Lady Charlotte Finch

Lady Charlotte Finch
Lady Charlotte Finch, painting after John Robinson
Spouse(s)	William Finch
Issue George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea Sophia Fielding
Full name Charlotte Fermor
Father	Thomas Fermor, 1st Earl of Pomfret
Mother	Henrietta Louisa Jeffreys
Born	(1725-02-14)14 February 1725
Died	11 July 1813(1813-07-11) (aged 88) St James's Palace
Buried	Ravenstone, Buckinghamshire
Occupation	Royal governess

Lady Charlotte Finch (née Fermor; 14 February 1725 – 11 July 1813) served as royal governess to the children of King George III and Queen Charlotte for over thirty years, holding the position from 1762 to 1793. She was born to Thomas Fermor, 1st Earl of Pomfret and his wife Henrietta Louisa Jeffreys, both of whom held court appointments. The couple were educated and frequently travelled with their growing brood of children to the continent. Charlotte, like her sisters, was well-educated; in 1746, she married the Hon. William Finch and had issue including George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea.

An accomplished woman, Finch gained her appointment as royal governess in August 1762 upon the birth of George, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of King George and Queen Charlotte. Finch's duties included oversight of the royal nursery and all the staff employed therein, as well as organising lessons for the children. Finch oversaw the princes' education until they became old enough to live in their own households under the watch of governors, while the six princesses remained under her supervision until they turned 21. Finch retired from her role in 1793, though she continued to correspond with members of the royal family and receive gifts from them.

Lady Charlotte Fermor was born on 14 February 1725, the second eldest daughter of Thomas Fermor, 1st Earl of Pomfret and his wife Henrietta Louisa Jeffreys. The growing family would come to include ten children: four sons and six daughters. Lord and Lady Pomfret held various court appointments during their lifetimes; the earl served as Master of the Horse to Queen Caroline while his wife was a Lady of the Bedchamber.

Charlotte and her family were well travelled and sojourned to cultural and historical landmarks on the continent. While details on Fermor and her sisters' education are minimal, mention of them in contemporary diaries implies they were well-educated. She and Lady Pomfret were well-read and interested in theology; Charlotte's friends included the educated Elizabeth Carter. Charlotte was fluent enough in Italian for Horace Walpole to remark in 1740, she "speaks the purest Tuscan, like any Florentine" and "the Florentines look on her as the brightest foreigner that has honoured their [Accademia]." According to Walpole, Lord Granville, who had been briefly married to Charlotte's sister Sophia, was "extremely fond" of Charlotte; after Sophia's death in 1745, Granville gave his deceased wife's jewels to Charlotte, "to the great discontent of his own daughters".