Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham
Encyclopedia
Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham, 7th Earl of Winchilsea PC
(2 July 1647 – 1 January 1730), was an English
Tory statesman during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.
Nottingham was the son of Heneage Finch
(later the first earl of Nottingham and Lord Chancellor
of England) and Elizabeth Harvey, daughter of Daniel Harvey. Little is known about his upbringing. Nottingham entered the Inner Temple
and Westminster School
in 1658, where he boarded for three years at the house of Dr. Richard Busby
, the headmaster and his father's tutor at Christ Church, Oxford
. Nottingham went to Christ Church too and the excellence of his studies made his father doubt their authenticity. Nottingham matriculated at Christ Church as a Gentleman Commoner on 26 July 1662. In April 1663 his father wrote to him, advising that he "loose not the reputation which I am told you have gayn'd of diligence and sobriety". His father also advised Nottingham a month after he had arrived in Oxford "to frequent the publique prayers, and study to reverence and defend, as well as to obey, the Church of England" and when Nottingham's first Easter away from home was approaching: "Nothing can make you truly wise but such a religion as dwells upon your heart and governs your whole life". However Nottingham suffered from illness and it may be due to this that he left Oxford without graduating.
Nottingham went on his Grand Tour
from 1665 to 1668, visiting Frankfurt
, Munich
, Venice
, Florence
, Naples
, Rome
, and Paris
. After he returned to England he was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society
and his cousin Sir Roger Twysden wrote to Nottingham's father that "every body speaks him a very gentleman, and one you and your lady are likely to have much comfort in".
in 1679. He was one of the privy councillors who in 1685 signed the order for the proclamation of the Duke of York, but during the whole of the reign of James II
he kept away from the court. At the last moment he hesitated to join in the invitation to William of Orange
, and after the flight of James II he was the leader of the party who were in favour of James being King in name and William being regent.
He declined the office of Lord Chancellor
under William and Mary
, but accepted that of secretary of state
, retaining it till December 1693. Under Anne in 1702 he again accepted the same office in the ministry of Lord Godolphin
, but finally retired in 1704.
In 1711 during the War of the Spanish Succession
, the Tory ministry of Robert Harley was attempting to negotiate peace with France. On 7 December Nottingham moved the ‘No peace without Spain’ amendment to the vote of thanks, which condemned any peace with France that left Spain and the West Indies in possession of a member of the House of Bourbon. Nottingham spoke for one hour, in which he declared "That though he had fourteen children, he would submit to live upon five hundred pounds a year, rather than consent to those dark and unknown conditions of peace".
On the accession of George I
he was made Lord President of the Council
, but in 1716 he finally withdrew from office. He succeeded to the Earldom of Winchilsea (with which the Nottingham title now became united) on 9 September 1729, and died on the 1 January 1730.
Daniel first married Lady Essex Rich on 16 June 1674. Essex was daughter of Robert Rich, 3rd Earl of Warwick
and Anne Cheeke. Anne was daughter of Sir Thomas Cheeke of Pirgo and a senior Essex Rich.
The elder Essex was daughter of Robert Rich, 1st Earl of Warwick
and Penelope Devereux, Lady Rich. Essex was probably named after her maternal grandfather Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex
. Her maternal grandmother was Lettice Knollys
.
Daniel and Essex had a single daughter: Mary Finch, later married to John Ker, 1st Duke of Roxburghe
. Mary was also a lover of William Savile, 2nd Marquess of Halifax
, and later his wife, following the death of his first wife Elizabeth Grimston.
Daniel was secondly married on 29 December 1685 to Anne Hatton, daughter of Christopher Hatton, Viscount Hatton. They had ten children:
The Whig historian Lord Macaulay
said of Lord Nottingham in 1848:
Privy Council of England
The Privy Council of England, also known as His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, was a body of advisers to the sovereign of the Kingdom of England...
(2 July 1647 – 1 January 1730), was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Tory statesman during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.
Early life
Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham
Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham, PC , Lord Chancellor of England, was descended from the old family of Finch, many of whose members had attained high legal eminence, and was the eldest son of Sir Heneage Finch, recorder of London, by his first wife Frances Bell, daughter of Sir Edmond Bell of...
