Robert Pierrepont, 1st Earl of Kingston-upon-Hull was an English nobleman who joined the Royalist side in the English Civil War after some delay and became lieutenant-general of the counties of Lincoln, Rutland, Huntingdon, Cambridge and Norfolk.
Background
He was the second son of Sir Henry Pierrepont of Holme Pierrepont, Nottinghamshire, and Frances Cavendish, daughter of the Rt. Honorary He married Gertude Talbot, daughter of Henry Talbot (1554–1596) (Henry was the son of George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury), and Elizabeth Reyner (born 1556) on 8 January 1601 in Overton Longueville, Huntingdonshire.
Education
He became an undergraduate of, Oxford in 1596 and was a benefactor in the rebuilding of the college"s Front Quad.
Career
He was killed in a friendly fire incident after being captured by Parliamentary forces. Sir William Cavendish and Elizabeth Hardwick. He also had a daughter, Lady Frances (born 1615) who married Philip Rolleston, Esquire.
He was created Baron Pierrepont and Viscount Newark in 1627, being made Earl of Kingston-upon-Hull the following year.
He remained neutral on the outbreak of the Civil War, declaring, in what was later taken to be a prophetic curse. When..I take arms with the King against Parliament, or with the Parliament against the King, let a cannon-ball divide me between them He eventually became a Royalist, joining King Charles, and was appointed lieutenant-general of royal forces in the counties of Lincoln, Rutland, Huntingdon, Cambridge and Norfolk.
Royalist forces fired at his captors from the river bank, accidentally killing the Earl whose body was cut in two by a cannonball.
Views
Whilst defending Gainsborough he was taken prisoner, and was killed on the 25 July 1643 while being conveyed to Hull by boat along the River Trent.
Membership
The earl had five sons, one of whom became Henry Pierrepont, 1st Marquess of Dorchester, another was Francis Pierrepont (died 1659), a colonel in the parliamentary army and afterwards a member of the Long Parliament. And another was William Pierrepont (1608–1679), father-in-law of Gilbert Holles, 3rd Earl of Clare and also Henry Cavendish Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne. He was Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire in 1601, became a Justice of the Peace for Nottinghamshire in 1608 and was appointed High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire in 1615.