Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Anne Finch
Countess of Winchilsea
Portrait miniature by Peter Cross (c. 1690–1700)
Born	April 1661
Died	5 August 1720
Spouse(s)	Heneage Finch, 5th Earl of Winchilsea
Occupation	Poet and courtier

Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea (born Anne Kingsmill; April 1661 – 5 August 1720), was an English poet and a courtier. A courtier is someone who attends the royal court. Anne Finch wrote many different kinds of poems. These included fables, odes, songs, and religious poems. Her writings often showed her political ideas, religious beliefs, and artistic feelings.

She also mentioned other female writers of her time, like Aphra Behn and Katherine Phillips. Anne Finch believed that men and women were equal in their minds and spirits. She also felt it was important for women to use their full potential. This was a moral duty to themselves and to society. Because of these ideas, she is seen as a very important female poet of the Augustan Era. Anne Finch passed away in Westminster in 1720. She was buried at her home in Eastwell, Kent.

Anne Finch's Life Story

Growing Up

Anne Kingsmill was born in April 1661 in Sydmonton, Hampshire, in southern England. Her parents were Sir William Kingsmill and Anne Haslewood. Both came from old and powerful families. Anne was the youngest of three children. Her older siblings were William and Bridget Kingsmill.

Anne never met her father. He died just five months after she was born. In his will, he made sure his daughters would get the same financial support for their education as their brother. This was a very modern idea for that time.

Her mother remarried in 1662 to Sir Thomas Ogle. Later, Anne Kingsmill's half-sister, Dorothy Ogle, was born. Anne and Dorothy stayed close throughout their lives. Dorothy inspired poems like "Some Reflections: In a Dialogue Between Teresa and Ardelia" and "To my Sister Ogle".

Anne's mother died in 1664. Before she passed away, she left control of her property to her second husband. But Anne Kingsmill's uncle, William Haslewood, successfully challenged this will in court. After this, Anne and Bridget Kingsmill lived with their grandmother, Lady Kingsmill, in Charing Cross, London. Their brother lived with their uncle, William Haslewood.

In 1670, Lady Kingsmill also went to court. She asked for money from William Haslewood to help pay for Anne and Bridget's education and care. The court decided to split the care and money between Haslewood and Lady Kingsmill. When Lady Kingsmill died in 1672, Anne and Bridget went to live with their brother. They were all raised by Haslewood. The sisters received a very good and modern education. This was unusual for girls back then. Anne Kingsmill learned about Greek and Roman myths, the Bible, French and Italian languages, history, poetry, and plays.

Life at King Charles II's Court

The sisters stayed with their uncle until he died in 1682. Anne Kingsmill was 21 years old then. She moved to St James's Palace and joined the court of King Charles II. She became one of six maids of honor to Mary of Modena. Mary was the wife of James, Duke of York, who later became King James II.

It seems Anne started writing poetry at the palace. Her friends included Sarah Churchill and Anne Killigrew. They were also maids of honor who liked poetry. However, Anne Kingsmill saw how people at court made fun of Killigrew's poems. Poetry was not thought to be a proper activity for women. So, Anne decided to keep her own writing a secret. She only shared it with her close friends. She kept her poetry private for many years. Later in life, she was encouraged to publish her work under her own name.

Marriage to Heneage Finch

While at court, Anne Kingsmill met Colonel Heneage Finch. They married on May 15, 1684. Colonel Finch was a courtier and a soldier. He had been appointed to a special role for James, Duke of York, in 1683. His family was very loyal to the King and the Stuart dynasty. His grandmother had become the Countess of Winchilsea in 1628.

Finch met Kingsmill and fell in love with her. At first, she was not interested in his romantic advances. But Finch kept trying, and they finally married on May 15, 1684.

After her marriage, Anne Finch left her job at court. But her husband kept his position and served in different government roles. So, the couple stayed involved in court life. During King James II's coronation in 1685, Heneage Finch carried the Queen's canopy. Queen Mary of Modena had specifically asked for him.

Their marriage was strong and happy. This was partly because they treated each other as equals. Anne's poetry skills grew as she wrote about her love for her husband. She also wrote about how his support helped her artistic growth. These early poems, many written to her husband, celebrated their relationship. One example is "A Letter to Dafnis: April 2d 1685." By writing this way, Anne Finch quietly went against the social rules of her time. In other early works, she criticized unfair attitudes towards women. Her husband strongly supported her writing.