(later the first earl of Nottingham and Lord Chancellor
Lord Chancellor
The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking only after the Lord High Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign...
of England) and Elizabeth Harvey, daughter of Daniel Harvey. Little is known about his upbringing. Nottingham entered the Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
and Westminster School
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
in 1658, where he boarded for three years at the house of Dr. Richard Busby
Richard Busby
The Rev. Dr. Richard Busby was an English Anglican priest who served as head master of Westminster School for more than fifty-five years.-Life:...
, the headmaster and his father's tutor at Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
. Nottingham went to Christ Church too and the excellence of his studies made his father doubt their authenticity. Nottingham matriculated at Christ Church as a Gentleman Commoner on 26 July 1662. In April 1663 his father wrote to him, advising that he "loose not the reputation which I am told you have gayn'd of diligence and sobriety". His father also advised Nottingham a month after he had arrived in Oxford "to frequent the publique prayers, and study to reverence and defend, as well as to obey, the Church of England" and when Nottingham's first Easter away from home was approaching: "Nothing can make you truly wise but such a religion as dwells upon your heart and governs your whole life". However Nottingham suffered from illness and it may be due to this that he left Oxford without graduating.
Nottingham went on his Grand Tour
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
from 1665 to 1668, visiting Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. After he returned to England he was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
and his cousin Sir Roger Twysden wrote to Nottingham's father that "every body speaks him a very gentleman, and one you and your lady are likely to have much comfort in".
Political career
Daniel Finch entered parliament for LichfieldLichfield (UK Parliament constituency)
Lichfield is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
in 1679. He was one of the privy councillors who in 1685 signed the order for the proclamation of the Duke of York, but during the whole of the reign of James II
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
he kept away from the court. At the last moment he hesitated to join in the invitation to William of Orange
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
, and after the flight of James II he was the leader of the party who were in favour of James being King in name and William being regent.
He declined the office of Lord Chancellor
Lord Chancellor
The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking only after the Lord High Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign...
under William and Mary
Mary II of England
Mary II was joint Sovereign of England, Scotland, and Ireland with her husband and first cousin, William III and II, from 1689 until her death. William and Mary, both Protestants, became king and queen regnant, respectively, following the Glorious Revolution, which resulted in the deposition of...
, but accepted that of secretary of state
Secretary of State for the Northern Department
The Secretary of State for the Northern Department was a position in the Cabinet of the government of Great Britain up to 1782. Before the Act of Union, 1707, the Secretary of State's responsibilities were in relation to the English government, not the British. Even after the Union, there was...
, retaining it till December 1693. Under Anne in 1702 he again accepted the same office in the ministry of Lord Godolphin
Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin
Sir Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin, KG, PC was a leading English politician of the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
, but finally retired in 1704.
In 1711 during the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
, the Tory ministry of Robert Harley was attempting to negotiate peace with France. On 7 December Nottingham moved the ‘No peace without Spain’ amendment to the vote of thanks, which condemned any peace with France that left Spain and the West Indies in possession of a member of the House of Bourbon. Nottingham spoke for one hour, in which he declared "That though he had fourteen children, he would submit to live upon five hundred pounds a year, rather than consent to those dark and unknown conditions of peace".
On the accession of George I
George I of Great Britain
George I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....
he was made Lord President of the Council
Lord President of the Council
The Lord President of the Council is the fourth of the Great Officers of State of the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Treasurer and above the Lord Privy Seal. The Lord President usually attends each meeting of the Privy Council, presenting business for the monarch's approval...
, but in 1716 he finally withdrew from office. He succeeded to the Earldom of Winchilsea (with which the Nottingham title now became united) on 9 September 1729, and died on the 1 January 1730.
Marriages and children
Robert Rich, 3rd Earl of Warwick
Robert Rich, 3rd Earl of Warwick , was the son of Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick and Frances Hatton. His only son, also Robert, predeceased him by 15 months dying of consumption...
and Anne Cheeke. Anne was daughter of Sir Thomas Cheeke of Pirgo and a senior Essex Rich.
