It was created in 1850 for the prominent lawyer and Whig politician Charles Pepys, 1st Baron Cottenham.

The viscountcy is used as a courtesy title for the Earl's eldest son and heir apparent.

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.

[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).