Even with their court connections, Anne and Heneage Finch lived a rather calm life. They first lived in Westminster. Then, as Heneage Finch became more involved in public matters, they moved to London. His involvement grew when James II became king in 1685. The couple showed great loyalty to the king during his short reign.

Difficult Times and a New King

William and Mary

King James II was removed from power in 1688. This event is known as the "Bloodless Revolution" because there was little fighting. James had been criticized for ruling like a dictator. He eventually fled England to live in Saint-Germain, France. The British Parliament then offered the English crown to William of Orange.

When the new rulers, William and Mary, took the throne, everyone had to take an oath of loyalty. William and Mary were Protestants. The Finches remained loyal to the Catholic Stuart court. They refused to take the new oath. They believed their oaths to the previous king were morally binding forever.

This decision caused problems. Heneage Finch lost his government job and stopped being involved in public life. Losing his job meant losing income. The Finches had to live with friends in London for a while. While in the city, they faced harassment, fines, and the risk of being put in prison.

In April 1690, Heneage Finch was arrested. He was accused of supporting James II, who was in exile in France. This was a tough time for those who supported James II or refused the new oath. Their arrests and punishments were often harsh. Because of his arrest, Heneage and Anne Finch were separated from April to November that year. This situation caused them a lot of sadness. Anne Finch lived with friends in Kent while her husband prepared his defense in London. She often felt depressed, a problem she had for most of her adult life. The poems she wrote during this time, like "Ardelia to Melancholy," showed her feelings. Other poems had political themes. All her work from this period was less cheerful than her earlier poems.

Moving to the Countryside

After Heneage Finch was released and his case was dropped, his nephew, Charles Finch, 4th Earl of Winchelsea, invited them to live at the family's Eastwell Park, Kent, estate. The Finches moved there in late 1690. They found peace and safety on the beautiful estate. They would live there quietly for more than 25 years.

For Anne Finch, the estate was a great place for her writing. Charles Finch supported artists. Along with Heneage Finch, he encouraged Anne's writing. Her husband's support was very practical. He started collecting her 56 poems. He wrote them out by hand and made corrections. One important change he made was to Anne's pen name. He changed it from "Areta" to "Ardelia."

The peace and quiet at Eastwell helped Finch's poetry grow. Living in the countryside was her most productive writing period. Her work showed her growing knowledge of the poetry styles of her time. She wrote about topics like metaphysics (the study of reality), the beauty of nature (in "A Nocturnal Reverie"), and the value of friendship (in "The Petition for an Absolute Retreat").

Back in Public Life

Title page of Miscellany Poems, on Several Occasions, published in 1713.

By the early 1700s, the political situation in England had generally improved for the Finches. King William died in 1702. His death was followed by Queen Anne taking the throne. She was the daughter of James II, who had died in 1701. With these changes, the Finches felt ready to live a more public life. Heneage Finch ran for a seat in Parliament three times (in 1701, 1705, and 1710), but he was never elected. Still, the Finches felt it was time to leave the quiet country life and move into a house in London.

In London, Anne Finch was encouraged to publish her poetry under her own name. Earlier, in 1691, she had anonymously published some of her poems. In 1701, she anonymously published "The Spleen" in a collection called A New Miscellany of Original Poems, on Several Occasions. This well-liked poem about depression became her most popular work during her lifetime.

When the Finches returned to London, Anne made some important and influential friends. These included famous writers like Jonathan Swift, Nicholas Rowe, and Alexander Pope. They encouraged her to write and publish much more openly. For example, Swift's poem "Apollo Outwitted" playfully suggests that her modesty was a "curse."

She was hesitant to publish openly. She felt that the social and political climate was still unfair to women. In her poem "The Introduction," which was shared privately, she wrote about how people viewed female poets. When she published Miscellany Poems, on Several Occasions in 1713, the first printing said the collected works were "Written by a Lady." This collection included 86 poems and a play. However, in later printings, Finch (as Anne, Countess of Winchilsea) was given credit as the author.

