henry George Alan Percy, 9th Duke of Northumberland (15 July 1912,

killed in action Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...

21 May 1940) * Hugh Algernon Percy, 10th Duke of Northumberland (6 April 1914, died 11 October 1988); he married Lady Elizabeth Montagu Douglas Scott on 12 June 1946. They have seven children. * Lady Elizabeth Ivy Percy (25 May 1916 – 16 September 2008); she married Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton on 2 December 1937. They have five children. *Lady Diana Evelyn Percy (23 November 1917 – 16 June 1978); she married

John Egerton, 6th Duke of Sutherland John Sutherland Egerton, 6th Duke of Sutherland, (10 May 1915 – 21 September 2000) was a British peer from the Egerton family. He was styled Viscount Brackley until 1944, when he became the 5th Earl of Ellesmere on inheriting his father's sub ...

on 29 April 1939. They had no children. * Lord Richard Charles Percy (11 February 1921 – 20 December 1989). Educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford. Joined the

in 1941, serving with the Regiment's 1st Battalion in the Guards Armoured Division in North West Europe until retiring with the rank of Major in 1946; joined the Territorial Army regiment, the Northumberland Hussars in 1947 (Lieutenant-Colonel commanding 1958–1961). He was a lecturer in Zoology at

Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick university and a mem ...

for 36 years. He married Sarah Jane Elizabeth Norton (1937–1978), daughter of Petre Norton of The Manor House, Whalton, on 10 September 1966. They had two children: **Algernon Alan Percy (17 March 1969) **Josceline Richard Percy (2 June 1971) :Lord Richard Charles Percy married secondly Hon. Clayre Campbell in 1979. *Lord Geoffrey William Percy (8 July 1925 – 4 December 1984); he married Mary Elizabeth Lea on 27 May 1955. They had one daughter: **Diana Ruth Percy (22 November 1956) The 8th Duke died on 23 August 1930 and was buried in the Northumberland Vault, within

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

. He was succeeded in the dukedom and his other titles by his eldest son, George.

Works

''A Year Ago: Eye-witness's Narrative of the War from March 30th to July 18th, 1915''
with E. D. Swinton, Longmans, Green & Co., 1916.
"The Realities of the Situation,"
''The Patriot'', Vol. I, No. 1, 9 February 1922.
''First Jewish Bid For World Power''
Reprinted from the Patriot, January, 1930. * The Shadow on the Moor, 1930 *"La Salamandre" The story of a vivandière 1934 Other * W. H. Mallock,
Democracy being an abridged edition of 'The limits of pure democracy'
''Democracy; being an Abridged Edition of 'The Limits of Pure Democracy], with an introduction by the Duke of Northumberland, Chapman & Hall, Ltd., 1924.

References

External links

*
Alnwick Castle website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Northumberland, Alan Percy, 8th Duke of 1880 births 1930 deaths Military personnel from London Chancellors of Durham University Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 308 Grenadier Guards officers Knights of the Garter Lord-lieutenants of Northumberland Members of the Royal Victorian Order British Army personnel of World War I Alan Percy, 8th Duke of Northumberland British Army personnel of the Mahdist War British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Burials at Westminster Abbey British landowners Conservative Party (UK) hereditary peers Members of Middlesex County Council English people of Scottish descent Antisemitism in England 20th-century British businesspeople Surtees Society