Robert King, 2nd Baron Kingston (born circa 1657, died 1693) was an Anglo-Irish nobleman. He was the eldest son of John King, 1st Lord Kingston and Catherine Fenton, daughter of Sir William Fenton, 1st Baronet. He graduated M.A. Brasenose College, Oxford, 1670. He endowed a college in County Roscommon in Ireland, to be called Kingston College. During the opening stages

War of the Two Kings The Williamite War in Ireland (1688–1691; ga, Cogadh an Dá Rí, "war of the two kings"), was a conflict between Jacobite supporters of deposed monarch James II and Williamite supporters of his successor, William III. It is also called th ...

Kingston took command of the Protestant forces raised in Sligo in defiance of James II. Following a series of defeats for the Protestants in Eastern

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

, it was decided to abandon Sligo and withdraw towards

Ballyshannon Ballyshannon () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is located at the southern end of the county where the N3 from Dublin ends and the N15 crosses the River Erne. Incorporated in 1613, it is one of the oldest towns in Ireland. Location B ...

. During their march his men fought a skirmish with a force of

Irish Army The Irish Army, known simply as the Army ( ga, an tArm), is the land component of the Defence Forces of Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. The A ...

troops under Sir

Connell Ferrall Sir Connell Ferrall was an Irish soldier of the seventeenth century noted for his service during the War of the Two Kings. Ferrall was a Roman Catholic from Tirlickin in County Longford. He was a member of the Farrell clan by descent. Ferrall wen ...

near

Bundoran Bundoran () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. The town is located near the N15 road near Ballyshannon, and is the most southerly town in Donegal. The town is a tourist seaside resort, and tourism has been at the heart of the local economy s ...

, driving them off and safely reaching Ballyshannon.Childs p.61-62 Kingston garrisoned Ballyshannon but, after receiving orders from his superior

Robert Lundy Robert Lundy (floruit, fl. 1689) (died 1717) was a Scottish army officer best known for serving as Governor of Londonderry during the early stages of the Siege of Derry. Early career Lundy was born in Dumbarton and raised in the Church of Scotla ...

at Derry following the Protestant defeat at the

Battle of Cladyford A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, he disbanded his forces and departed for Scotland. Most of the troops went to

Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from ga, Inis Ceithleann , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,823 a ...

where they took part in the successful defence of the town. He took 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 ...

in 1692, but died in December of the following year. He married Margaret Harbord, daughter of the statesman William Harbord and his first wife Mary Duck, but had no issue. He was succeeded in the barony by his brother John.

Bibliography

* Childs, John. ''The Williamite War in Ireland, 1688-1691''. Continuum, 2007.

Notes

References

* 1693 deaths 17th-century Anglo-Irish people People educated at Kilkenny College Members of the Irish House of Lords

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 ...

Year of birth uncertain {{Ireland-baron-stub