Frances Finch, Countess of Winchilsea and Nottingham (c.1690 – September 1734), was an English aristocrat and social reformer.

Biography

She was the daughter of

Basil Feilding, 4th Earl of Denbigh Basil Feilding, 4th Earl of Denbigh, 3rd Earl of Desmond (1668 – 18 March 1717) was a British peer and member of the House of Lords, styled Viscount Feilding from 1675 to 1685. Peerage Fielding inherited the English Earldom of Denbigh and t ...

, and his wife, the former Hester Firebrace,Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes''. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, p.1087. and was the sister of the 5th Earl. She married

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 December 1729. They had one daughter, Charlotte, born in 1731. Few details of her life are known; however, she was notable in being one of the aristocratic women who were early supporters of

Thomas Coram Captain Thomas Coram (c. 1668 – 29 March 1751) was an English sea captain and philanthropist who created the London Foundling Hospital in Lamb's Conduit Fields, Bloomsbury, to look after abandoned children on the streets of London. It is said ...

's efforts to establish a

Foundling Hospital The Foundling Hospital in London, England, was founded in 1739 by the philanthropic sea captain Thomas Coram. It was a children's home established for the "education and maintenance of exposed and deserted young children." The word "hospital" w ...

. She signed the Ladies' Petition which was delivered to King George II to support the establishment of the Hospital on 25 April 1730, and she is the signatory of whom least is known. This group of women not only lent their prestige and respectability to the endeavour, they made it 'one of the most fashionable charities of the day'. As part of an exhibition celebrating the role of women in the establishment and administration of the Hospital, called ''Ladies of Quality and Distinction'', the Foundling Museum held an exhibition in 2018 which included a family portrait of Francis. Through her marriage she was the aunt of another signatory,

Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon (24 August 1707 – 17 June 1791) was an English religious leader who played a prominent part in the religious revival of the 18th century and the Methodist movement in England and Wales. She founded an e ...

. The cause of her death is not known. She is buried at her husband's family seat of Ravenstone, Buckinghamshire.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finch, Frances British social reformers Winchilsea Daughters of British earls Daughters of Irish earls 1734 deaths English philanthropists 1690 births English women philanthropists 18th-century philanthropists