Edward Finch-Hatton (c.1697 – 16 May 1771) of

Kirby Hall Kirby Hall is an Elizabethan country house, located near Gretton, Northamptonshire, England. The nearest main town is Corby. One of the great Elizabethan houses of England, Kirby Hall was built for Sir Humphrey Stafford of Blatherwick, beginnin ...

, near Rockingham, Northamptonshire, was a British diplomat and politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

for 41 years from 1727 to 1768.

Early life

Finch was born Hon. Edward Finch, 5th son of

Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham, 7th Earl of Winchilsea, PC (2 July 16471 January 1730) was an English Tory statesman who supported the Hanoverian Succession in 1714. Origins He was born on 2 July 1647, the son of Heneage Finch, 1st Ea ...

, and of his second wife, Hon. Anne Hatton, daughter and in her issue sole heiress of

Christopher Hatton, 1st Viscount Hatton Christopher Hatton, 1st Viscount Hatton (1632–1706) was an English aristocrat and diplomat. Career He succeeded his father, Christopher Hatton, 1st Baron Hatton, as Baron Hatton and also as governor of Guernsey in 1670. He and his family w ...

.Burke's Peerage (1939 edn), s.v. Winchilsea, Earl. He was educated at a school at Isleworth and was admitted at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

on 10 October 1713, aged 16, where he obtained an M.A. in 1718. He then went on the

Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tut ...

from 1720 to 1723, visiting France, Italy and Hanover. non. ‘Hatton, Edward Finch- (1697?–1771)’, rev. R. D. E. Eagles, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', (Oxford University Press, 2004

accessed 12 Oct 2008

Diplomatic and political career

In 1724, Finch began a diplomatic career, representing

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

as envoy-extraordinary to the imperial diet of Regensburg in the winter of 1724 to 1725, then successively as Minister to

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, Sweden and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

between 1725 and 1742. He was returned as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

at the

1727 British general election The 1727 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 7th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election was trig ...

. He spent the longest period as minister in Stockholm, from 1728 to 1739 and is recorded as only voting once in Parliament over that period although he was returned for Cambridge University again in 1734 and

1741 Events January–March * January 13 – Lanesborough, Massachusetts is created as a township. *February 13 – Sir Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, popularizes the term "the balance of power" in a speech ...

. On his return to England in 1742, he was appointed groom of the bedchamber to the King, a post he held despite changes of government until 1756. He spoke on the Address on 16 November 1742, giving an account of all his negotiations and spoke against an opposition motion of 6 December 1743 for discontinuing the Hanoverian troops on British pay. He was returned unopposed again at the

1747 British general election The 1747 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 10th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election saw Henr ...

. At the 1754 general election Finch was returned unopposed for Cambridge University, and stood unsuccessfully for Rutland. For the rest of his career he generally supported the current Administration. He became Master of the Robes and

Keeper of the Privy Purse The Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to the King/Queen (or Financial Secretary to the King/Queen) is responsible for the financial management of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The officeholder is assisted by th ...

in June 1757 and Surveyor of the King's Private Roads in November 1760. He was returned again in

1761 Events January–March * January 14 – Third Battle of Panipat: Ahmad Shah Durrani and his coalition decisively defeat the Maratha Confederacy, and restore the Mughal Empire to Shah Alam II. * January 16 – Siege of Pond ...

but declined standing at the

1768 Events January–March * January 9 – Philip Astley stages the first modern circus, with acrobats on galloping horses, in London. * February 11 – Samuel Adams's circular letter is issued by the Massachusetts House o ...

Later life and legacy

Finch married Ann Palmer, daughter of

Sir Thomas Palmer, 4th Baronet, of Wingham Sir Thomas Palmer, 4th Baronet, of Wingham (5 July 1682 – 8 November 1723) was a British landowner and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1708 and 1723. Early life Palmer was the eldest son of Herbert Palmer of Wingham, Ke ...

on 15 August 1746, by special licence, at the house of his older brother,

Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea and 3rd Earl of Nottingham (24 May 16892 August 1769), , of Burley House near Oakham in Rutland and of Eastwell Park near Ashford in Kent, was a British peer and politician. Origins Styled by the courtesy ...

, in Sackville Street, Mayfair. In 1764, took the additional surname Hatton in accordance with the will of his great aunt Anne Hatton, when he inherited property from her. Finch and his wife had two sons and three daughters: * George Finch-Hatton, FRS, MP (30 June 1747 – 17 February 1823). * Anne Finch-Hatton (b. 17 November 1750). *Harriett Frances Charlotte Finch-Hatton (b. 19 February 1752). *Mary Henrietta Elizabeth Finch-Hatton (b. 12 May 1754). *John Emilius Daniel Edward Finch-Hatton (b. 19 May 1755).''The Register of Births & Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster Vol. IV. 1741-1760''. 12 June 1755. Their eldest son

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

became an MP, and was succeeded in turn by his own son George Finch-Hatton, who became the 10th Earl of Winchilsea.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Finch, Edward 1697 births 1771 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Cambridge University British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747 British MPs 1747–1754 British MPs 1754–1761 British MPs 1761–1768 Younger sons of earls Ambassadors of Great Britain to Sweden Ambassadors of Great Britain to Russia Ambassadors of Great Britain to Poland Edward