Sir Moyle Finch, 1st Baronet JP ( – 18 December 1614) was an English politician, knight, sheriff, and MP.

Early life

Finch was the second, but eldest surviving son, of Sir Thomas Finch of Eastwell, Kent, and the former Catherine Moyle. Among his siblings was brother Henry Finch (MP for

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

and

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

), and sister Jane Finch (who married George Wyatt of

Allington Castle Allington Castle is a stone castle in Allington, Kent, just north of Maidstone, in England. The first castle on the site was an unauthorised fortification, built during "The Anarchy" (1135–1153) and torn down later in the century when royal c ...

). His paternal grandparents were Sir William Finch, who was knighted for his services at the siege of Therouanne, and, his first wife, Elizabeth ( Cromer) Lovelace (a daughter of Sir James Cromer of

Tunstall, Kent Tunstall is a linear village and civil parish in Borough of Swale, Swale in Kent, England. It is about 2 km to the southwest of the centre of Sittingbourne, on a road towards Bredgar. History In 1798, Edward Hasted records that it had once bee ...

, and widow of Sir Richard Lovelace). His maternal grandparents were Sir

Thomas Moyle Sir Thomas Moyle (1488 – 2 October 1560) was a commissioner for Henry VIII in the dissolution of the monasteries, and Speaker of the House of Commons in the Parliament of England from 1542 to 1544. Life He was the fourth son of John Moyl ...

and the former Katherine Jordeyne (a daughters of Edward Jordeyne, a leading goldsmith at

Cheapside Cheapside is a street in the City of London, the historic and modern financial centre of London, England, which forms part of the A40 road, A40 London to Fishguard road. It links St Martin's Le Grand with Poultry, London, Poultry. Near its eas ...

with a manor at Raynham). Finch was admitted of

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

in 1568.

Career

Finch first entered

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

at a by-election for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis, through the influence of the 2nd Earl of Bedford, who had campaigned with his father at St. Quentin in 1557 (during the Italian War), sitting between 1576 and 1584. He later represented

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

in 1593 (the same year he was elected knight of the shire for Kent) and for

Winchelsea Winchelsea () is a town in the county of East Sussex, England, located between the High Weald and the Romney Marsh, approximately south west of Rye and north east of Hastings. The current town, which was founded in 1288, replaced an earli ...

in 1601. He served as

High Sheriff of Kent The high sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown (prior to 1974 the office previously known as sheriff)."Sheriffs appointed for a county or Greater London shall be known as high sheriffs, and any reference in any enactment or instru ...

in 1596 and 1605. He was knighted in 1585 and he was created a Baronet, of Eastwell in the County of Kent, in 1611.George E. Cokayne ''Complete Baronetage, Vol 1'' (1900)
/ref>

Personal life

In 1573, Finch married Elizabeth Heneage, daughter and heiress of

Sir Thomas Heneage Sir Thomas Heneage PC (1532 – 17 October 1595) was an English politician and courtier at the court of Elizabeth I. Early and personal life Thomas Heneage the Younger was born at Copt Hall, Epping, Essex, the son of Sir Robert Heneage and Luc ...

. They had a daughter

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...

who was a writer: she married

Sir William Twysden, 1st Baronet Sir William Twysden, 1st Baronet (1566–1628) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1593 and 1628. Life Twysden was the son of Roger Twysden, of Roydon Hall, East Peckham, and his wife Anne Wyatt, da ...

. *

Sir Theophilius Finch, 2nd Baronet Sir Theophilus Finch, 2nd Baronet (2 October 1573 – ) was an English nobleman and politician. Early life Finch was born on 2 October 1573. He was the eldest son of Sir Moyle Finch, 1st Baronet, and Elizabeth Finch, ''suo jure'' Countess of Win ...

(1573–1619), who married Agnes Heydon, only child of Sir

Christopher Heydon Sir Christopher Heydon (14 August 1561 – 1 January 1623) was an English soldier, politician, and writer on astrology, who was a Member of Parliament for Norfolk from 1588 to 1589. He quarrelled with his family over its estates in Norfolk. Ba ...

Baconsthorpe Baconsthorpe is a village and civil parish in the North Norfolk district of the English county of Norfolk. It is south-east of Holt, south of Sheringham and north of Norwich. Population and governance The civil parish has an area of 5.53&nb ...

. * Lady Anne Finch (1574–1638), who married

. * Heneage Finch (born 1576), who died young. *

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 ...

(1578–1639), who married Cicely Wentworth, daughter of John Wentworth, MP. * Hon. Sir Heneage Finch (1580–1631),

Speaker of the House of Commons Speaker of the House of Commons is a political leadership position found in countries that have a House of Commons, where the membership of the body elects a speaker to lead its proceedings. Systems that have such a position include: * Speaker of ...

who married Frances Bell, a daughter of

Sir Edmond Bell Sir Edmond Bell Of Castle Acre and Beaupre Hall, Norfolk. (bap 7 April 1562 – bur 22 December 1607). He was an Member of Parliament, MP of Aldeburgh, Justice of the Peace for Norfolk c. 1599, Knighted 1603. Early life He was baptised 7 April 1 ...

Beaupre Hall Beaupre or Beaupré may refer to: *Beaupre (surname), surname found mostly in Canada, the United States and parts of England *Beaupré, Quebec, a ville in the Canadian province of Quebec * Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Quebec, a town near Quebec city, C ...

. After her death, he married Elizabeth (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Cradock) Bennett, a daughter of William Cradock and the widow of Richard Bennett. * Hon. Francis Finch (b. ), a barrister and MP for

Eye An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...

. * Lady Catherine Finch, who married

Sir John Wentworth, 1st Baronet, of Gosfield Sir John Wentworth, 1st Baronet ( – October 1631), of Gosfield, Essex, was an English aristocrat. Early life He was the eldest of two sons born of John Wentworth of Gosfield Hall, and the former Cicely Unton.Cokayne, George Edward, editor, ''Th ...

. He died in December 1614 and was succeeded by his eldest son,

Theophilus Theophilus is a male given name with a range of alternative spellings. Its origin is the Greek word Θεόφιλος from θεός (''theós'', "God") and φιλία (''philía'', "love or affection") can be translated as "Love of God" or "Friend ...

. Lady Finch was elevated to the peerage in her own right as Viscountess Winchilsea in 1623 and was further honoured when she was made Countess of Winchilsea in 1628. She died in 1634 and was succeeded by her third son,

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

, who had already succeeded his elder brother in the baronetcy. Their fourth son

Sir Heneage Finch Sir Heneage Finch (15 December 1580 – 5 December 1631) was an English lawyer, Member of Parliament, and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1607 and 1626. He was Speaker of the English House of Commons in 16 ...

became

and was the father of

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 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finch, Moyle 1550s births 1614 deaths 17th-century English nobility Baronets in the Baronetage of England Moyle High sheriffs of Kent Knights Bachelor 17th-century English knights English MPs 1572–1583 English MPs 1584–1585 English MPs 1593 English MPs 1601 English justices of the peace Moyle