Percy's Purse

1James Graham, Duke of Montrose 2David Manners, Duke of Rutland; 3John Seymour, Duke of Somerset 4Ralph Percy, Duke of Northumberland 5Andrew Russell, Duke of Bedford 6Edward Fizalan-Howard, Duke of Norfolk 7Torquhil Campbell, Duke of Argyll 8Maurice FitzGerald, Duke of Leinster 9Murray Beauclerk, Duke of St Albans 10Arthur Wellesey, Duke of Wellington.

One of the country’s richest aristocrats, The Duke of Northumberland, has been accused of unfairly targeting farmers with huge rent rises. The 56 year-old, who is estimated to be worth around £320 million and his Northumberland Estates is said to total more than 132,000 acres of land, was blamed for wrecking the livelihoods of tenant farmers after his land agents demanded the massive rent increases.

 David Robson, chairman of the NFU in Northumberland accused the estate of only thinking about money. He said: “It seems the Estate is wanting its pound of flesh. Historically, they were run more on the traditional basis where a farmer was actively encouraged to look after the land. Now if the farmer can’t pay he’s out the door."

Under historic laws, that go back to the Norman conquest, ‘Lordships of the Manor’ have the right to exploit minerals under common land around towns and villages or land that has been brought by someone else but is still on the ancient estate. The Duke of Northumberland has registered Manorial rights in order to cash in on minerals like gravel, limestone and the new “energy gold”, shale gas.

The title was first created in 1551 for John Dudley, 1st Earl of Warwick. Dudley was convicted of high treason and executed. In 1674, an illegitimate son of king Charles II, was created Duke of Northumberland but the line died out in 1716. The Duke of Northumberland  title was  created for the third time  (four if you include a Jacobite creation)  in 1766 for Hugh Smithson who assumed for himself, the surname Percy, due to having married the daughter of Algernon Seymour, whose mother Lady Elizabeth Percy was the last of the blood of the ancient House of Percy. This was a deliberate move to allow the ancient name and title of the Percys to be revived as well as inheriting the Percy estates including Syon House and Park.

Britain's a super-elite who account for some 340,000 acres and more than £2billion. The Duke of Bedford, this amounts to £500million in art, London property and a large slab of Home Counties commuter belt. Duke of Montrose -  8,800 acres valued at around £1 million in 2001. Duke of Rutland -  474th in the latest Rich List, he is valued at £115 million. Estates across Leicestershire (12,000 acres), Derbyshire (10,000 acres), Cambridgeshire (4,000 acres) and Lincolnshire (2,000 acres), main seat, Belvoir, a 365-room mansion with an underground railway and £100 million of art. Duke of Somerset - Around 5,000 acres of Somerset, including several villages. Duke of Norfolk - 30,000 acres of whih 15,000 are in West Sussex, and also owns a ten-acre parcel of London valued at £100 million in 2001. Duke of Argyll
 owns 60,000 acres of Scotland, valued at £12.5m in 2001. Duke of St Albans said to own 4,000 acres, worth £12m, in 2001. Duke of Wellington - 7,000-acre Hampshire estate, 20,000 acres of Belgium and Spain. Thought to be worth £50m in 2001.