He declined the office of Lord Chancellor under William and Mary, but accepted that of Secretary of State, retaining it until December 1693. Under Queen Anne in 1702, he again accepted the same office in the ministry of Lord Godolphin, but finally retired in 1704. In 1711, during the War of the Spanish Succession, the Tory ministry of Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford was attempting to negotiate peace with France. On 7 December Finch moved the 'No peace without Spain' amendment to the vote of thanks, which condemned any peace with France that left Spain and the West Indies in possession of a member of the House of Bourbon. Finch spoke for one hour and declared that "though he had fourteen children, he would submit to live upon five hundred pounds a year rather than consent to those dark and unknown conditions of peace". On the accession of King George I he was made Lord President of the Council but in 1716 he finally withdrew from office. On 9 September 1729, he succeeded to the title Earl of Winchilsea (which thenceforth became united with his paternal title of Earl of Nottingham) and died on 1 January 1730. Marriages and issue He married twice: Firstly, on 16 June 1674, to Lady Essex Rich, a daughter of Robert Rich, 3rd Earl of Warwick by his wife Anne Cheeke. By his first wife he had 8 children of whom only one daughter survived to adulthood: Mary Finch (born 1677), who married firstly John Ker, 1st Duke of Roxburghe, and secondly (as his second wife) William Savile, 2nd Marquess of Halifax. Secondly, on 29 December 1685, he married Anne Hatton (1668–1743), a daughter of Christopher Hatton, 1st Viscount Hatton. She was appointed a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Mary II in 1691. By his second wife (who had over twenty pregnancies) he had at least twelve surviving children, including: Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea (24 May 16892 August 1769), eldest son and heir, who married firstly Lady Frances Feilding, a daughter of Basil Feilding, 4th Earl of Denbigh and secondly Mary Palmer, a daughter of Sir Thomas Palmer, 1st Baronet. He left no known descendants. William Finch (169025 December 1766), who married Charlotte Fermor, a daughter of Thomas Fermor, 1st Earl of Pomfret, by whom he had issue including Sophia Finch and her younger brother George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea.