Heneage Finch, 5th Earl of Winchilsea FSA (1657 – 30 September 1726) was an English peer, styled Hon. Heneage Finch until 1712. He was the son of

Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Winchilsea Sir Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Winchilsea (1628 – 28 September 1689) of Eastwell, Kent, was the 3rd Earl of Winchilsea. Early life Finch was the only surviving son of Thomas Finch, 2nd Earl of Winchilsea and the former Cecille Wentworth of G ...

and Mary Seymour. He was born on 3 January 1657 and baptised on 11 January in the same year. The Finch family were traditional royalists. At the Restoration, King Charles II recommended Winchelsea to be ambassador to the Porte. He arrived at Constantinople on 17 January 1661. He was eventually recalled by letter on 19 December 1667. He did not leave Turkey until early 1669. In 1683, he was appointed a Groom of the Bedchamber to the Duke of York and a captain in the Duke's Halberdiers, and was created a D.C.L of

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. In 1685, he retained his appointment as Groom of the Bedchamber when York succeeded as James II, was commissioned a colonel, and appointed a deputy lieutenant for

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. He represented

Hythe Hythe, from Anglo-Saxon ''hȳð'', may refer to a landing-place, port or haven, either as an element in a toponym, such as Rotherhithe in London, or to: Places Australia * Hythe, Tasmania Canada *Hythe, Alberta, a village in Canada England * T ...

in James' only Parliament. He lost his posts upon the deposition of James but remained close friends with his 'brother of the bedchamber' Captain David Lloyd until the latter's death in 1723. In April 1690, Heneage Finch was arrested and charged with Jacobitism for attempting to join the exiled James II in France. It was a difficult time for Jacobites and Nonjurors (those who had refused to take the oath of allegiance, such as the Finches), as their arrests and punishments were abusive. Because of his arrest, Heneage and his wife Anne Finch remained separated from April until November of that year. Much of her poetry from this period reflects the pain of this period of separation. The charge against him was later dismissed, but Heneage would refer to this period as 'a great escape'. Finch's work as editor of his wife's poems has yet to be fully studied. Certainly, a significant proportion of the two extant manuscript copies of Anne Finch's work are in Heneage's hand, with further errata noted in his own diaries. He inherited the

earldom Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

from his nephew

Charles Finch, 4th Earl of Winchilsea Charles Finch, 4th Earl of Winchilsea PC (26 September 1672 – 16 August 1712) was a British peer and Member of Parliament, styled Viscount Maidstone until 1689. He was the son of William Finch, Lord Maidstone (son of Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl ...

in 1712. He refused to take the

Oath of Allegiance An oath of allegiance is an oath whereby a subject or citizen acknowledges a duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to a monarch or a country. In modern republics, oaths are sworn to the country in general, or to the country's constitution. For ...

and declined his seat in the House of Lords. The titles came with a further cost. The Finches had to assume Charles Finch's financial and legal burdens. Years of trials began in July 1713, with the first being held before Lord Harcourt. The issues were eventually settled in the Finches' favour in 1720, but not before the couple had endured nearly seven years of emotional strain. During this period, Heneage and Anne Finch faced renewed strains resulting from court politics. When Queen Anne died in 1714, she was succeeded by George I. Subsequently, a Whig government, which was hostile to the Jacobite cause, rose to power. The Jacobite rebellion, which took place in Scotland in 1715, further aggravated the tense political situation. The Finches became greatly concerned about their safety, especially after a friend, Matthew Prior, who shared their political sympathies, was sent to prison. Chosen a FSA in 1724, he died in 1726, having suffered from large gallstones and pain for many years. Having had no children by his wife, Anne Kingsmill (1661–1720), he was succeeded by his half-brother

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

References

1657 births 1726 deaths *03 Deputy Lieutenants of Kent *05 Finch, Heneage Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Heneage Alumni of Wye College {{17thC-England-MP-stub