Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea

Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea, was an English poet and courtier. Finch wrote in many genres and on many topics - including fables, odes, songs, and religious verse - which are informed by "political ideology, religious orientation, and aesthetic sensibility". Her works also allude to other female authors of the time, such as Aphra Behn and Katherine Phillips. Through her commentary on the mental and spiritual equality of the sexes and the importance of women fulfilling their potential as a moral duty to themselves and to society, she is regarded as one of the integral female poets of the Augustan Era. Finch died in Westminster in 1720 and was buried at her home at Eastwell, Kent.