EP. 139: An English Earl in Texas…
Wise About Texas
Ken Wise
4.9 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 12 October 2025
⏱️ 20 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The 7th Earl of Aylesford was quite the character. His exploits in England were “of note.” In fact, they were of such note that he had to leave the country. So he (naturally) decided to become a ranchman in Big Spring in the late 19th Century. A friend to all, the Earl enjoyed the good company of his fellow cowboys and wasn’t scared to pay a bar tab. Learn about Lord Finch and his time as a cowboy in this latest episode of Wise About Texas.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Howdy and welcome to Wise About Texas, the Texas History podcast. |
| 0:12.1 | This is your host, Ken Wise. |
| 0:13.4 | Thank you very much for tuning in today for a little bit of Texas history. |
| 0:18.0 | It's getting this podcast being recorded and released in October of 2025 and it's finally getting a little |
| 0:24.8 | cool in the morning so hopefully this weather's going to break and Texas will cool off a little |
| 0:30.0 | bit. Texas is in a period of incredible growth. It's the best place to do business in the |
| 0:36.6 | country and of course the spirit of Texas makes it a best place to do business in the country. And of course, the |
| 0:38.4 | spirit of Texas makes it a great place to live, as all of you listening know. But growth in Texas |
| 0:44.3 | is not a new phenomenon. People have always wanted to move here for various reasons. Sometimes |
| 0:50.6 | it's to seek the prosperity that Texas has offered through the years. |
| 0:55.7 | Sometimes it's to live in a place that values individual freedom. |
| 1:00.7 | But sometimes it's to escape from somewhere else. |
| 1:05.6 | And this is the story of just such an individual who moved here from England in the late 19th century. |
| 1:11.8 | The difference is, this man was royalty. |
| 1:15.6 | So let's go back to 1883 and get wise about Texas. |
| 1:26.1 | Our subject today is Joseph Heneage Finch. |
| 1:31.3 | He was an Englishman born in Middlesex, England, to Hennage Finch and Jane Finch in 1849. |
| 1:42.4 | His father, Hennage, was the sixth Earl of Islesford, Islesford. |
| 1:49.0 | And that makes Joseph the seventh Earl of Islesford. |
| 1:55.0 | Islesford is located in southeast England. |
| 1:58.0 | It's in the region of Kent England it's a very old village |
| 2:02.9 | been around since medieval times it was once the largest the center of the manufacturing of |
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