Sir Moyle Finch, 1st Baronet of Eastwell, married
Elizabeth Heneage, only daughter of
Sir Thomas Heneage (1532–1595),
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household to
Queen Elizabeth I. After Sir Moyle's death in 1614, Elizabeth and her sons made considerable efforts to have the family's status elevated. On 8 July 1623, Elizabeth was raised to the Peerage of England as
Viscountess Maidstone, and on 12 July 1628 she was further honoured when she was made
Countess of Winchilsea. Lady Winchilsea and Sir Moyle Finch's youngest son, the Hon.
Sir Heneage Finch, served as
Speaker of the House of Commons and was the father of
Heneage Finch, who was the
Lord Chancellor of England and created
Earl of Nottingham in 1681. Sir Moyle Finch was succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest son Theophilus, the 2nd Baronet (1573–1619). He sat as
Member of Parliament for
Great Yarmouth but died childless circa 1619. He was succeeded by his younger brother Thomas, the
3rd Baronet. He represented Winchelsea and Kent in the House of Commons. In 1634, he also succeeded his mother as the second Earl of Winchilsea. The third Earl, son of the second, supported the
Restoration in 1660 and was thanked for his efforts the same year when he was created
Baron FitzHerbert of Eastwell, in the County of Kent, in the Peerage of England. The third earl's eldest son, William Finch, Viscount Maidstone, predeceased his father, but his son
Charles succeeded as fourth Earl. He served as
President of the Board of Trade and as
Lord Lieutenant of Kent. His wife
Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea, was a well-known poet. The fourth Earl had no children and the titles passed to his uncle,
Heneage Finch, 5th Earl of Winchilsea. He had earlier represented
Hythe in Parliament. The fifth Earl was also childless and was succeeded by his half-brother,
John Finch, 6th Earl of Winchilsea. He never married, and on his death in 1729 the Barony of FitzHerbert of Eastwell became extinct., who married Hon.
Anne Hatton. The remaining titles passed to his second cousin,
Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham, who became the 7th Earl of Winchilsea as well (see below for earlier history of this branch of the family). He was the eldest son of The Lord Chancellor of England,
Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham. He was a noted statesman and served as
First Lord of the Admiralty,
Secretary of State for the Southern Department,
Secretary of State for the Northern Department and as
Lord President of the Council. His son the 8th Earl of Winchilsea was also a politician and held office as First Lord of the Admiralty and as Lord President of the Council. by
Nathaniel Dance-Holland The 8th Earl was childless and was succeeded by his nephew, the
9th Earl, son of the Hon.
William Finch, second son of the 2nd Earl of Nottingham. The 9th Earl was
Lord Lieutenant of Rutland for many years and was also an influential figure in the history of
cricket. The 9th Earl died unmarried and was succeeded by his first cousin once removed, the
10th Earl, son of
George Finch-Hatton (1747–1823) (who had assumed the additional surname of Hatton), son of the Hon.
Edward Finch, fifth son of the 2nd Earl of Nottingham, and his wife the Hon. Anne Hatton, who was the daughter of
Christopher Hatton, 1st Viscount Hatton (see the
Viscount Hatton) and a relation of the famous
Sir Christopher Hatton. The 10th Earl is
famous for his duel with the
Duke of Wellington, who was
Prime Minister at the time. The duel, which was over the issue of
Catholic emancipation and related to insulting remarks made by the Earl, took place at
Battersea Fields on 21 March 1829. Both men deliberately aimed wide and Winchilsea apologised. His son the
11th Earl had represented
Northamptonshire North in Parliament as a
Tory. He died without surviving male issue and was succeeded by his half-brother, the
12th Earl, who had sat briefly as
Conservative Member of Parliament for
Lincolnshire South and for
Spalding. He was succeeded by his younger brother, the
13th Earl. , the titles are held by his great-great-grandson, the 17th Earl of Winchilsea and 12th Earl of Nottingham (the title having descended from father to son), who succeeded in 1999.
Other members The Hon.
Sir Heneage Finch was the third and youngest son of Sir Moyle Finch, 1st Baronet and the Countess of Winchilsea. He served as
Speaker of the House of Commons from 1625 to 1628. His son was
Heneage Finch, later 1st Earl of Nottingham, was a prominent lawyer and politician and served as
Lord Chancellor of England from 1675 to 1682. He was created a baronet, of Raunston in the County of Buckingham, in the
Baronetage of England in 1660 and in 1673 he was raised to the Peerage of England as
Baron Finch of Daventry in the County of Northampton. In 1681, he was further honoured when he was made
Earl of Nottingham, also in the Peerage of England. He was succeeded by his son,
Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham, who in 1729 succeeded his second cousin as the 7th Earl of Winchilsea. See above for further history of the titles. Several other members of the Finch family have also gained distinction.
John Finch, 1st Baron Finch of Fordwich, was the son of Sir Henry Finch, younger brother of Sir Moyle Finch, 1st Baronet of Eastwell. Later the Hon.
Heneage Finch, younger brother of the 2nd Earl of Nottingham, was made the 1st
Earl of Aylesford in 1714. The Hon.
Edward Finch, the fifth son of the 1st Earl of Nottingham, was a composer and sat as Member of Parliament for
Cambridge University. He later took holy orders and served as
Prebendary of
York and
Canterbury. The Hon.
Edward Finch-Hatton, fifth son of the 2nd Earl of Nottingham, sat as Member of Parliament for
Cambridge University from 1727 to 1768. The Hon.
Denys Finch Hatton, brother of the 14th Earl and nephew to Harold Heneage, moved to East Africa and became a noted pilot and hunter, and a close friend of writer
Karen Blixen. In the award winning film "
Out of Africa" he was famously portrayed by
Robert Redford opposite
Meryl Streep. The Hon.
Harold Heneage Finch-Hatton, fourth son of the 10th Earl, represented
Newark in the House of Commons and later wrote books about Australia. The town of
Finch Hatton, Queensland in
Australia is believed to be named after him. The earldom of 1628 is sometimes written
Winchelsea, after the modern spelling of the town (and
Cinque Port) in
East Sussex. ==Family seat and motto==