William Percy

William Percy (1574–1648), English poet and playwright, was the third son of Henry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland (c.1532–1585), and his wife Katharine Neville (1545/6–1596). His elder brother Henry was a significant figure in English cultural and scientific circles in the late 16th - early 17th century. Birth and early life Percy's date of birth is a matter of some uncertainty. The year 1574 has accepted by many on the evidence of the entry for Percy’s matriculation at Oxford, which identifies him as being fifteen years old on 13 June 1589. However, Bishop Thomas Percy records that he was born at Beamish on 29 June 1570. Percy attended Oxford University where he studied logic under the Aristotelian scholar John Case, along with Italian and Latin, although his growing interest was contemporary English literature, including the works of Gabriel Harvey, Sidney and Spenser.