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 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 ...

'' Countess of Winchilsea. Among his younger siblings were Thomas Finch (later the 2nd

Earl of Winchilsea Earl of Winchilsea is a title in the Peerage of England. It has been held by the Finch-Hatton family of Kent, and united with the title of Earl of Nottingham under a single holder since 1729. The Finch family is believed to be descended from He ...

who married Cicely Wentworth),

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 ...

(later

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 ...

), Francis Finch (a barrister who was an MP for Eye), and 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 ...

). His maternal grandparents were Anne Poyntz (a daughter of Sir

Nicholas Poyntz Sir Nicholas Poyntz (1510—circa 28 November 1556) was a prominent English courtier during the latter part of Henry VIII's reign. Life Poyntz was the eldest son of Anthony Poyntz (1480?–1532), vice-admiral, and his first wife, Elizabeth ...

) and 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 Lu ...

, who was

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is a ministerial office in the Government of the United Kingdom. Excluding the prime minister, the chancellor is the highest ranking minister in the Cabinet Office, immediately after the prime minister ...

and

Vice-Chamberlain of the Household The Vice-Chamberlain of the Household is a member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The officeholder is usually a senior government whip in the British House of Commons ranking third or fourth after the Chief Whip and ...

in the latter years of the reign of

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

Career

Finch matriculated at

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and ...

in 1588, earning his B.A. in 1592. He was admitted to

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 1618. Finch was knighted in 1599. He was returned as a Member of Parliament for

Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth ( ), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, m ...

in 1614.

Personal life

On 16 July 1596, he 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 ...

, and, his third wife, Agnes Crane (a daughter of Robert Crane, of Chilton). Sir Theophilus died in and was buried in

St. Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

near his maternal grandfather, Sir

. His widow died the following year and was buried in St. Anne's Church, Blackfriars.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finch, Theophilus 1573 births 1619 deaths

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 ...

English MPs 1614 Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford People from Great Yarmouth