The elder Essex was daughter of Robert Rich, 1st Earl of Warwick
Robert Rich, 1st Earl of Warwick
Robert Rich, 3rd Baron Rich, created 1st Earl of Warwick was the son of Robert Rich, 2nd Baron Rich, and Elizabeth Baldry.-Marriages and children:First married Penelope Devereux on 10 January, 1581...
and Penelope Devereux, Lady Rich. Essex was probably named after her maternal grandfather Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex
Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex
Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex, KG , an English nobleman and general. From 1573 until his death he fought in Ireland in connection with the Plantation of Ulster, where he ordered the massacre of Rathlin Island...
. Her maternal grandmother was Lettice Knollys
Lettice Knollys
Lettice Knollys , Countess of Essex and Countess of Leicester , was an English noblewoman and mother to the courtiers Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex and Lady Penelope Rich; through her marriage to Elizabeth I's favourite, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, she incurred the Queen's undying...
.
Daniel and Essex had a single daughter: Mary Finch, later married to John Ker, 1st Duke of Roxburghe
John Ker, 1st Duke of Roxburghe
John Ker, 1st Duke of Roxburghe, PC, FRS was the second son of Robert Ker, 3rd Earl of Roxburghe, and Margaret Hay, daughter of John Hay, 1st Marquess of Tweeddale. He was younger brother to Robert Ker, 4th Earl of Roxburghe....
. Mary was also a lover of William Savile, 2nd Marquess of Halifax
William Savile, 2nd Marquess of Halifax
William Savile, 2nd Marquess of Halifax was the son of George Savile, 1st Viscount Halifax and Dorothy Savile, Viscountess Halifax . He was educated in Geneva in 1677 and matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford in 1681, but did not take a degree. He travelled on the continent in 1684–1687,...
, and later his wife, following the death of his first wife Elizabeth Grimston.
- Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of WinchilseaDaniel Finch, 8th Earl of WinchilseaDaniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea and 3rd Earl of Nottingham, KG, PC was a British politician. Styled Lord Finch until 1730, he was the eldest son of Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham and his second wife Anne Hatton, daughter of Christopher Hatton, 1st Viscount Hatton...
(24 May 1689 – 2 August 1769). He was first married to Lady Frances Feilding, daughter of Basil Feilding, 4th Earl of DenbighBasil Feilding, 4th Earl of DenbighBasil Feilding, 4th Earl of Denbigh, 3rd Earl of Desmond was a British peer and member of the House of Lords, styled Viscount Feilding from 1675 to 1685....
and Hester Firebrace. He was secondly married to Mary Palmer, daughter of Sir Thomas Palmer, 1st Baronet Palmer. No known descendants. - William Finch (? – 25 December 1766). He married Charlotte FermorLady Charlotte FinchLady Charlotte Finch was governess of the children of George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, King and Queen of Great Britain and Ireland. She was the daughter of Thomas Fermor, 1st Earl of Pomfret, and Henrietta Louisa Jeffreys. Charlotte, on 9 August 1746, married the Hon. William...
, daughter of Thomas Fermor, 1st Earl of Pomfret. They were parents of Sophia Finch and her younger brother George Finch, 9th Earl of WinchilseaGeorge Finch, 9th Earl of WinchilseaGeorge Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea KG PC FRS was an important figure in the history of cricket. His main contributions to the game were patronage and organisation but Winchilsea, an amateur, was also a very keen player....
. - John Finch (before 1743 – 1763), who left a daughter.
- Henry Finch
- Edward Finch (c.1697 – 16 May 1771). He was married to Elizabeth Palmer, another daughter of Thomas Palmer, 1st Baronet Palmer. They had three children. He later took the surname Finch-Hatton was grandfather of George Finch-Hatton, 10th Earl of WinchilseaGeorge Finch-Hatton, 10th Earl of WinchilseaGeorge William Finch-Hatton, 10th Earl of Winchilsea, 5th Earl of Nottingham , politician.Hatton, born at Kirby Hall, Northamptonshire, on 19 May 1791, was grandson of Edward Finch-Hatton, and son of George Finch-Hatton of Eastwell Park, near Ashford, Kent, M.P...
