Whatever happened to Harry: A life in ruins
The summer that followed brought great misery to the north, for the harvest failed and many starved. High taxes and religious reforms caused further unrest, and a rebellion known as the ‘Pilgrimage of Grace’ gathered more numbers daily. The leader, Robert Aske, visited his friend, Harry Percy, at Wressle Castle, in Yorkshire, along with Harry’s brother, Thomas. Harry refused to see his brother and remained in bed and it was left to Aske to urge him to join them, along with Ingelram, Harry’s other brother. However, Harry refused to support the rebels even though outside his window Thomas’s men were threatening to kill him and make Thomas the earl instead. Matters turned violent and Aske whisked the ailing, tearful Harry away to the safety of York, to recover. When the Pilgrimage failed no mercy was shown to the rebels. Thomas Percy was executed for his part and Ingelram was locked up in the Tower, although he was later released and fled abroad. If Harry thought his loyalty would placate the king – or Cromwell – he was wrong, for regardless of taking no part in the rebellion, he was accused of treason and ordered to London – travelling in a litter due to his sickness – to answer the charges. It was a desperate situation.
With his brother dead and no heir, on 3 June 1537, Harry wrote to Cromwell agreeing to give up all his inheritance to the king. He had hoped to give something to his nephew, but when his brother was attainted, he changed his mind. A few weeks later, on St Peter’s day, a priest reported to Cromwell that he found Harry at his house at Hackney, languens in extremis, sight and speech failed, his stomach swollen ‘so great as I never see none, and his whole body as yellow as saffron, but his memory still good…. He cannot live 24 hours. This last three weeks he had no money but by borrowing.’
He died that night, in his mid-thirties, possibly from pancreatic cancer or, from his dreadful colour, hepatitis, leaving a long list of debtors. He did manage to leave his wife 500 marks, a mark being worth around 13 shillings and 4 pence.
He was buried rather hastily on the same day he died, at Hackney church, and was not given the usual, lavish, aristocratic funeral procession. No member of his family attended and the chief mourner was a ‘Lord Butler.’ It appeared a rather mean affair, a sad end to a sad young life, but since the king controlled such noble funerals, perhaps he was making it clear that he would no longer accept powerful nobles such as the Percies.
Today, the church at St John-at-Hackney, in London, built in 1792, contains monuments dating from the early sixteenth century, which were transferred from the medieval parish church to the present one. Only St. Augustine’s Tower remains at the edge of the churchyard. Percy’s monument reads:
Here lieth interred, HENRY, lord PERCY, earl of Northumberland, knight of the most honorable order of the garter, who died in this town the last of June 1537, the 29th of HEN. VIII.
I think it is a sad end for a young man who was thought a wastrel. Had his health been better, had he not been burdened with debt, he may have been less ineffectual in his dealings with the north. Maybe then he would have been less inclined to ‘fall weeping, ever wishing himself out of the world.’ However, he must have had something about him for the man who had loathed his father, wife, and two brothers loved the intelligent and cultured, Anne Boleyn. How different history would have been, had they married…
End of Part Four. Tudor Secrets and Myths would like to take this opportunity to thank author and historian Natalia Richards for these intriguing set of articles for our Mini Series on Henry Percy. It was an honour to work with you and to share your knowledge with our Facebook visitors.
Please join us tomorrow for a Tudor puzzle all about the life we have got to know through these daily articles and stay tuned to Tudor Secrets and Myths Facebook page to find who is the winner of the competition to win Natalia’s novel, The Falcon’s Rise and a Hever Castle tote bag. Best of luck to everyone!
Sources for Parts One to Four
Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 4, 1524-1530
The Regulations and Establishment of the Household of Henry Algernon Percy, the Fifth Earl of Northumberland: At His Castles of Wressle and Leckonfield in Yorkshire. A. Brown and Sons, Ltd, 1905. Reprint.
Kings in the North, the House of Percy in British History, Alexander Rose, Phoenix, 2002.
The Percies of Northumberland by Douglas Stedman, Thomas Nelson and Sons.
Henry Percy and Henry VIII, Kathleen Davies, Longman, 1967.
About the Author
Natalia Richards
As a curator and historian for over 40 years, Natalia has worked in many museums in Derbyshire and later in London. She also worked free-lance for the History Channel USA as a researcher, co-ordinator, and interviewer on the award-winning production ‘Secrets of War.’
However, her passion since a very early age has been the study of the Tudors, particularly Anne Boleyn and the court of King Henry VIII. She did not begin writing seriously until around 2008, and originally wanted to write about Anne Boleyn and Henry. However, a great deal had already been written about this period, and Natalia began to look at her earlier life from around 1500 to 1521.
The result of her research was ‘The Falcon’s Rise,’ set at the court of Margaret of Austria. She then followed this up with part two ‘The Falcon’s Flight’ published in 2020. This second book covers Anne’s time at the French court, with Queen Claude, and ends as she is about to return to England. Book three, which is being written now, is ‘The Falcon’s Fall’ and tells the story of Anne at the English court, up until her execution.
In her spare time, Natalia loves travelling, helping out at her local church, rambling, and visiting historic houses, as well as constantly reading and researching the Tudor period. She spends her time between Derbyshire and London.
Reviews of Author’s Work
The Falcon’s Rise book reviews:
‘An intriguing portrayal of one of Tudor history’s most controversial figures during her early years. Natalia Richards brings the court of Margaret of Austria dazzlingly to life, and in exploring Anne Boleyn’s time there provides a valuable new perspective on this much-studied woman.’ Tracy Borman, historian, author and television presenter.
‘I enjoyed your novel enormously. I loved both the wealth of historical detail, and the fact that you managed simultaneously to take the reader on an emotional journey that was just as convincing. Take it as tribute that, when I came to a bit of history I didn’t recognise, I had no impulse to rush to the bookshelf to find out if it was ‘real’. I was happy to accept that it was real in your Mechelen, and that that really did reflect the essential truth.’
Sarah Gristwood, journalist, author and television presenter.
‘An incredible novel which takes you on a journey into Anne Boleyn’s early life.” Claire Ridgway, author and historian.
‘The setting and time period are masterfully written. From a walk through the city streets to everyday utterances to the grandeur of palaces and wealthy homes, Anne’s world is painted with vivid colours, and the period is brought to life superbly. The history is expertly crafted and extremely captivating.’
J. Lynn Else, Historical Novels Society.
‘The characters in this story are beautifully brought to life, and once Anne sets out on her journey to Mechelen, I could not put the book down. The author has done a tremendous job of showing how these events shaped the person that Anne Boleyn became. I really liked the way the author dealt with Anne’s years pre-Mechelen. The author acknowledges parts of the story have been added for dramatic licence, yet she has clearly researched this impeccably.
I am eagerly awaiting the next book.’ James Peacock, the Anne Boleyn Society.
‘I loved this book. The dialogue drew me in. I felt as if I was there, listening to the conversations first hand. I believe that is a mark of a truly gifted author. Plus, I learned so much. I have already recommended this book to a few friends’. Dawn Nelson, author.
Both books are available on amazon.co.uk and amazon.com. Links: http://getbook.at/falconsflight http://getbook.at/falconsrise. Facebook: Natalia Richards Book · Falconsriseanneboleyn. Twitter: Natalia Richards@nat_wieczorek
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