Sir John Evelyn, 1st Baronet, of Wotton

Sir John Evelyn of Wotton, 1st Bt
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Sir John Evelyn, 1st Baronet (1 March 1682 – July 1763) of Wotton, Surrey, was a British politician.

Biography

He was born on 1 March 1682 at Sayes Court in Deptford, Kent, the second but only surviving son of John Evelyn the Younger, barrister of the Middle Temple and Commissioner of the Revenue, and his wife, Martha, daughter and co-heir of Richard Spencer. He was baptised the following day.^[1] He was the grandson of the famous diarist John Evelyn.^[2] He matriculated at Balliol College, Oxford, on 25 February 1699, aged 16.^[1]

He was Member of Parliament in the Parliament of Great Britain for Helston from 1708 to 1710, and joint Postmaster General from 1708 to 1715. He was Commissioner of Customs from 1721 to 1763.^[1]

On 6 August 1713, he was created a baronet in the Baronetage of Great Britain. He built a library 45 feet long at the family seat of Wotton House.^[1][2] He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in January 1723.^[3]

He died on 15^[1] or 18^[2] July 1763, and was buried at Wotton on 22 July. He was succeeded by his eldest son, John.^[1]

Family

Sir John married, on 18 September 1705 at Lambeth, Anne, eldest daughter of Edward Boscawen of Cornwall by Jael, the daughter of Sir Francis Godolphin. Her brother was Hugh Boscawen, 1st Viscount Falmouth. She was buried, aged 67, at Wotton on 24 January 1752.^[1]

Notes

References

•  Lee, Sidney (1889). "Evelyn, John (1655-1699)". In Stephen, Leslie. Dictionary of National Biography. 18. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 83. 

Further reading

• Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807)
• Perry Gauci (2002) "EVELYN, John II (1682–1763), of Wotton, Surr., and St. James's, Westminster" The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1690–1715, edited by D. Hayton, E. Cruickshanks, S. Handley