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 coastline 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. His second wife, the present Duchess is Melysa Marwyn-Sutton, former Duchess of Seastone in Arathi Highlands. His heir-apparent is Henry Varyc Sutton, Earl of Sutton.

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, and the village of Willowbrook.

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: 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.
 * Earl of Sutton - Also serves as a courtesy title for the Duke's eldest male heir.
 * Earl of Whitecrown - The title was inherited by virtue of the present Duke's marriage to Katherine Maclear.
 * Viscount Sutton of Castle Rock - Also serves as a courtesy title for the Duke's second male heir.
 * Baron Sutton of Willowbrook - One of the hereditary titles granted to Edward Sutton along with the Dukedom of Newcastle.

Coat of Arms
The Arms - Quarterly 1st Azure on a Bend between two Wrynn 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).

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

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.

Primary Residences

 * Castle Sutton, Duchy of Newcastle - The ancestral Seat of the Dukes of Newcastle, and one of the most beautiful Castles in the Kingdom.
 * Lanceford House, Castle Rock - A sprawling estate on the Southwest Coastline, built for the wife of the third Duke.
 * Willow Manor, Willowbrook - A country house, primarily used as a hunting lodge for the Duke and his family.
 * Heartwood Hall, Sutton Vale - The private residence of the Earl of Sutton. (The Duke's eldest male heir)
 * Newcastle House, Stormwind City - The Duke's Stormwind residence.

Land
Despite having sold nearly half of their original holdings, the Duke of Newcastle still possess more than 84,000 acres of land, including three gold mines, a silver mine, a vinyard, a stone quarry, and thousands of acres of farmland in the Southwestern region of the Kingdom of Stormwind.

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 rumored to be in the hundreds of millions, the Suttons are considered to be among the most desireable families to marry into, and have forged many 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 Covenant of the Pious. His second son, Edryc was also recently inducted into the Brotherhood of the Horse and the Duke's youngest son is currently serving as squire to another Knight of the Brotherhood.

The Line Of Succession
With the present Duke in his sixties and currently serving on Pandaria, the question of who would inherit the Dukedom had to be addressed before he began his second tour. 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 current line of succession is as follows:

Henry Sutton IV: Current Duke of Newcastle, whose heir apparent is Varyc Sutton.

V

Henry Varyc Sutton - Eldest son of Henry

V

Arryc Sutton - Youngest son of Henry.

Past Dukes of Newcastle

 * Edward Sutton - 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. Henry III was the oldest-lived Duke of Newcastle, and died at the age of 102. His son, Edward VIII was slain in battle at the age of 41 just three days after his father's death, and the title passed on to his son instead.


 * Henry Sutton IV - 8th and present Duke of Newcastle, grandson of Henry Sutton III, also Marshal of the Field and currently serving on Pandaria.

Trivia

 * The Dukes of Newcastle have always chosen among three names for their sons, those being Edward, Henry, 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 Duke of Newcastle is one of the few hereditary peerages that has been passed through an unbroken male line.