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Eldest son of Ernest Alers Hankey of Lacock, Percy was born on 7 Dec 1864. Educated at Balham School, Marlborough and Trinity College, Cambridge. He followed his father as a woolbroker at Charles Balme & Co. He was married on 3 Nov 1897 to Mildred Earl Johnston (1872-1957), by whom he had one daughter. He lived at Brook House, Stourton, Zeals and died on 1 May 1944, leaving an estate of £132,000.
Percy corresponded with his cousin Charley about Hankey family history, and wrote on 2 Feb 1942: ‘I remember Uncle Henry keeping me up for most of one night at Park Crescent with a recitation of his adventures in early Hankeys, amongst which was the episode you mention. Wasn’t the Clyst Hydon story based partly upon 2 hamlets or tythe barns called Great and Little Aunk? Also he produced a De Anxa, temp: William Rufus, who was Custos Rotularun for Devon; & who according to a M.S. book he had came from somewhere in Touraine. I think he wrote to the Curé of this place only to find that all records had been destroyed in the Revolution. I have a book Chester in the Plantagenet and Tudor Reigns by R.H.Morris who was Librarian to the D. of Westminster in which sundry Hankeys appear as Sheriffs or City-Worthies, but there is no mention of one as early as the date you mention. Was not the Wolf’s head the badge of the followers of Hugh Lupus, the first Norman Earl of Chester? Isn’t the correct Hankey motto Novos dum paras amicos veteres colé. If so it seems to me most appropriate for bankers. Henry Hoare tells me that the father of Hoare’s bank was a horse coper in Nottinghamshire. He regards this as excellent training for banking!