Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Winchilsea ( – 28 September 1689) was an English peer and diplomat who served as the English ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1660 to 1669.

Early life

Finch was the only surviving son of

Thomas Finch, 2nd Earl of Winchilsea Thomas Finch, 2nd Earl of Winchilsea (13 June 1578 – 4 November 1639) was an English peerage, peer and Member of Parliament. Early life Finch was the third, but second surviving, son of Sir Moyle Finch, 1st Baronet and Elizabeth Finch, 1st ...

and the former Cecille Wentworth of

Gosfield Hall Gosfield Hall is a English country houses, country house in Gosfield, near Braintree, Essex, Braintree in Essex, England. It is a Grade I listed building. The house was built in 1545 by Sir John Wentworth, a member of Thomas Wolsey, Cardinal Wo ...

, Essex. His paternal grandparents were

Sir Moyle Finch, 1st Baronet Sir Moyle Finch, 1st Baronet Justice of the Peace, JP ( – 18 December 1614) was an English politician, knight, sheriff, and MP. Early life Finch was the second, but eldest surviving son, of Thomas Finch (soldier), Sir Thomas Finch of Eastw ...

and Elizabeth Finch, ''

suo jure ''Suo jure'' is a Latin phrase, used in English to mean 'in his own right' or 'in her own right'. In most nobility-related contexts, it means 'in her own right', since in those situations the phrase is normally used of women; in practice, especi ...

'' 1st Countess of Winchilsea. His father inherited his grandfather's baronetcy from his uncle, Sir Theophilus Finch, 2nd Baronet, who died without issue in 1619. His maternal grandparents were John Wentworth,

High Sheriff of Essex The High Sheriff of Essex was an ancient sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years. On 1 April 1974, under the provisions of th ...

and Cecily Unton. His first cousin was

Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham, Privy Council of England, PC (23 December 162018 December 1682), Lord Chancellor of England, was descended from the old family of Earl of Winchilsea, Finch, many of whose members had attained high legal emi ...

. He was educated at

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the 16 "old colleges" of the university, and was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. Its buildings span the R ...

Career

On his return from Ottoman territory in June 1668, King Charles II remarked to Finch, "My Lord, you have not only built a town, but peopled it too". Winchilsea, in an obvious reference to Charles' own brood of natural children, replied that after all, he was the King's representative. Lord Finch was appointed by his friend

George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle (6 December 1608 3 January 1670) was an English military officer and politician who fought on both sides during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A prominent military figure under the Commonwealth, his support ...

a Governor of

Dover Castle Dover Castle is a medieval castle in Dover, Kent, England and is Grade I listed. It was founded in the 11th century and has been described as the "Key to England" due to its defensive significance throughout history. Some writers say it is the ...

, and Lord Warden of the

Cinque Ports The confederation of Cinque Ports ( ) is a historic group of coastal towns in south-east England – predominantly in Kent and Sussex, with one outlier (Brightlingsea) in Essex. The name is Old French, meaning "five harbours", and alludes to ...

in July 1660. He was also Lord Lieutenant of Kent and afterwards ambassador to the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, and served in this capacity between 1668 and 1672.

Samuel Pepys Samuel Pepys ( ; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English writer and Tories (British political party), Tory politician. He served as an official in the Navy Board and Member of Parliament (England), Member of Parliament, but is most r ...

first referred to him as the Lord Winchilsea. King Charles II had landed at Kent on his way to London to secure the throne on 25 May 1660. The King arrived in Dover with 20 ships and

frigates A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

, the Lord General and his lifeguard were accompanied by the Earl of Winchelsea to the cheer of the crowding locals gathered upon the beach to witness a salute fired from the guns of

. The King created him Baron FitzHerbert, of Eastwell in the County of Kent, on 26 June 1660.

Personal life

Finch was married four times and was the father of at least sixteen children. His first marriage was on 21 May 1645 to the Hon. Diana Willoughby, the eldest daughter of

Francis Willoughby, 5th Baron Willoughby of Parham Francis Willoughby, 5th Baron Willoughby of Parham (baptised 1614; died 23 July 1666 O.S., 2 August 1666 Old Style and New Style dates, N.S.) was an English people, English Peerage of England, peer of the House of Lords. He succeeded to the tit ...

and Elizabeth Cecil (a younger daughter and co-heiress of

Edward Cecil, 1st Viscount Wimbledon Edward Cecil, 1st Viscount Wimbledon (29 February 1572 – 16 November 1638) was an English military commander and a politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1601 and 1624. Life Cecil was the third son of Thomas Ceci ...

