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 State rel ...

peer. He was styled Viscount Kingsborough between 1768 and 1797. He achieved notoriety in 1798 when tried and acquitted by his peers in the Irish House of Lords for murder of his nephew Henry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald had eloped with his daughter Mary.

Biography

He was the eldest surviving son of Edward King, 1st Earl of Kingston and Jane Caulfeild. From 1767 to 1768 he was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

. 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 the end of 1800. The upper house was the Irish House of Lords, House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, ...

as the Member of Parliament for Boyle from 1776 to 1783, and for

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

between 1783 and 1797, and served as a Governor of County Cork 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 the end of 1800. It was also the final court of appeal of the Kingdom of Ireland. It was modelled on the House of Lords of Englan ...

. 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 nephew Colonel Henry Gerald FitzGerald. FitzGerald was a married man who eloped with King's daughter Mary, and had submitted to an inconclusive duel with her brother

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 ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

. Public sympathy was on King's side and when after three summonses no witnesses came forward he was acquitted. The

Lord Chancellor The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...

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

Family

He married Caroline FitzGerald, daughter of Richard FitzGerald 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 * 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 Stephen Moore, 1st Earl Mount Cashell PC (25 July 1730 – 14 May 1790), styled The Honourable Stephen Moore between 1764 and 1766 and known as The Viscount Mount Cashell between 1766 and 1781, was an Irish landowner and politician. Early lif ...

* Hon. Henry King (1772 – 26 November 1839), married Mary Hewitt * Hon. Edward King (1772 – 14 February 1848) * Lady Margaret King (1773 – 29 January 1835), writer, married 1st Stephen Moore, 2nd Earl Mountcashell and 2nd George William Tighe, agricultural theorist * 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 A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nati ...

, 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 th ...

*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 a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by f ...

; 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 Episcopal polity, archiepiscopal title which takes its name from Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Since the Reformation in Ireland, Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: ...

;{{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 , before2= Henry King {{s-ttl , title= Member of Parliament for Boyle , years=1776–1783 , with = Henry King {{s-aft , after=

Peter Metge Peter Metge (c. 1740–1809) was an Irish politician and judge of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. He was a colourful character, who was noted for his fondness for duelling, and for his unorthodox private life. Biography He was b ...

, after2= Henry King {{s-bef , before = Richard Townsend , before2 = James Bernard {{s-title , title = Member of Parliament for

, years = 1783–1797 , with = James Bernard (1783–1791) , with2 = Abraham Morris (1791–1797) , with3 = Viscount Boyle (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 = Viscount Boyle {{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 Earl of Kingston, Edward King, 1st Viscount Kingston. The Earl holds the subsidiary titles Baron Kingston, of Rockingham in the County of Rosc ...

, 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 (184 ...

{{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

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