Biography of Heneage Finch 3rd Earl Winchilsea 1628-1689

In 1609 [his father] Thomas Finch 2nd Earl Winchilsea (age 30) and [his mother] Cecily Wentworth Countess Winchelsea (age 15) were married. He the son of [his grandfather] Moyle Finch 1st Baronet (age 59) and [his grandmother] Elizabeth Heneage 1st Countess Winchelsea (age 52).

In 1628 Heneage Finch 3rd Earl Winchilsea was born to Thomas Finch 2nd Earl Winchilsea (age 49) and Cecily Wentworth Countess Winchelsea (age 34).

On 04 Nov 1639 [his father] Thomas Finch 2nd Earl Winchilsea (age 61) died. His son Heneage (age 11) succeeded 3rd Earl Winchilsea, 3rd Viscount Maidstone, 4th Baronet Finch of Eastwell in Kent.

On 01 Dec 1642 [his mother] Cecily Wentworth Countess Winchelsea (age 49) died.

On 21 May 1645 Heneage Finch 3rd Earl Winchilsea (age 17) and Diana Willoughby Countess Winchelsea were married. She by marriage Countess Winchilsea. He the son of Thomas Finch 2nd Earl Winchilsea and Cecily Wentworth Countess Winchelsea.

Around 1650 Heneage Finch 3rd Earl Winchilsea (age 22) and Mary Seymour Countess Winchelsea (age 13) were married. She by marriage Countess Winchilsea. She the daughter of William Seymour 2nd Duke of Somerset (age 62) and Frances Devereux Duchess of Somerset (age 50). He the son of Thomas Finch 2nd Earl Winchilsea and Cecily Wentworth Countess Winchelsea. They were third cousins. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.

In 1650 [his daughter] Frances Finch Viscountess Weymouth was born to Heneage Finch 3rd Earl Winchilsea (age 22) and [his wife] Mary Seymour Countess Winchelsea (age 13).

In or before 1653 [his son] William Finch was born to Heneage Finch 3rd Earl Winchilsea (age 24) and [his wife] Mary Seymour Countess Winchelsea (age 15).

John Evelyn's Diary. 19 Sep 1655. Came to see me Sir Edward Hales (age 29), Mr. Ashmole (age 38), Mr. Harlakenton, and Mr. Thornhill: and, the next day, I visited Sir Henry Newton at Charlton, where I met the Earl of Winchelsea (age 27) and Baroness Beauchamp (age 25), daughter to the Lord Capel.

In 1656 [his brother-in-law] John Seymour 4th Duke of Somerset (age 11) and Sarah Alston Duchess Somerset (age 14) were married. He the son of [his father-in-law] William Seymour 2nd Duke of Somerset (age 68) and [his mother-in-law] Frances Devereux Duchess of Somerset (age 56). He a great x 4 grandson of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.

On 03 Jan 1657 [his son] Heneage Finch 5th Earl Winchilsea was born to Heneage Finch 3rd Earl Winchilsea (age 29) and [his wife] Mary Seymour Countess Winchelsea (age 20). He was baptised on 11 Jan 1657.

In 1658 [his son] Thomas Finch was born to Heneage Finch 3rd Earl Winchilsea (age 30) and [his wife] Mary Seymour Countess Winchelsea (age 21).

On 07 May 1659 Thomas Wriothesley 4th Earl of Southampton 2nd Earl Chichester (age 52) and [his sister-in-law] Frances Seymour Countess Southampton (age 41) were married. She by marriage Countess of Southampton. She the daughter of [his father-in-law] William Seymour 2nd Duke of Somerset (age 71) and [his mother-in-law] Frances Devereux Duchess of Somerset (age 59). He the son of Henry Wriothesley 3rd Earl of Southampton and Elizabeth Vernon Countess Southampton. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.

After 15 May 1660 Henry Mildmay (age 67) was captured by Heneage Finch 3rd Earl Winchilsea (age 32) at Rye [Map].

John Evelyn's Diary. 18 Jun 1660. I proposed the embassy to Constantinople aka Istanbul, Turkey for Mr. Henshaw (age 42); but my Lord Winchelsea (age 32) struck in.

Samuel Pepys' Diary. 15 Oct 1666. After dinner away home, Mr. Brisband along with me as far as the Temple [Map], and there looked upon a new booke, set out by one Rycault, secretary to my Lord Winchelsea (age 38), of the policy and customs of the Turks, which is, it seems, much cried up. But I could not stay, but home, where I find Balty (age 26) come back, and with him some muster-books, which I am glad of, and hope he will do me credit in his employment.

