Robert King, 2nd Earl of Kingston (1754 – 17 April 1799) was an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...

peer. He was styled Viscount Kingsborough between 1768 and 1797.

Biography

He was the eldest surviving son of

Edward King, 1st Earl of Kingston Edward King, 1st Earl of Kingston PC (I) (29 March 1726 – 8 November 1797) was an Anglo-Irish politician and peer. He was the eldest son of Sir Henry King, 3rd Baronet and Isabella Wingfield, daughter of Edward Wingfield. He had a twin sister ...

and Jane Caulfeild. From 1767 to 1768 he was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

. He sat in the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fra ...

as the

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Boyle Boyle is an English, Irish and Scottish surname of Gaelic, Anglo-Saxon or Norman origin. In the northwest of Ireland it is one of the most common family names. Notable people with the surname include: Disambiguation *Adam Boyle (disambiguation), ...

from 1776 to 1783, and for

Cork County County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns ar ...

between 1783 and 1797, and served as a

Governor of County Cork A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

in 1789. In 1797 he succeeded to his father's titles and assumed his seat in the

Irish House of Lords The Irish House of Lords was the upper house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from medieval times until 1800. It was also the final court of appeal of the Kingdom of Ireland. It was modelled on the House of Lords of England, with membe ...

. Between 1797 and his death he was Custos Rotulorum of Roscommon. On 18 May 1798, he was tried by his peers in the Irish House of Lords after allegedly murdering his brother-in-law Colonel Henry Gerald FitzGerald. FitzGerald was a married man who eloped with King's daughter Mary Elizabeth. With public sympathy on King's side and with considerable publicity, he was tried by his peers. He was acquitted as after three summonses no witnesses came forward. After a short conferee the Lords Temporal returned to the House of Commons and delivered the verdict 'not guilty'. The

Lord Chancellor The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. The ...

pronounced the verdict, broke his wand and dismissed the assembly.

Family

Caroline, née Fitzgerald, Countess of Kingston

He married Caroline FitzGerald, daughter of

Richard FitzGerald Richard Fitzgerald VC (December 1831, St. Finbar's, Cork, Ireland – 1884 in India) was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross. Details He was approximately 25 years old, and a Gunner in the Bengal Horse Artillery, Bengal Army during the ...

and Margaret King, on 5 December 1769, from whom he later separated. Together they had nine children: {{citation needed, date=March 2017 *Hon. John King (died young) *Hon. Mary King (died young) {{citation needed, date=March 2017 * George King, Viscount Kingsborough (28 April 1771 – 18 October 1839), succeeded to his father's titles and married Lady Helena Moore, daughter of Stephen Moore, 1st Earl Mountcashell * Hon. Henry King (1772 – 26 November 1839), married Mary Hewitt * Hon. Edward King (1772 – 14 February 1848) * Lady Margaret King (1773 – 29 January 1835), married Stephen Moore, 2nd Earl Mountcashell * Hon. Robert King (12 August 1773 – 20 November 1854), raised to the peerage as

Viscount Lorton Viscount Lorton, of Boyle in the County of Roscommon, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 28 May 1806 for General Robert King, 1st Baron Erris. He had already been made Baron Erris, of Boyle in the County of Roscommon, on 29 ...

, married Lady Frances Parsons, daughter of

Laurence Parsons, 1st Earl of Rosse Lawrence Harman Parsons, 1st Earl of Rosse (26 July 1749 – 20 April 1807), known as The Lord Oxmantown between 1792 and 1795 and as The Viscount Oxmantown between 1795 and 1806, was an Anglo-Irish peer and politician. Background Rosse was t ...

*Hon. Richard FitzGerald King (8 April 1779 – 22 September 1856), married Williamina Ross *Lady Jane Diana King (1780 - 9 April 1838), married 1st Count Wintzingerode (1778-1856), foreign minister of the

king of Württemberg King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

; 2nd General John de Ricci. ''A Naval Biographical Dictionary'' (1849) by

William Richard O'Byrne William Richard O'Byrne (1823 – 7 July 1896) was an Irish biographer and politician, author of the '' A Naval Biographical Dictionary'' (1849). Life He was elder son of Robert O'Byrne and his wife Martha Trougher, daughter of Joseph Clark. He w ...

states that Robert King had a sixth son, James William, who became a rear-admiral in 1846. He married Caroline Cleaver, daughter of the

Archbishop of Dublin The Archbishop of Dublin is an archepiscopal title which takes its name after Dublin, Ireland. Since the Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: one in the Catholic Church and the other in the Church of Irelan ...

; {{Cite NBD1849 , wstitle=King,_James William , page=614 one of their daughters was the prominent evangelist Catherine King Pennefather.

References

{{Reflist {{s-start {{s-par, ie {{s-bef , before=

Richard Fitzgerald Richard Fitzgerald VC (December 1831, St. Finbar's, Cork, Ireland – 1884 in India) was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross. Details He was approximately 25 years old, and a Gunner in the Bengal Horse Artillery, Bengal Army during the ...

, before2= Henry King {{s-ttl , title=

for

, years=1776–1783 , with = Henry King {{s-aft , after= Peter Metge , after2= Henry King {{s-bef , before = Richard Townsend , before2 = James Bernard {{s-title , title =

for

, years = 1783–1797 , with = James Bernard (1783–1791) , with2 =

Abraham Morris Abraham Morris (1752 – 13 February 1822) was an Irish banker. He sat in the Irish House of Commons for County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, ...

(1791–1797) , with3 =

Viscount Boyle A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...

(1797) {{s-aft , after =

Robert Uniacke Fitzgerald Colonel Robert Uniacke-FitzGerald (17 March 1751 – 20 December 1814) was an Irish politician. He was the eldest son of Robert Uniacke (afterwards Fitzgerald) of Corkbeg and descended from the Munster Desmond FitzGerald Knights of Glin and ...

, after2 =

{{s-reg, ie {{s-bef, before = Edward King {{s-ttl, title =

Earl of Kingston Earl of Kingston is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1768 for Edward King, 1st Viscount Kingston. The Earl holds the subsidiary titles Baron Kingston, of Rockingham in the County of Roscommon (created in 1764), Viscount ...

, years = 1797–1799 {{s-aft, after =

George King George King may refer to: Politics * George King (Australian politician) (1814–1894), New South Wales and Queensland politician * George King, 3rd Earl of Kingston (1771–1839), Irish nobleman and MP for County Roscommon * George Clift King (18 ...

{{s-end {{Authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Kingston, Robert King, 2nd Earl of 1754 births 1799 deaths 18th-century Anglo-Irish people Irish MPs 1776–1783 Irish MPs 1783–1790 Irish MPs 1790–1797

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

Members of the Irish House of Lords People educated at Eton College Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Cork constituencies Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Roscommon constituencies Earls of Kingston