Heneage Finch, 5th Earl of Winchilsea FSA (1657 – 30 September 1726) was an English peer and Tory politician, who was styled Hon.

He lost his posts upon the deposition of James [1] but remained close friends with his 'brother of the bedchamber' Captain David Lloyd until the latter's death in 1723.

[3] In April 1690, Heneage Finch was arrested and charged with Jacobitism for attempting to join the exiled James II in France.

It was a difficult time for Jacobites and Nonjurors (those who had refused to take the oath of allegiance, such as the Finches), as their arrests and punishments were abusive.

Certainly, a significant proportion of the two extant manuscript copies of Anne Finch's work are in Heneage's hand, with further errata noted in his own diaries.

The Finches became greatly concerned about their safety, especially after a friend, Matthew Prior, who shared their political sympathies, was sent to prison.