Vincent was born by 1493, the first son of Richard Vincent of Messingham, Lincolnshire by Anne (Grimsby), who was the daughter and heiress not only of her father (William Grimsby of Lincoln) after her brother's death, but also coheir through her mother to the Motons of Peckleton (an important Leicestershire family).
It is speculated that he owed this position in part to patronage from Sir Edward Hastings, who had recently been elevated to the peerage and was Lord Chamberlain of the Royal Household.
[1] In 1559, his seat in the Commons went to Adrian Stokes, the new husband of Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk.
He made provisions in his will for sons Edward [the eldest], Clement, Gilbert, Robert (these four were to serve as his executors), Peter and Philip; and daughter Jane.
(A commission was later issued in to compel Edward to administer the estate, "because the executors refused the burden of the execution of the same.