. - Essex Finch (d. 23 May 1721). She was married to Sir Roger Mostyn, 3rd BaronetSir Roger Mostyn, 3rd Baronet-Life:Mostyn was born on 31 July 1673. He was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Mostyn, 2nd Baronet, of Mostyn in Flintshire, north Wales, and inherited the title on the death of his father in 1692. He attended the University of Oxford, matriculating from Jesus College in 1690. He was elected as MP...
of Mostyn. They were parents to Sir Thomas Mostyn, 4th Baronet of Mostyn and two other children. - Lady Henrietta Finch (d. 14 April 1742). She married William Fitzroy, 3rd Duke of ClevelandWilliam FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of ClevelandWilliam FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Cleveland was an English nobleman, styled Earl of Chichester until 1730....
, a son of Charles Fitzroy, 2nd Duke of ClevelandCharles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of ClevelandCharles Palmer, later FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Cleveland, 1st Duke of Southampton, Chief Butler of England , styled Baron Limerick before 1670 and Earl of Southampton between 1670 and 1675, was the eldest son of Barbara Palmer, Countess of Castlemaine and the illegitimate son of King...
and Anne Poultney. No known descendants. - Mary Finch (1701 – 30 May 1761). Not to be confused with her elder half-sister. She was married to Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of RockinghamThomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of RockinghamThomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of Rockingham, KB, PC was a British peer and Whig politician.Watson-Wentworth was the only son and heir of Hon...
. - Lady Charlotte Finch (1711 – 21 January 1773). She was married to Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of SomersetCharles Seymour, 6th Duke of SomersetCharles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset , sometimes referred to as the "Proud Duke". The son of Charles Seymour, 2nd Baron Seymour of Trowbridge, and Elizabeth Alington , he succeeded his brother Francis Seymour, 5th Duke of Somerset, to the dukedom when the latter was shot in 1678...
. They were parents to Lady Charlotte Seymour and Lady Frances Seymour. - Elizabeth Finch (1723 – 10 April 1784). She married William Murray, 1st Earl of MansfieldWilliam Murray, 1st Earl of MansfieldWilliam Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, SL, PC was a British barrister, politician and judge noted for his reform of English law. Born to Scottish nobility, he was educated in Perth, Scotland before moving to London at the age of 13 to take up a place at Westminster School...
. No known descendants.
Legacy
Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay
Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay PC was a British poet, historian and Whig politician. He wrote extensively as an essayist and reviewer, and on British history...
said of Lord Nottingham in 1848:
This son, Earl Daniel, was an honourable and virtuous man. Though enslaved by some absurd prejudices, and though liable to strange fits of caprice, he cannot be accused of having deviated from the path of right in search either of unlawful gain or of unlawful pleasure. Like his father he was a distinguished speaker, impressive, but prolix, and too monotonously solemn. The person of the orator was in perfect harmony with his oratory. His attitude was rigidly erect: his complexion so dark that he might have passed for a native of a warmer climate than ours; and his harsh features were composed to an expression resembling that of a chief mourner at a funeral. It was commonly said that he looked rather like a Spanish grandee than like an English gentleman. The nicknames of Dismal, Don Dismallo, and Don Diego, were fastened on him by jesters, and are not yet forgotten. He had paid much attention to the science by which his family had been raised to greatness, and was, for a man born to rank and wealth, wonderfully well read in the laws of his country. He was a devoted son of the Church, and showed his respect for her in two ways not usual among those Lords who in his time boasted that they were her especial friends, by writing tracts in defence of her dogmas, and by shaping his private life according to her precepts. Like other zealous churchmen, he had, till recently, been a strenuous supporter of monarchical authority. But to the policy which had been pursued since the suppression of the Western insurrectionMonmouth RebellionThe Monmouth Rebellion,The Revolt of the West or The West Country rebellion of 1685, was an attempt to overthrow James II, who had become King of England, King of Scots and King of Ireland at the death of his elder brother Charles II on 6 February 1685. James II was a Roman Catholic, and some...
he was bitterly hostile, and not the less so because his younger brother Heneage had been turned out of the office of Solicitor General for refusing to defend the King's dispensing power.