Who were the Percys?
To begin with, an excerpt from a Percy family website
Who were the Percy's?
Contrary to what has been previously written and published about the origins of the Percy's,
they were not a Norman family descended from Mainfred, the Danish cheiftain who settled in
Normandy before 886 as has been described.
What is true, is that the family's chief seat was at a place called Perci in Normandy and
according to custom they took their name from their property.
The history of this great family prior to this is reflected in what is now known of their
heraldry which all points toward their existence before they came to Normandy to near the
town of Lille in Flanders.
The first member of the Percy family to come to England was Alan de Percy well before 1066.
The next to arrive was William de Percy a son of Alan (1030 - 1096), and an intimate friend
of William the Conquerer; he came in 1066 or 1067 and was known as 'Algersnons' due to his
wearing whiskers. This William de Percy or 'Algersnons' established himself in the North of
England immediately, and by the time Domesday Book was compiled, he was listed as being Lord
of over 100 manors. His descendants bore the title Baron Percy.