Becoming Lady Winchilsea

Anne Finch became Countess of Winchilsea after the sudden death of Charles Finch on August 4, 1712. Charles Finch had no children. So, his uncle Heneage Finch became the Earl of Winchilsea, making Anne the Countess. However, these titles came with problems. The Finches had to take on Charles Finch's financial and legal issues. These problems were finally solved in the Finches' favor in 1720. But it caused the couple almost seven years of emotional stress.

During this time, Heneage and Anne Finch faced new stresses from court politics. When Queen Anne died in 1714, George I became king. After that, a Whig government came to power. This government was against those who supported James II. The Jacobite rebellion in Scotland in 1715 made the political situation even more tense. The Finches became very worried about their safety. This was especially true after their friend, Matthew Prior, who shared their political views, was sent to prison.

Declining Health

All her worries affected Anne Finch's health. It had started to get worse. For years, she had been prone to depression. In 1715, she became seriously ill. Her later poems showed her struggles. For example, "A Suplication for the joys of Heaven" and "A Contemplation" expressed her thoughts about her life and her political and spiritual beliefs.

She died in 1720 in Westminster, London. Her body was returned to Eastwell for burial, as she had wished. Her husband wrote an obituary that praised her talents as a writer and her good qualities as a person. Part of it said she was "the most faithful Servant to her Royall Mistresse, the best Wife to her Noble Lord, and in every other Relation, publick and private, so illustrious an Example of such extraordinary Endowments, both of Body and Mind, that the Court of England never bred a more accomplished Lady, nor the Church of England a better Christian."

Her husband died on September 30, 1726.

Her Poetry Rediscovered

The only major collection of Anne Finch's writings published during her lifetime was Miscellany Poems, on Several Occasions. For almost a century after her death, her poetry was mostly forgotten. Then, the famous English poet William Wordsworth praised her nature poetry. He did this in an essay in his 1815 book Lyrical Ballads.

A large collection called The Poems of Anne, Countess of Winchilsea, edited by Myra Reynolds, was published in 1903. For many years, this was considered the most complete collection of her writings. It is still the only academic collection of Finch's poetry. It includes all the poems from Miscellany Poems and poems found in old manuscripts. Reynolds's impressive introduction helped bring Finch's reputation back, just as Wordsworth's praise had done earlier.

Later, the Wellesley Manuscript was released. It contained 53 poems that had never been published before. Experts in literature have noted Finch's unique voice. They also appreciate the personal, honest, and spiritual feeling in her poems. They also liked her experiments with poetry and her skilled use of Augustan language and forms.

Some scholars, like James Winn and Bruce Wood, believe Anne Finch wrote the words for Venus and Adonis. This is an opera with music by John Blow. Some think it is the first true opera in English. However, the recent Cambridge Edition of the Works of Anne Finch says that her authorship is not proven.

In 1929, Virginia Woolf, in her famous essay A Room of One's Own, both criticized and greatly admired Finch's writing. Woolf was looking for the history of female writers and the "female voice." She argued that Finch's writing was "harassed and distracted with hates and grievances." Woolf pointed out that for Finch, "men are hated and feared, because they have the power to bar her way to what she wants to do—which is to write."

However, Woolf excused the flaws she saw in Finch's work. She claimed that Finch surely had to "encourage herself to write by supposing that what she writes will never be published." Woolf also acknowledged that in Finch's work, "Now and again words issue of pure poetry…It was a thousand pities that the woman who could write like that, whose mind was turned to nature, and reflection, should have been forced to anger and bitterness." Woolf clearly sympathized with Finch's struggles as a female poet. Even though she disagreed with some of the content, she was sad that Finch was so unknown. Woolf wished to know more about "this melancholy lady, who loved wandering in the fields and thinking about unusual things and scorned, so rashly, so unwisely, 'the dull manage of a servile house.'"

Anne Finch's Works

Main Themes in Her Poetry

As a poet, Finch became somewhat known during her lifetime. This was in the late 1600s and early 1700s. Besides her lyric poetry, odes, love poems, and prose poetry, Finch's writing is considered part of the Augustan period (around 1660–1760). This is mainly because her work reflected on nature. She found both an emotional and religious connection to it in her poems. She also commented on the changing ideas and politics of her time. Later, literary critics recognized how varied her poetry was. They also appreciated its personal and intimate style. This style gained more attention after her death.

