Sir Henry Percy 20th May 1364 – 21st July 1403
Henry Percy was born in Alnwick Castle on the 20th May 1364 and was the eldest son of the 1st Earl of Northumberland and Margaret Neville. He was 12 years old when he relieved his first knighthood from King Edward 3rd and saw active service at the siege of Berwick in 1380 aged just 14 years.
Nicknamed Hotspur due to his speed and eagerness to advance into battle Harry was an English knight who fought in several campaigns against the Scots in the northern boarders and also against the French in the Hundred Years War.
Harry was slain at the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403 at the height of his career and was buried in York Minster. A statue of Hotspur was unveiled by the Duke of Northumberland at the back of Alnwick castle in 2010. It stands at over 4 meters tall and shows Harry in full armour and fight mode wielding his sword ahead of him.
Harry Hotspur leaves a legacy spanning both sport and literature as Hotspur is one of the best known characters in Shakespeare’s Henry IV part 1.
He also shares his name with Tottenham Hotspur football club who acknowledge Henry Percy whose descendants owned land in the neighbourhood of the clubs first ground.
Hotspur Arch is also the name of one of the stone built gateways into Alnwick town and is on the doorstep to our Gatehouse property.
