Earl of Cottenham (/ˈkɒtənəm/), of Cottenham in the County of Cambridge, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1850 for the prominent lawyer and Whig politician Charles Pepys, 1st Baron Cottenham.[1] /ˈpɛpɪs/)[n 1][2] He served as Lord Chancellor from 1836 to 1841 and from 1846 to 1850. Pepys had already been created Baron Cottenham, of Cottenham in the County of Cambridge, in 1836,[3] and was made Viscount Crowhurst, of Crowhurst in the County of Surrey, at the same time he was given the earldom. These titles are also in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The viscountcy is used as a courtesy title for the Earl's eldest son and heir apparent.

Earldom of Cottenham
Arms of the Earl of Cottenham
Sable, on a Bend Or, between two Nag's Heads erased Argent, three Fleurs-de-lis Sable.
Creation date11 June 1850
Created byQueen Victoria
PeeragePeerage of the United Kingdom
First holderCharles Pepys, 1st Earl of Cottenham
Present holderMark Pepys, 9th Earl of Cottenham
Heir apparentCharlie Pepys, Viscount Crowhurst
Remainder tothe 1st Earl's heirs male of the body legally begotten
Subsidiary titlesViscount Crowhurst
Baron Cottenham
MottoMens Cujusque is est quisque
("Each man's character is his true self")
Charles Christopher Pepys,
1st Earl of Cottenham

In 1845 Lord Cottenham succeeded his elder brother as third Baronet, of Wimpole Street, and in 1849 he also succeeded his cousin as fourth Baronet, of Brook Street, according to a special remainder in the letters patent. The Baronetcy, of Wimpole Street, was created in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom in 1801 for Lord Cottenham's father William Pepys, a Master in Chancery.[4] The Baronetcy, of Brook Street, was created in the Baronetage of Great Britain in 1784 for Lucas Pepys.[5] As of 2010 the titles are held by the first Earl's great-great-great-grandson, the ninth Earl, who succeeded his father in 2000.

The title of the earldom is derived from the village of Cottenham in Cambridgeshire, birthplace of John Pepys, ancestor of the first Earl, and great-uncle of Samuel Pepys the diarist. Another member of the Pepys family was Henry Pepys, third son of Sir William Pepys, 1st Baronet, and younger brother of the first Earl. He was Bishop of Worcester from 1841 to 1860.

The family seat is Priory Manor, near Kington St Michael, Wiltshire.

Pepys baronets, of Wimpole Street (1801)

edit

Earls of Cottenham (1850)

edit

Present peer

edit

Mark John Henry Pepys, 9th Earl of Cottenham (born 11 October 1983) is the elder son of the 8th Earl of Cottenham and his wife Sarah Lombard-Hobson. He was styled as Viscount Crowhurst between 1983 and 20 October 2000, when he succeeded to the peerages and baronetcies. He has an older sister, Lady Georgina Pepys (born 1981), and a younger brother, Sam Richard Pepys (born 1986).[9]

In 2019, the fund manager Bite Investments appointed Cottenham as its Head of Operations for China[10]

The heir apparent is Cottenham's son Charlie Thomas Crowhurst Pepys, Viscount Crowhurst (born 2020).[10]

Pepys baronets, of Brook Street (1784)

edit

see Earls of Cottenham for further succession

Notes and citations

edit
Citations
  1. ^ "No. 21101". The London Gazette. 4 June 1850. p. 1568.
  2. ^ per Debretts Peerage, 1968, p.287
  3. ^ "No. 19348". The London Gazette. 19 January 1836. p. 100.
  4. ^ "No. 15372". The London Gazette. 2 June 1801. p. 619.
  5. ^ "No. 12502". The London Gazette. 20 December 1783. p. 1.
  6. ^ Burke, Bernard (1903). Ashworth P. Burke (ed.). A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage, the Privy Council, Knightage and Companionage (65th ed.). London: Harrison and Sons. p. 368.
  7. ^ "History of roadcraft".[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ "Obituary: The Earl of Cottenham". Daily Telegraph. 26 October 2000.
  9. ^ Burke's Peerage, volume 1 (2003), p. 908
  10. ^ a b "Cottenham, 9th Earl of, (Mark John Henry Pepys) (born 11 Oct. 1983)", Who's Who online edition, accessed 20 February 2023 (subscription required)
Notes
  1. ^ Pronounced "peppis", not "peeps" in this branch of the family. Gillian Avery: Introduction. In: The Journal of Emily Pepys (London: Prospect Books, 1984. ISBN 0-907325-24-6), p. 11.

References

edit
edit
Baronetage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by  
Pepys baronets
of Wimpole Street

23 June 1801
Succeeded by