SIR HAMILTON
LANPHERE SMITH
Scientist / Astronomer / Photographer
Knight's Templar Extraordinaire
 | ||||||
| ||||||
| ||||||
| ||||||
| ||||||
| ||||||
| ||||||
| ||||||
Astronomer
Driven by his curiosity and passion for life, Hamilton Lanphere Smith was interested in tracing his line of descent. By translating his Genealogy notes as accurately as possible, and also gathering information provided by Hobart & William Smith Colleges, we are able to share his unique blood line with you.
Follow along as closely as possible. Soon we will be posting copies of the actual handwritten documents Smith created about his genealogy. Our goal, with you help, is to achieve a perfect translation. You will have an unique opportunity to compare our translation of Smith’s handwritten genealogy. This will take a keen eye, patience, and pure dedication to piece together Smith’s genealogy exactly as he wrote it.
Be sure to come back and visit often, for our collection will be uploaded as soon as possible!
PERCI ~ PERCEY OR PERCY
His family derived the name from the Village of Percy near Villedieux in Lower Normandy and they derived their pedigree from Geoffrey, son of Manfred a Danish chieftain, who assisted Rollo in 912, in subjugating that principality, and acquiring considerable possessions there. William de Percy accompanied the conqueror in 1066 from Normandy and obtained from him army of thirty knights fees, and became a feudal lord of England. Thus William de Percy was also known by the name of “Ali Gursian” or “William with the Whiskers”. He rebounded the abbey of Sir Hilda in Yorkshire, of which his brother Serbo was Prior; accompanying Duke Robert in his first crusade in 1096, he died 1099 at Mount Joy near Jerusalem, leaving five sons and a daughter, by his wife Emma de Port, a lady of Saxon descent whose lands were among those bestowed upon him by the Conqueror, and ascending to an ancient write “he wedded Hyde that wins very heine to them, in discharging of his conscience.”
His Lordship was succeeded in his Feudal rights and possessions, by his oldest son Alan de Percy 2nd baron, surnamed “The Great Alan” - who married Emma de Gant, daughter of Gilbert de Gaunt, of which Gilbert was son of Baldrem, the 6th Earl of Flanders, and nephew of Queen Maud, wife of William the Conqueror, and was succeeded by his eldest son William de Percy the 3rd Baron, at whose death, the eldest branch of the 1st de Percy from Normandy became extinct in the male line, in the reign of Henry II and their great inheritance devolved upon his two daughters by Adelaide de Turnbridge daughter of Richard Earl of Clare (who was usually styled De Turnbridge from his castle of that name. The Lady Maude and Agnes de Percy successively, Lady Maude the elder, grand-daughter of William de Percy, was wife of William de Turnbridge, Earl of Warwick, who died in the Holy Land 1184 A.D.. Her ladyship died in 1205, and leaving no issue, the whole possessions of the Percy’s descended to the family of her sister, Lady Agnes Percy, who married Joceline of Louvain, brother to Queen Adelaide, the 2nd wife of Henry 1st of England. He was son of Geoffery Duke of Lower Brabant, and Count of Brabant, who was descended from the Emperor Charlemagne. Lady Agnes would only consent however to this great alliance upon the condition that Joceline should adopt either the surname as Amy of Percy, the former of which he accordingly assumed retaining his own paternal arms in order to perpetuate his claim to the principality of his father, should the elder line of the reigning duke at any time become extinct.
The matter is thus stated in the old pedigree at Sion Houre, “The ancient arms of Hainault, this Lord Joscelyn retained and gave his children the surname of Perci”. Of this illustrious alliance, there were several children, of whom Henry de Percy the eldest son, (who appears to have died before his mother) married Gabel, daughter of Adam de Brus, Lord of Skelton, by whom he had the manor Levington for which he and his heirs were to repair to Skelton Castle, every Christmas day, and to lead the lady to the Castle, from her chamber to the Chapel to Mass, and thence to her chamber again, and after dining with her to depart, although Gabel Brus married Henry de Percy none of the Percy blood was triumphed by that but it was through Emme Percy who married Sir Hugh.
1