). She died and was buried at Eastwell on 27 March 1648. His second marriage was in to Lady Mary Seymour (1637–1673), the second daughter of

William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset, (158824 October 1660) was an English nobleman and Royalist commander in the English Civil War. Origins Seymour was the son of Edward Seymour, Lord Beauchamp (who predeceased his own father) by his wife ...

and Lady Frances Devereux eldest daughter of

Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (; 10 November 1565 – 25 February 1601) was an English nobleman and a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I. Politically ambitious, he was placed under house arrest following a poor campaign in Ireland during th ...

). Before her death in 1673, their children included: * William Finch, ''styled'' Viscount Maidstone (–1672), who died at sea aboard the '' Royal Charles'' during the

Battle of Solebay The Battle of Solebay took place on 6 June 1672 New Style, during the Third Anglo-Dutch War, near Southwold, Suffolk, in eastern England. A Dutch States Navy, Dutch fleet under Michiel de Ruyter attacked a combined Kingdom of England, Anglo-King ...

; he married Elizabeth Wyndham, a daughter of Thomas Wyndham, of

Felbrigg Hall Felbrigg Hall is a 17th-century English country house near the village of that name in Norfolk. Part of a National Trust property, the unaltered 17th-century house is noted for its Jacobean architecture and fine Georgian interior. Outside ...

. Had issue, Charles Finch, 4th Earl of Winchilsea * Lady Frances Finch (d. 1712), who married

Thomas Thynne, 1st Viscount Weymouth Thomas Thynne, 1st Viscount Weymouth (1640 – 28 July 1714) was an English politician who served as president of the Board of Trade from 1702 to 1705. Biography He was born the son of Sir Henry Frederick Thynne of Caus Castle, Shropshire, ...

. * Heneage Finch, 5th Earl of Winchilsea (1657–1726), who married Anne Kingsmill, the daughter of Sir William Kingsmill. * Hon. Thomas Finch (b. 1658), who was born before the family went to the

. * Elizabeth His third marriage was to Catherine Norcliffe on 10 April 1673. The daughter of Sir Thomas Norcliffe and Hon. Dorothy Fairfax (fifth daughter of Thomas Fairfax, 1st Viscount Fairfax), she was twice a widow from her marriages to Christopher Lister, of Thornton, York, and Sir John Wentworth, of Elmshall, York. She died in . His final marriage was on 29 October 1681 to Elizabeth Ayres, only daughter and heiress of John Ayres of London. Before his death in 1689, they were the parents of: * John Finch, 6th Earl of Winchilsea, who died unmarried and without issue. Lord Winchilsea died on 28 September 1689. He was succeeded in his titles by his grandson

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

, as his eldest son William predeceased him.

Descendants

Through his daughter Frances, he was a grandfather of Henry Thynne (1675–1708), and Frances Thynne (who married

Sir Robert Worsley, 4th Baronet Sir Robert Worsley, 4th Baronet (c. 1669–1747), was a British politician who sat in the British House of Commons, House of Commons from 1715 to 1722. Worsley was the eldest son of Sir Robert Worsley, 3rd Baronet, MP of Appuldurcombe, and his wi ...

References

External links

pepysdiary.comThe Earls of Winchilsea''A True and Exact Relation of the Late Prodigious Earthquake & eruption of Mount Aetna, or Monte-Gibello''
– full digital facsimile at

Linda Hall Library The Linda Hall Library is a privately endowed American library of science, engineering and technology located in Kansas City, Missouri, on the grounds of a urban arboretum. It claims to be the "largest independently funded public library of sc ...

Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Winchilsea
at

The British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Winchilsea, Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of 1620s births 1689 deaths 17th-century English nobility *03 Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge *01 Lord-lieutenants of Kent Lord-lieutenants of Somerset Lords Warden of the Cinque Ports

Finch The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches generally have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where the ...

Heneage 17th-century English diplomats People from Winchelsea