The Introduction Poem

In her works, Finch used her own observations and experiences. She showed a deep understanding of the social rules and political mood of her time. But she also skillfully wrote down her private thoughts. These could be joyful or sad, playful or hopeless. Her poems also showed her strong spiritual side.

Did I, my lines intend for public view,
How many censures, would their faults pursue,
Some would, because such words they do affect,
Cry they’re insipid, empty, and uncorrect.
And many have attained, dull and untaught,
The name of wit only by finding fault.
True judges might condemn their want of wit,

These lines are from Anne Finch's poem The Introduction. They welcome readers into her lively, emotional, and opinionated writing style. They clearly show the distinct female voice that is about to appear. Anne Finch wrote poetry and plays that were often sad, witty, and aware of social issues. Her talent has allowed her works to survive and become an impressive poetic legacy for centuries after her death.

The Spleen Poem

Finch experimented with the poetry styles of her day. She often went her own way with rhyme, rhythm, and content. Her topics ranged from simple to deep and philosophical. Finch also wrote several funny stories, like the short tales by French writer Jean de La Fontaine. She made fun of La Fontaine's fables, using sharp sarcasm to offer social criticism.

However, Finch's more serious and sad poems brought her wider fame. Her famous poems in this sad style include A Nocturnal Reverie and Ardelia to Melancholy. Both describe severe depression. Finch also skillfully used the Pindaric ode, which explores complex and irregular structures and rhyme schemes. Her most famous example of this technique is in The Spleen. This poem was first published in 1701. It is a poetic expression of her personal experience with depression and its effects. This condition was often linked to the spleen at the time.

What art thou, Spleen, which ev'ry thing dost ape?
Thou Proteus to abused mankind,
Who never yet thy real cause could find,
Or fix thee to remain in one continued shape.
Still varying thy perplexing form,
Now a Dead Sea thou'lt represent,
A calm of stupid discontent,
Then, dashing on the rocks wilt rage into a storm.
Trembling sometimes thou dost appear,
Dissolved into a panic fear;

This poem was first published without an author's name. It became one of her most famous works. Virginia Woolf said of Finch, "a thousand pities that [her mind] should have been forced to [such] anger and bitterness."

Even though she sometimes had a very sad outlook, Anne Finch was a skilled and effective writer. Many of her prominent friends pointed this out. Today, she is known as one of the most flexible and talented poets of her generation.

One of her poems had music set to it by Purcell.

Selected Works

Writings by the Author

• Upon the Death of King James the Second, anonymous (London, 1701).
• The Tunbridge Prodigy (London: Printed & sold by John Morphew, 1706).
• The Spleen, A Pindarique Ode. By a Lady (London: Printed & sold by H. Hills, 1709).
• Free-thinkers: A Poem in Dialogue (London, 1711).
• Miscellany Poems, on Several Occasions. Written by a Lady (London: Printed for John Barber & sold by Benj. Tooke, William Taylor & James Round, 1713).

Editions and Collections

• The Poems of Anne Countess of Winchilsea, edited by Myra Reynolds (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1903).
• Selected Poems of Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea (Hull, Que.: Orinda, 1906).
• Poems, by Anne, Countess of Winchilsea, compiled by John Middleton Murry (London: Cape, 1928).
• Selected Poems, edited by Katharine M. Rogers (New York: Ungar, 1979).
• Selected Poems, edited by Denys Thompson (Manchester: Carcanet Press, 1987; New York: Fyfield, 1987).
• The Wellesley Manuscript Poems of Anne Countess of Winchilsea, edited by Jean M. Ellis D'Alessandro (Florence: Universita degli Studi di Firenze, 1988).
• The Anne Finch Digital Archive, edited by Jennifer Keith.The Anne Finch Digital Archive
• The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea, edited by Jennifer Keith, et al., 2 volumes (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2020–2021). Cambridge UP website information

List of Poems

• Adam Posed
• The Answer
• Friendship between Ephelia and Ardelia
• The Introduction
• A Letter to Daphnis
• A Nocturnal Reverie
• On Myself
• A Song
• The Spleen
• To Death
• To the Nightingale
• The Tree