Biography of John Evelyn of Wotton 1652-1691

Paternal Family Tree: Evelyn

Before 1652 [his father] George Evelyn of Wotton (age 34) and [his mother] Mary Offley were married.

Before 13 Apr 1652 John Evelyn of Wotton was born to George Evelyn of Wotton (age 34) and Mary Offley.

Evelyn's Diary. 13 Apr 1652. News was brought me that Lady Cotton, my [his father] brother George's (age 34) wife was delivered of a son.

On 08 Aug 1664 [his mother] Mary Offley died.

Evelyn's Diary. 03 Mar 1680. I dined at my Lord Mayor's, in order to the meeting of my Lady Beckford, whose [his future wife] daughter (a rich heiress) I had recommended to my [his father] brother (age 62) of Wotton for his only son (age 27), she being the daughter of the lady by Mr. Eversfield, a Sussex gentleman.

Evelyn's Diary. 10 Feb 1681. I was at the wedding of my nephew, John Evelyn of Wotton (age 28), married by the Bishop of Rochester (age 56) at Westminster, in Henry VII's chapel [Map], to the daughter and heir of Mr. Eversfield, of Sussex, her portion £8,000. The solemnity was kept with a few friends only at Lady Beckford's, the lady's mother.

Note. John Evelyn of Wotton (age 28) and Catherine Eversfield were married.

Before 01 Jun 1691 John Evelyn of Wotton (age 39) died. He was buried on 02 Jun 1691 at Wotton Church.

Evelyn's Diary. 04 Sep 1699. My worthy [his father] brother (age 82) died at Wotton, Surrey [Map], in the 83d year of his age, of perfect memory and understanding. He was religious, sober, and temperate, and of so hospitable a nature, that no family in the county maintained that ancient custom of keeping, as it were, open house the whole year in the same manner, or gave more noble or free entertainment to the county on all occasions, so that his house was never free. There were sometimes twenty persons more than his family, and some that stayed there all the summer, to his no small expense; by this he gained the universal love of the county. He was born at Wotton, Surrey [Map], went from the free school at Guildford, Surrey [Map] to Trinity College, Oxford University, Oxford, thence to the Middle Temple, as gentlemen of the best quality did, but without intention to study the law as a profession. He married the daughter of Colwall, of a worthy and ancient family in Leicestershire, by whom he had one son; she dying in 1643, left George her son an infant, who being educated liberally, after traveling abroad, returned and married one Mrs. Gore, by whom he had several children, but only three daughters survived. He was a young man of good understanding, but, over-indulging his ease and pleasure, grew so very corpulent, contrary to the constitution of the rest of his father's relations, that he died. My brother afterward married a noble and honorable [his mother] lady, relict of Sir John Cotton, she being an Offley, a worthy and ancient Staffordshire family, by whom he had several children of both sexes. This lady died, leaving only two daughters and a son. The younger daughter died before marriage; the [his sister] other afterward married Sir Cyril Wych (age 67), a noble and learned gentleman (son of Sir -- Wych), who had been Ambassador at Constantinople, and was afterward made one of the Lords Justices of Ireland. Before this marriage, her only brother married the [his wife] daughter of Eversfield, of Sussex, of an honorable family, but left a widow without any child living; he died about 1691, and his wife not many years after, and my brother resettled the whole estate on me. His sister, Wych, had a portion of £6,000, to which was added £300 more; the three other daughters, with what I added, had about £5,000 each. My brother died on the 5th of October, in a good old age and great reputation, making his beloved daughter, Lady Wych, sole executrix, leaving me only his library and some pictures of my father, mother, etc. She buried him with extraordinary solemnity, rather as a nobleman than as a private gentleman. There were, as I computed, above 2,000 persons at the funeral, all the gentlemen of the county doing him the last honors. I returned to London, till my lady should dispose of herself and family.

Ancestors of John Evelyn of Wotton 1652-1691

Great x 2 Grandfather: John Evelyn of Kingston

Great x 1 Grandfather: George Evelyn of Long Ditton

GrandFather: Richard Evelyn of Wotton

Father: George Evelyn of Wotton

Great x 1 Grandfather: John Stansfield

GrandMother: Eleanor Stansfield

Great x 1 Grandmother: Eleanor Comber

John Evelyn of Wotton

Mother: Mary Offley