| Dukedom of Kingston-upon-Hull | |
|---|---|
  Argent semée of cinquefoils gules, a lion rampant sable | |
| Creation date | 10 August 1715 |
| Created by | George I |
| Peerage | Peerage of Great Britain |
| First holder | Evelyn Pierrepont, 1st Marquess of Dorchester |
| Last holder | Evelyn Pierrepont, 2nd Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull |
| Remainder to | The first Duke'sheirs maleof the body lawfully begotten |
| Subsidiary titles | Marquess of Dorchester (1706) Earl of Kingston-upon-Hull (1628) Viscount Newark (1627) Baron Pierrepont (1627) |
| Seats | Holme Pierrepont Hall Thoresby Hall |
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Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull was a title in thePeerage of Great Britain, with the titleEarl of Kingston-upon-Hull being a title in thePeerage of England. The earldom was created on 25 July 1628 forRobert Pierrepont, 1st Viscount Newark. The dukedom was created on 10 August 1715 for his great-grandson,Evelyn Pierrepont, 1st Marquess of Dorchester, who had succeeded as the fifth Earl of Kingston-upon-Hull in 1690. The dukedom became extinct on the death of the second Duke in 1773. Unlike the city to which they refer,Kingston upon Hull, which is usually shortened to Hull, these titles are usually shortened to Duke (or Earl) of Kingston. (The titles were hyphenated but the city is now usually written without hyphens). They should not be confused with the separate IrishEarldom of Kingston (which refers to the town of Kingston inCounty Dublin).
From the 13th century, the seat of the Pierrepont family had beenHolme Pierrepont Hall,Nottinghamshire. This was to move during the sixteenth century toThoresby Hall, also in Nottinghamshire. Several members of the family had served in the 15th and 16th centuries asHigh Sheriff of Nottinghamshire andDerbyshire.[1] The direct forebear of the Dukes and Earls of Kingson-upon-Hull wasSir Henry Pierrepont who representedNottinghamshire in Parliament. He had married Frances Cavendish, daughter and eldest child ofSir William Cavendish andBess of Hardwick.
Sir Henry Pierrepont's son,Sir Robert Pierrepont, was createdViscount Newark andBaron Pierrepont in thePeerage of England on 29 June 1627. In 1628 he was further honoured when he was madeEarl of Kingston-upon-Hull with a remainder toheirs general, also in the Peerage of England. Robert Pierrepont had marriedGertrude Talbot in 1601. She was a granddaughter ofGeorge Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, and through him, all their descendants are able to claim descent fromEdward III, through Edward's younger son,Thomas of Woodstock.
The first Earl was succeeded by his son,Henry Pierrepont, who was himself createdMarquess of Dorchester in 1645. He died without heirs in 1660, and this marquessate became extinct. The earldom and other titles devolved on his nephew, Robert, the third Earl, the eldest son of the HonourableWilliam Pierrepont, second son of the first Earl. Robert died unmarried and was succeeded by his younger brother, William, the fourth Earl. William was in his turn succeeded by his younger brother, the aforementioned Evelyn, the fifth Earl. He was createdMarquess of Dorchester in the Peerage of England in 1706, a revival of the title held by his uncle, and later createdDuke of Kingston-upon-Hull in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1715, with these titles becoming extinct on the death of the first Duke's grandson,Evelyn, the second Duke, in 1773. On the death of the second Duke'swife, the estates of the Dukes of Kingston-upon-Hull passed toCharles Medows. He was a great-grandson of the first Duke through the female line. He changed his surname to Pierrepont, and was created Viscount Newark, and Baron Pierrepont, of Holme Pierrepont in 1796 and later createdEarl Manvers in 1806. These titles became extinct on the death of the sixth Earl Manvers in 1955.
Several other members of the family have also gained distinction. The HonourableWilliam Pierrepont, second son of the first Earl, was a politician. His third sonGervase Pierrepont was created Baron Pierrepont in 1701.Lady Mary Pierrepont, better known as Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, daughter of the first Duke, was a writer, and introducedsmallpoxinoculation to Western medicine after witnessing it during her travels and stay in the Ottoman Empire.[2]Elizabeth Pierrepont, Duchess of Kingston-upon-Hull, wife of the second Duke, was a courtier.
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