Evelyn's Diary. 06 Sep 1680. [her father] He is generous, and lives very honorably, of a sweet nature, well-spoken, well-bred, and is so highly in his Majesty's (age 50) esteem, and so useful, that being long since made a knight, he is also advanced to be one of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, and has the reversion of the Cofferer's place after Harry Brouncker (age 53). He has married his eldest daughter (age 11) to my [her future husband] Lord Cornwallis (age 15), and gave her £12,000, and restored that entangled family besides. He matched his son to Mrs. Trollop (age 19), who brings with her (besides a great sum) near, if not altogether, £2,000 per annum. Sir Stephen's [her mother] lady (an excellent woman) is sister to Mr. Whittle (age 49), one of the King's (age 50) chirurgeons. In a word, never was man more fortunate than Sir Stephen; he is a handsome person, virtuous, and very religious.

Evelyn's Diary. 16 May 1681. Came my Lady Sunderland (age 35), to desire that I would propose a match to [her father] Sir Stephen Fox (age 54) for her son (age 6), Lord Spencer, to marry Mrs. Jane (age 12), Sir Stephen's (age 54) daughter. I excused myself all I was able; for the truth is, I was afraid he would prove an extravagant man: for, though a youth of extraordinary parts, and had an excellent education to render him a worthy man, yet his early inclinations to extravagance made me apprehensive, that I should not serve Sir Stephen (age 54) by proposing it, like a friend; this being now his only daughter, well-bred, and likely to receive a large share of her father's opulence. Lord Sunderland (age 39) was much sunk in his estate by gaming and other prodigalities, and was now no longer Secretary of State, having fallen into displeasure of the King (age 50) for siding with the Commons about the succession; but which, I am assured, he did not do out of his own inclination, or for the preservation of the Protestant religion, but by mistaking the ability of the party to carry it. However, so earnest and importunate was the Countess (age 35), that I did mention it to Sir Stephen, who said it was too great an honor, that his daughter (age 12) was very young, as well as my Lord, and he was resolved never to marry her without the parties' mutual liking; with other objections which I neither would or could contradict. He desired me to express to the Countess the great sense he had of the honor done him, that his daughter and her son were too young, that he would do nothing without her liking, which he did not think her capable of expressing judiciously, till she was sixteen or seventeen years of age, of which she now wanted four years, and that I would put it off as civilly as I could.

Evelyn's Diary. 02 Jun 1681. I went to Hampton Court [Map], when the Surrey gentlemen presented their addresses to his Majesty (age 51), whose hand I kissed, introduced by the Duke of Albemarle (age 27). Being at the Privy Council, I took another occasion of discoursing with [her father] Sir Stephen Fox (age 54) about his daughter (age 12) and to revive that business, and at least brought it to this: That in case the young people liked one the other, after four years, he first desiring to see a particular of my Lord's (age 39) present estate if I could transmit it to him privately, he would make her portion £14,000, though to all appearance he might likely make it £50,000 as easily, his eldest son (age 15) having no child and growing very corpulent.

Evelyn's Diary. 18 Aug 1688. My lady (age 42) carried us to see [her husband] Lord Northampton's (age 23) Seat, a very strong, large house, built with stone, not altogether modern. They were enlarging the garden, in which was nothing extraordinary, except the iron gate opening into the park, which indeed was very good work, wrought in flowers painted with blue and gilded. There is a noble walk of elms toward the front of the house by the bowling green. I was not in any room of the house besides a lobby looking into the garden, where my Lord (age 23) and his new Countess (age 19) (Sir [her father] Stephen Fox's (age 61) daughter, whom I had known from a child) entertained the Countess (age 42) and her daughter the Countess of Arran (age 21) (newly married to the son (age 30) of the Duke of Hamilton (age 53)), with so little good grace, and so dully, that our visit was very short, and so we returned to Althorpe [Map], twelve miles distant.