1698, till his elevation to the peerage. He was, however, no supporter of
the House of Orange, advocated a regency in James's name, and was one of
the few who in the House of Commons opposed the famous vote that James had
broken the contract between king and people and left the throne vacant. He
held no office during William's reign, and is described by Macky as "always
a great opposer" of the administration. In 1689 he joined in voting for the
reversal of Lord Russell's attainder, and endeavoured to defend his conduct
in the trial, but was refused a hearing by the House. He opposed the
Triennial Bill of 1692, but in 1696 spoke against the bill of association
and test, which was voted for the king's protection, on the ground that
though William was to be obeyed as sovereign he could not be acknowledged
"rightful and lawful king." In 1694 he argued against the crown in the
bankers' case. In 1703 he was created baron of Guernsey and a privy
councillor, and after the accession of George I. on the 19th of October
1714, earl of Aylesford, being reappointed a privy councillor and made
chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, which office he retained till
February 1716. He died on the 22nd of July 1719. According to John Macky
(_Memoirs_, p. 71; published by Roxburghe Club, 1895) he was accounted "one
of the greatest orators in England and a good common lawyer; a firm
asserter of the prerogative of the crown and jurisdiction of the church; a
tall, thin, black man, splenatick." He married Elizabeth, daughter and
co-heiress of Sir John Banks of Aylesford, by whom, besides six daughters,
he had three sons, of whom the eldest, Heneage, succeeded him as 2nd earl
of Aylesford. The 2nd earl died in 1757, and since this date the earldom
has been held by his direct descendants, six of whom in succession have
borne the Christian name of Heneage.

Many of his legal arguments are printed in _State Trials_ (see esp. viii.
694, 1087, ix. 625, 880, 996, x. 126, 319, 405, 1199, xii. 183, 353, 365).
Wood attributes to him on the faith of common rumour the authorship of _An
Antidote against Poison ... Remarks upon a Paper printed by Lady (Rachel)
Russel_ (1683), ascribed in _State Trials_ (ix. 710) to Sir Bartholomew
Shower; but see the latter's allusion to it on p. 753.

[1] _Hist. of His Own Times_, i. 556. Swift has appended a note, "an arrant
rascal," but Finch's great offence with the dean was probably his
advancement by George I. rather tha