William Coles Finch

William Coles Finch MICE (1864–1944) was a British historian and author of a number of books on Kent-related topics. He is best known for writing Watermills and Windmills, published in 1933 and reprinted in 1976, which is considered a standard work on the topic of Kent windmills.

This British surname is barrelled, being made up of multiple names. It should be written as Coles Finch, not Finch.
William Coles Finch
Born(1864-10-23)23 October 1864
Rochester, Kent, England
Died6 June 1944(1944-06-06) (aged 79)
Luton, Kent
Burial placeSt Nicholas Church, Rochester
Other namesWilliam Coles-Finch
OccupationWaterworks manager
Known forWriting a number of books on Kent
SpouseEmily Sarah (née Hall)
ChildrenVera
Dorothy
Irene
Neville
Signature

Personal
Jaffa Gate Mill, Jerusalem. Picture originally published in Illustrated London News in 1858 and republished in "Watermills and Windmills" by William Coles Finch, first published in 1933.

William Coles Finch was born on 23 October,[1] 1864 in Rochester, Kent.[2][3][4] His wife was Emily, and they had four children, Vera, Dorothy, Irene and Neville.[5] In 1908, his first book, Water, its origin and use, was published. This was followed in 1914 by Water in Nature, jointly authored with Ellison Hawks. In 1925, In Kentish Pilgrim Land was published, followed by The Lure of the Countryside in 1927, Life in Rural England in 1928 and Watermills in Windmills in 1933.[6] The latter is considered a bible on windmills in Kent.[7] Coles Finch died in Luton, Kent on 6 June 1944, aged 79.[3] He is buried in the churchyard of St Nicholas Church, Rochester.[8] In 1976, Watermills and Windmills was reprinted. BBC Radio Medway produced an hour-long documentary Sweeping Changes, The Windmills of Kent in response to the reprint.[9]

Career

Coles Finch was the resident engineer of the Brompton, Chatham, Gillingham and Rochester Water Company.[10] He had previously been engineer and manager of the Higham and Hundred of Hoo Water Company and assistant manager of Strood Waterworks.[11] He lived at Waterworks House, Luton, Chatham.[12] In 1897, Coles Finch read a paper at the British Association of Waterworks Engineers meeting at the Town Hall, Westminster, London on Electrical Water Level Recorders.[13]

Published works
  • Water, its origin and use. London: Alston Rivers, Ltd. 1908.
  • Water in Nature. Edinburgh: T. C. and E. C. Jack Ltd. 1914. (jointly authored with Ellison Hawks).
  • The Foords of Rochester : Reminiscences. Parrett & Neves. 1917.
  • In Kentish Pilgrimland, its Ancient Roads and Shrines. London: C W Daniel. 1927.
  • The Lure of the Countryside. London: C W Daniel. 1927.
    • The Lure of the Countryside. Milton Keynes: Lightning Source UK. 2009. ISBN 978-1-44465-090-7. (reprint)
  • Life in Rural England. London: C W Daniel. 1928.
  • The Medway River & Valley. London: C W Daniel. 1929.
  • Watermills and Windmills. London: C W Daniel. 1933.
    • Watermills and Windmills. Sheerness: A J Cassell. 1976. ISBN 0-903253-02-X. (reprint)

References
  1. "In Memoriam". The Times. No. 51210. London. 23 October 1948. col A, p. 1.
  2. General Register Office index of births registered in October, November, December, 1864 - Name: Finch, William Coles. District: Medway Volume: 2A Page: 373.
  3. "Deaths". The Times. No. 49877. London. 8 June 1944. col A, p. 1.
  4. 1901 Census of Medway, RG13/731, Folio 11, Page 14, Name: William C Finch, Address: 55 Queen's Road, Chatham, Occupation: Mining Engineer (Waterworks) Where Born: Rochester, Kent Condition: Married
  5. "Deaths". The Times. No. 51930. London. 20 February 1951. col A, p. 1.
  6. See Published Works section of this article
  7. Cumming 2010, p. 24.
  8. "Hidden Rochester". City of Rochester Society. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  9. Nicholas 1993, pp. 2–3.
  10. Coles-Finch 1908, p. Title page.
  11. "Electrical Water Level Recorders, and their use in Connection with Waterworks". Transactions of the British Association of Waterworks Engineers. London: 239. 1897.
  12. Coles Finch 1933, p. 12.
  13. "British Association of Waterworks Engineers". The Times. No. 35263. London. 23 July 1897. col F, p. 13.

Sources
  • Cumming, Rob (2010). "Bromley's Windmill:Debunking a few myths". Cant Post. Kent: Kent Mills Society (2).
  • Coles-Finch, William (1908). Water, its origin and use. London: C W Daniel.
  • Coles Finch, William (1933). Watermills and Windmills. London: C W Daniel.
  • Nicholas, Nick (1993). "William Coles-Finch". Newsletter 55. Ipswich: Suffolk Mills Group.
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