Duke of Newcastle

**Duke of Newcastle** is a hereditary peer, and traditionally holds a seat on Stormwind's Royal Council. The seat of the Dukes of Newcastle is Castle Sutton, located on the Southwest region of the Kingdom of Stormwind. Newcastle is considered to be among the five wealthiest Dukes in the Stormwind Peerage, and among the first called upon by the King to supply troops to the Stormwind Army. The present Duke of Newcastle is Henry Sutton IV.

## History

The title was created in the year 342 K.C. for Edward Sutton, then Earl of Sutton and has since passed through the house of Sutton for centuries. Along with the title, the house of Sutton was granted an additional 50,000 acres, including Castle Rock, the large estate of Willow Manor, and the village of Willowbrook. In total, the Suttons would own more than 172,000 acres in Newcastle, and two other Counties.

## Duties and Subsidiary Titles

### Duties

The Dukes of Newcastle have all been military men, and have served as Marshals of the field, or held numerous other military titles prior to the first great war. The Duke of Newcastle enjoys a seat in the Stormwind House of Nobles, serves as one of the King's advisers, and before the fall of Stormwind, Newcastle was one of the few hereditary peers to be automatically admitted to the Royal Council. All past Dukes of Newcastle have been inducted into the Brotherhood of the Horse.

### Subsidiary Titles

The Duke of Newcastle also holds the following subsidiary titles:

* Earl of Sutton Vale - Also serves as a courtesy title for the Duke's eldest male heir.
* Earl of Whitecrown - The title came to the house of Sutton by virtue of the 8th Duke's marriage to Katherine Maclear, who inherited the title from her father, James Maclear.
* Viscount of Castle Rock - Also serves as a courtesy title for the Duke's second male heir.

All titles are in the Stormwind Peerage, save for the Earl of Whitecrown, which is in the Stromgarde Peerage, and may not be used as a courtesy title by the Duke's heirs male. All titles descend to heirs male, save for the Barony of Willowbrook, which can pass through the female line.

## Coat of Arms

 File:Newcastle Arms.png  **The Arms:**Quarterly 1st Azure on a Bend between two Stormwind Lions (See Wrynn Augmentation) charged with a Holy Cross (See Holy Cross Augmentation); 2nd Gules a Horse Rampant Or (Brotherhood of the Horse); 3rd Checky Argent and Azure (Maclear); 4th Argent a Lion Rampant Or (Whitehall); Center Seashell Argent (Melysa Marwyn)

**The Crest:** A Ducal coronet.

**The Batons:** A pair of crossed Lances Argent. (Not displayed here)

**The Supporters:**Dexter a Crowned Lion sinister a Crowned Lion both Or.

**The Motto:** Be Without Fear

## Augmentations

The Dukes of Newcastle have changed their coat of arms many times throughout the title's history, and this is typically done to reflect either an accomplishment or a desirable marriage.

### Holy Cross Augmentation

The Dukes of Dawnshire display the Holy Cross on their coat of arms, and are entitled to do so by virtue of His Grace, Bishop Alexander Sutton, Auxiliary Bishop of Stormwind from (518 K.C. - 531 K.C.)

### Wrynn Augmentation

The Dukes of Newcastle quarter the Royal arms with their own, and are entitled to do so by virtue of a marriage between Henry Sutton I and Elizabeth Wrynn in the year 12 K.C.

### Marwyn Augmentation

After the 8th Duke married Melysa Marwyn in 624 K.C. he added Melysa's personal standard to the coat of arms, an Argent Seashell. Despite the later anullment of the marriage, Henry has kept the augmentation with Melysa's permission.

## Primary Residences

* Castle Sutton, Newcastle County - The ancestral Seat of the Dukes of Newcastle, and one of the most beautiful Castles in the Kingdom of Stormwind.
* Willow Manor, Willowbrook - A cottage, primarily used as a hunting lodge for the Duke and his family.
* Heartwood Hall, Newcastle County - The private residence of the Dowager Duchess of Newcastle.
* Newcastle House, Stormwind City - The Duke's Stormwind residence.

## Land Holdings and Wealth

### Land

Despite having sold nearly half of their original holdings in recent years, the Dukes of Newcastle still possess more than 84,000 acres of land, making them the largest landowners in Newcastle County. Their real estate portfolio includes four separate estates, stretching from Newcastle County well into Westfall, four villages, one hundred rental cottages, sixteen farms, three gold mines, a silver mine, a vinyard, a stone quarry, and Newcastle House in Stormwind City.

### Wealth

They are rumored to be among the five wealthiest Dukes in the Stormwind Peerage, and have made considerable contributions to the rebuilding of Stormwind after the second war. With an ever-increasing fortune built over the course of five centuries, rumored to be in the hundreds of millions, the Suttons are considered to be among the most desireable Stormwind families to marry into, and have forged many political alliances through such marriages with Lordaeronian, Gilnean, and Arathi noble families.

## Knights of the Brotherhood of the Horse

All past Dukes of Newcastle have been Knights of the Brotherhood of the Horse. The current Duke of Newcastle was inducted into the order just before the seond war. His eldest son, Henry V was the first of their line to be inducted into both the Brotherhood of the Horse and the Order of the Silver Hand. His second son, Edryc was inducted into the Brotherhood of the Horse just before his death during the siege of Orgrimmar, and the Duke's youngest son, Edward is currently serving as squire to another Knight of the Brotherhood.

## The Line Of Succession

The siege of Orgrimmar was disastrous for the house of Sutton, resulting in the deaths of the Duke's second son, a nephew, and two cousins. The matter of who would inherit the Dukedom became more urgent when in July of 624 K.C. the Duke's eldest son and heir was murdered. Although many other families have elected to allow women to inherit, the 8th Duke insists that his family's land and titles will pass through the male line. Left with only one living son, the new line of succession is as follows:

1st In Line: Edward Sutton - Youngest, and only living son of the present Duke

V

2nd In Line: Charles Sutton - Younger brother of the present Duke

V

3rd in line: Thomas Sutton - Eldest son of Charles Sutton.

## Past Dukes of Newcastle

* Edward Sutton I - 1st Duke of Newcastle. Held the title from the year 342 K.C. till his death in the year 357 K.C.

* Edward Sutton II - 2nd Duke of Newcastle and firstborn son of Edward I. Held the title from the year 357 K.C. until his death at the age of eighty-four in the year 400 K.C.
* Edward Sutton III - 3rd Duke of Newcastle, married Margaret Whitehall in the year 394 K.C. and held the title till his death at the age of 78 in the year 425 K.C.
* Michael Sutton - 4th Duke of Newcastle. Held the title from 425 K.C. until his death in the year 462 K.C.
* Henry Sutton II - 5th Duke of Newcastle. 462 K.C. - 497 K.C.
* Edward Sutton VII - 6th Duke of Newcastle, 497 K.C. - 526 K.C.
* Henry Sutton III - 7th Duke of Newcastle, 526 K.C. to 579 K.C. He was the longest-lived Duke of Newcastle, and died at the age of 101. His last surviving son and heir, Edward VIII was slain in battle at the age of 62 just three days before his own death, and the title passed on to his grandson, Henry Sutton IV instead. Close friends of the 7th Duke say that he simply lost the will to live after his only remaining son was killed.

* Henry Sutton IV - 8th and present Duke of Newcastle, son of Edward Sutton VIII, also Marshal of the Field, and Knight of the Brotherhood of the Horse.

## Trivia

* The Dukes of Newcastle have always chosen among three names for their sons, those being Henry (After the founder of the house of Sutton), Edward, and Michael.
* It is rumored that the 4th Duke of Newcastle's second son was illegitimate--a bastard born of his affair with Lady Southerland. The boy was raised among the Duke's other children, but had blue eyes, unlike all the other children.
* The Duke of Newcastle is one of the few hereditary peerages that has been ruthlessly passed through the male line, even when the 7th Duke could have allowed his daughter, and only remaining child to inherit. Instead, the Dukedom passed to his grand son, the present Duke. The house of Sutton insists that primogeniture is the only effective method of keeping such vast estates intact through the centuries.
* In 619 K.C. the 8th Duke formed the Newcastle Trust, which was designed to preserve the family's estates by handling all future successions, and ensuring that only the male line may inherit.
* After the death of the 8th Duke's eldest son, his eldest daughter Isibel has challenged her younger brother's right to the great title and fortune. The Duke has threatened to disown her if she elects to bring the matter to Stormwind's Courts.