Edward Finch-Hatton (c.1697 – 16 May 1771) of Kirby Hall, near Rockingham, Northamptonshire, was a British diplomat and politician who sat in the House of Commons for 41 years from 1727 to 1768.

Early life

Finch was born Hon. Edward Finch, 5th son of Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham, 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 ...

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

Isleworth Isleworth ( ) is a town located within the London Borough of Hounslow in West London, England. It lies immediately east of the town of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane, London, River Crane. Isleworth's or ...

and was admitted at Trinity College, Cambridge on 10 October 1713, aged 16, where he obtained an M.A. in 1718. He then went on the Grand Tour 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 as envoy-extraordinary to the imperial diet of Regensburg in the winter of 1724 to 1725, then successively as Minister to Poland,

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

and Russia between 1725 and 1742. He was returned as Member of Parliament for Cambridge University 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 trigg ...

. He spent the longest period as minister in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, 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 Events January– March * January 8 – Salzburgers, Lutherans who were expelled by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Salzburg, Austria, in October 1731, set sail for the British Colony of Province of Georgia, Georgia in North America ...

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 spe ...

. On his return to England in 1742, he was appointed

groom of the bedchamber Groom of the Chamber was a position in the Household of the monarch in early modern England. Other ''Ancien Régime'' royal establishments in Europe had comparable officers, often with similar titles. In France, the Duchy of Burgundy, and in Eng ...

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 Events January–March * January 28 – Horace Walpole, in a letter to Horace Mann, coins the word ''serendipity''. * February 22 – Expecting an attack by Portuguese-speaking militias in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Pla ...

Finch was returned unopposed for Cambridge University, and stood unsuccessfully for

Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest len ...

. For the rest of his career he generally supported the current Administration. He became Master of the Robes and Keeper of the Privy Purse in June 1757 and

Surveyor of the King's Private Roads The Office of Works was established in the English royal household in 1378 to oversee the building and maintenance of the royal castles and residences. In 1832 it became the Works Department forces within the Office of Woods, Forests, Land Reven ...

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 Pondi ...

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 of Rep ...

Later life and legacy

Finch married Ann Palmer, daughter of Sir Thomas Palmer, 4th Baronet, of Wingham on 15 August 1746, by special licence, at the house of his older brother, Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea, 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 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 Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...