Essex Finch, Countess of Nottingham (c.1652 – 23 March 1684), formerly Lady Essex Rich, was the first wife 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 Earl ...

. Essex was the youngest daughter of

Robert Rich, 3rd Earl of Warwick Robert Rich, 3rd Earl of Warwick (28 June 1611 – 29 May 1659 in London), supported the Royalist cause in the English Civil War (his father the 2nd Earl supported the Parliament of England). Biography Robert Rich was the eldest son of Robert Ri ...

, and his second wife Anne Cheeke. She was named after her mother's mother, who was also descended from

Robert Rich, 1st Earl of Warwick Robert Rich, 3rd Baron Rich, 1st Earl of Warwick (December 1559 – 24 March 1619), was an English nobleman, known as Baron Rich between 1581 and 1618, when he was created Earl of Warwick. He was the first husband of Penelope Devereux, whom he d ...

. Following her mother's death, Essex and her sisters were brought up in the household of her father's brother,

Charles Rich, 4th Earl of Warwick Charles Rich, 4th Earl of Warwick (abt 1623 – 24 Aug 1673), styled The Honourable Charles Rich until 1658, was an English peer and politician. Rich was the second son of Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick and Frances Hatton. As a young man, he ...

. Husbands proposed for Lady Essex Rich included the son of Baron Berkeley of Stratton and Thomas Vane. However, on 16 June 1674, she married Daniel Finch at

Leez Priory Leez Priory is a 16th-century mansion in Little Leighs, a small parish in the district of Chelmsford in the county of Essex, England. The civil parish boundary between Felsted and Great and Little Leighs crosses the priory, so that it partially l ...

, near

Felsted Felsted (sometimes spelt Felstead) is a village and civil parish in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. The civil parish includes the hamlets of Bannister Green, Bartholomew Green, Causeway End, Coblers Green, Cock Green, Frenches Gre ...

, and they moved in with his parents at

Kensington Palace Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British royal family since the 17th century, and is currently the official L ...

. The couple had eight children but only one daughter survived to adulthood: *Mary Finch (1677-1718), who married

William Savile, 2nd Marquess of Halifax William Savile, 2nd Marquess of Halifax (1665 – 31 August 1700) was the son of George Savile, 1st Viscount Halifax and Dorothy Savile, Viscountess Halifax (née Spencer). He was educated in Geneva in 1677 and matriculated at Christ Church, Ox ...

, as his second wife, following the death of his first wife Elizabeth Grimston. Halifax died in 1700 and she then married

John Ker, 1st Duke of Roxburghe John Ker, 1st Duke of Roxburghe, KG, PC, FRS (30 April 1680–27 February 1741) was a Scottish nobleman. Early life Ker was born on 30 April 1680. He was the second son of Robert Ker, 3rd Earl of Roxburghe, and Margaret Hay, daughter of Joh ...

.''Burke's Peerage'' (1939), s.v. Roxburghe. The Countess of Nottingham died in childbirth, and was buried in the family vault at Ravenstone. Following her death, her husband remarried, his second wife being the Hon. Anne Hatton, by whom he had several children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nottingham, Essex Finch, Countess of 1684 deaths English countesses Daughters of British earls Year of birth uncertain Deaths in childbirth 17th-century English women

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

1652 births