Richard Kingston (1635? – 1710?) was an English political pamphleteer, clerical impostor, and spy.

Life

He was born about 1635. According to his own statements he was a M.A., and was ordained by the

Bishop of Galloway The Bishop of Galloway, also called the Bishop of Whithorn, is the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Galloway, said to have been founded by Saint Ninian in the mid-5th century. The subsequent Anglo-Saxon bishopric was founded in the late 7 ...

, 17 July 1662, at Westminster; and on 6 February 1682 was made chaplain

in ordinary ''In ordinary'' is an English phrase with multiple meanings. In relation to the Royal Household and public officials more generally, it indicates that a position is a permanent one (in contrast to positions that are extraordinary). In naval matt ...

to Charles II. But Matthew Smith in 1700, when engaged with Kingston in a political controversy, charged him with having forged his letters of orders. Jonathan Trelawny in the 1680s, and

Thomas Tenison Thomas Tenison (29 September 163614 December 1715) was an English church leader, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1694 until his death. During his primacy, he crowned two British monarchs. Life He was born at Cottenham, Cambridgeshire, the son a ...

in the 1690s, had become aware that Kingston was an impostor. He ceased to wear clerical dress. When Kingston published on the subject in 1700, he made an unconvincing case. He was son of a

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

farmer, who became a tailor's apprentice. In 1665, Kingston was minister at St. James's, Clerkenwell, and worked during the

Great Plague The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. The disease is c ...

; Trelwany believed he was then a tailor, had found sermons, and preached in the absence of the incumbent. He had resigned this preferment before 17 September 1666, and took up a living at

Irthlingborough Irthlingborough () is a town on the River Nene in North Northamptonshire, England. As of 2021, it has a population of 9,325, and was at one point the smallest town in England to have had a Football League team, Rushden & Diamonds F.C. The pari ...

, appointed by Nicholas Knollys who called himself 3rd Earl of Banbury. In 1678, he received the living of Henbury in

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

, possibly by purchasing the right himself. He asserted that a prebend and a rectory were added to Henbury. He remained there, on a small estate, till the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...

, when he sold his property and moved to London. For a period Kingston spied in London for the

Jacobites A Jacobite is a follower of someone named Jacob or James, from the Latin ''Jācōbus''. Jacobite or Jacobitism may refer to: Religion * Arminianism, the theology of Jacobus Arminius * Jacobites, followers of Saint Jacob Baradaeus (died 578). Ch ...

. In 1692, he was discovered by the government agent

John Macky John Macky (died 1726) was a Scottish spy and travel writer. Between 1688 and 1710 he ran a successful intelligence gathering network across the English Channel, principally concerned with Jacobite and French threats to England. He was also the a ...

, and was turned to spy for the other side. By the second half of the 1690s, he was working for Sir William Trumbull, and in the end his cover was blown when he testified in treason trials. He had a pension to write for the government, but it fell into arrears and he descended into poverty. A petition from him dated 1699 states that £600 was due to him. In 1700, Kingston attacked Smith, who had just published his ''Memoirs of Secret Service'', and a controversy ensued: Kingston attributed Smith's works to

Tom Brown Tom Brown may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Brown (satirist) (1662–1704), English satirical writer *Tom Brown (trombonist) (1888–1958), American jazz trombonist and bandleader *Tom Brown (actor) (1913–1990), American film and televi ...

. Kingston also intervened in the controversy which raged in 1707–9 about the so-called French Prophets. In 1707, his attack on Dr. John Freind's vindication of the

Earl of Peterborough Earl of Peterborough was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1628 for John Mordaunt, 5th Baron Mordaunt (see Baron Mordaunt for earlier history of the family). He was succeeded by his eldest son, Henry, the second Earl. He was ...

's conduct in Spain appeared; he was arrested by order of the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. He was, however, released, 19 January 1708, and the attorney-general was instructed to prosecute him.

Works

Kingston wrote: * ''Pillulæ Pestilentiales, a Sermon at St. Paul's'', London, 1665. * ''The Cause and Cure of Offences'', sermon, London, 1682. * ''Vivat Rex'', a sermon preached before the Mayor of Bristol after the discovery of the

Rye House plot The Rye House Plot of 1683 was a plan to assassinate King Charles II of England and his brother (and heir to the throne) James, Duke of York. The royal party went from Westminster to Newmarket to see horse races and were expected to make the r ...

, London, 1683. * ''God's Sovereignty and Man's Duty asserted'', London, 1688. * ''A True History of the several Designs and Conspiracies against his Majesties Sacred Person and Government from 1688 to 1697'', London, 1698. This work was intended to reinforce the credibility of John Lunt's alleged Lancashire Jacobite plot of 1694. * ''Tyranny detected, and the late Revolution justified'', London, 1699. * ''A Modest Answer to Captain Smith's Immodest Memorial of Secret Service'', London, 1700. * ''Impudence, Lying, and Forgery detected and Chastiz'd'', London, 1700, an answer to Smith, and a source of information respecting Kingston's history. * ''A Discourse on Divine Providence'', London, 1702. * ''Impartial Remarks upon Dr. Freind's Account of the Earl of Peterborough's Conduct in Spain'', London, 1706. * ''Enthusiastick Impostors no Divinely Inspired Prophets'', part i. 1707, part ii. 1709. * ''Apophthegmata Curiosa, or Reflections, Sentences, and Maxims'', London, 1709. Kingston also mentions that he wrote a work called ''Cursory Remarks''.

Family

Kingston was twice married, as a

bigamist In a culture where only monogamous relationships are legally recognized, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. A legal or de facto separation of the couple does not alter their mari ...

, and in 1699 had nine children. He left his first wife Elizabeth Webb, and in 1668 eloped with the daughter of Rev. Arthur Leonard of

Boughton, Northamptonshire Boughton is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England. It is situated approximately from Northampton town centre along the A508 road between Northampton and Market Harborough. The parish area straddles both sides of the road ...

. He married a second wife Elizabeth, who may have been this daughter.

References

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Kingston, Richard 1630s births 1710 deaths Spies 17th-century English writers Impostors