Biography

He was born in Deptford, Kent, the son of John Evelyn the Younger

John Evelyn the Younger

-Life:Evelyn was the third but eldest surviving son of John Evelyn, born 19 January 1655. On 13 December 1660 his father presented him to the queen mother, who made much of him. Until 1662 he was ‘brought up amongst Mr. Howard's children at Arundel House.’ In 1665 Edmund Bohun became his tutor...

, Barrister of the Middle Temple and Commissioner of the Revenue, and his wife, Martha, daughter of Richard Spencer. He was the grandson of the famous diarist John Evelyn

John Evelyn

John Evelyn was an English writer, gardener and diarist.Evelyn's diaries or Memoirs are largely contemporaneous with those of the other noted diarist of the time, Samuel Pepys, and cast considerable light on the art, culture and politics of the time John Evelyn (31 October 1620 – 27 February...

. He entered Balliol College, Oxford

Balliol College, Oxford

Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....

 and matriculated in 1699.

He was Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for Helston

Helston (UK Parliament constituency)

Helston, sometimes known as Helleston, was a parliamentary borough centred on the small town of Helston in Cornwall.Using the bloc vote system of election, it returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then to House of Commons of Great Britain until 1800, and...

 from 1708 to 1710, and joint Postmaster General from 1708 to 1715. He was Commissioner of Customs from 1721 to 1763.

On 6 August 1713, he was created Baronet, of Wotton

Wotton, Surrey

Wotton is a small village located on the A25 between Guildford in the west and Dorking in the east. Neighbouring villages include: the Abingers of Abinger Common, Sutton Abinger, and Abinger Hammer; Friday Street and Westcott...

 in Surrey

Surrey

Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...

. He built a library 45 feet long at the family seat of Wotton House

Wotton House, Surrey

Wotton House is in Wotton near Dorking, Surrey, England. It is a grade II listed building. Originally a country house and the seat of the Evelyn family, it is now a training and conference centre.-Construction:...

. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in January 1723.

He died on 18 July 1763, and was buried at Wotton.

Family

Sir John married, 18 September 1750, Anne, daughter of Edward Boscawen of Cornwall.

Further reading

• Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) http://books.google.com/books?vid=024wW9LmFc5kXY0FI2&id=Gh2wKY2rkDUC&printsec=toc&dq=Return+of+Members+of+Parliament&as_brr=1&sig=SK5GVtGLfWQ9ovZDbyZObAyIO5I#PPP9,M1