Samuel Pepys' Diary. 18 May 1668. Thence to my tailor's, and there did find Mercer come with Mrs. Horsfield and Gayet according to my desire, and there I took them up, it being almost twelve o'clock, or a little more, and carried them to the King's playhouse, where the doors were not then open; but presently they did open; and we in, and find many people already come in, by private ways, into the pit, it being the first day of Sir Charles Sidly's (age 29) new play, so long expected, "The Mullberry Guarden", of whom, being so reputed a wit, all the world do expect great matters. I having sat here awhile, and eat nothing to-day, did slip out, getting a boy to keep my place; and to the Rose Tavern, and there got half a breast of mutton, off of the spit, and dined all alone. And so to the play again, where the King (age 37) and Queen (age 29), by and by, come, and all the Court; and the house infinitely full. But the play, when it come, though there was, here and there, a pretty saying, and that not very many neither, yet the whole of the play had nothing extraordinary in it, at all, neither of language nor design; insomuch that the King I did not see laugh, nor pleased the whole play from the beginning to the end, nor the company; insomuch that I have not been less pleased at a new play in my life, I think. And which made it the worse was, that there never was worse musick played-that is, worse things composed, which made me and Captain Rolt (age 39), who happened to sit near me, mad. So away thence, very little satisfied with the play, but pleased with my company. I carried them to Kensington, to the Grotto, and there we sang, to my great content, only vexed, in going in, to see a son of Sir Heneage Finch's (age 40) beating of a poor little dog to death, letting it lie in so much pain that made me mad to see it, till, by and by, the servants of the house chiding of their young master, one of them come with a thong, and killed the dog outright presently.

John Evelyn's Diary. 04 Aug 1669. I was invited by Sir Henry Peckham (age 54) to his reading feast in the Middle Temple, a pompous entertainment, where were the Archbishop of Canterbury (age 71), all the great Earls and Lords, etc. I had much discourse with my Lord Winchelsea (age 41), a prodigious talker; and the Venetian Ambassador [Signor Muccinigo].

On 12 Dec 1671 William Seymour 3rd Duke of Somerset (age 17) died. His uncle [his brother-in-law] John (age 26) succeeded 4th Duke Somerset, 3rd Marquess Hertford, 4th Earl Hertford, 4th Baron Beauchamp of Hatch Beauchamp in Somerset. Sarah Alston Duchess Somerset (age 29) by marriage Duchess Somerset.

Before 1672 [his son-in-law] Thomas Thynne 1st Viscount Weymouth (age 31) and [his daughter] Frances Finch Viscountess Weymouth (age 21) were married. She the daughter of Heneage Finch 3rd Earl Winchilsea (age 43) and [his wife] Mary Seymour Countess Winchelsea (age 34). She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.

On 10 Apr 1673 Heneage Finch 3rd Earl Winchilsea (age 45) and Catherine Norcliffe Countess Winchelsea were married. She by marriage Countess Winchilsea. He the son of Thomas Finch 2nd Earl Winchilsea and Cecily Wentworth Countess Winchelsea.

On 10 Apr 1673 [his wife] Mary Seymour Countess Winchelsea (age 36) died.

On 29 Oct 1681 Heneage Finch 3rd Earl Winchilsea (age 53) and Elizabeth Ayres Countess Winchelsea were married. She by marriage Countess Winchilsea. He the son of Thomas Finch 2nd Earl Winchilsea and Cecily Wentworth Countess Winchelsea.

On 24 Feb 1683 [his son] John Finch 6th Earl Winchilsea was born to Heneage Finch 3rd Earl Winchilsea (age 55) and [his wife] Elizabeth Ayres Countess Winchelsea. He was christened on 06 Mar 1683 at Eastwell, Kent.

On 15 May 1684 [his son] Heneage Finch 5th Earl Winchilsea (age 27) and [his daughter-in-law] Anne Kingsmill Countess Winchelsea (age 23) were married. She by marriage Countess Winchilsea. He the son of Heneage Finch 3rd Earl Winchilsea (age 56) and [his former wife] Mary Seymour Countess Winchelsea. He a great x 5 grandson of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.

In 1689 Heneage Finch 3rd Earl Winchilsea (age 61) died. His grandson [his grandson] Charles (age 16) succeeded 4th Earl Winchilsea, 4th Viscount Maidstone, 5th Baronet Finch of Eastwell in Kent.

On 10 Apr 1745 [his former wife] Elizabeth Ayres Countess Winchelsea died.