Bio

Born Lucy Percy (b. 1599), she is the second daughter of Henry Percy, ninth Earl of Northumberland. She lived for a time in the Tower of London during her father’s imprisonment for involvement in the Gunpowder Plot; it was during this time that the Earl and Countess of Somerset, also imprisoned in the Tower, arranged Lucy’s marriage to the diplomat and courtier James Hay, the first Earl of Carlisle, over the objections of her father.

The young countess quickly became a favorite at court, as well as the center of scandalous rumors involving the Duke of Buckingham. She remains a popular and influential figure at the Court of Saint James.