Sir John Evelyn, 1st Baronet (12 March 1633 – 10 August 1671) was an English landowner in Surrey. Created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...

at the

English Restoration The Restoration of the Stuart monarchy in the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland took place in 1660 when King Charles II returned from exile in continental Europe. The preceding period of the Protectorate and the civil wars came to ...

, he inherited the

Godstone Godstone is a village and civil parish in Surrey, England, east of Reigate at the junction of the A22 and A25 roads, near the M25 motorway and the North Downs. Godstone railway station is separated from it by agricultural land. Blindley H ...

estate in 1664. He quarreled extensively with his family to obtain more money and impaired the estate with debts from a profligate lifestyle. The baronetcy became extinct upon his death and his entailed estates passed to his brother

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

. He was the second but first surviving son of Sir John Evelyn and his wife Thomasine Heynes. Evelyn married Mary Farmer, daughter of George Farmer,

prothonotary The word prothonotary is recorded in English since 1447, as "principal clerk of a court," from L.L. ''prothonotarius'' ( c. 400), from Greek ''protonotarios'' "first scribe," originally the chief of the college of recorders of the court of the B ...

of the Common Pleas, about 1653. As part of his marriage settlement, his father bestowed on him two manors in

, Marden (now in

Woldingham Woldingham is a village and civil parish high on the North Downs between Oxted and Warlingham in Surrey, England, within the M25, southeast of London. The village has 2,141 inhabitants, many of whom commute to London, making Woldingham part o ...

) and Flower, and the manor of Tillingdon in

Tandridge Tandridge is a village and civil parish in the Tandridge District, in the county of Surrey, England. Its nucleus is on a rise of the Greensand Ridge between Oxted and Godstone. It includes, towards its middle one named sub-locality (hamlet), ...

. Evelyn was created a baronet on 29 May 1660 and was proposed as a

Knight of the Royal Oak The Knights of the Royal Oak was an intended order of chivalry in England. It was proposed in 1660 at the time of the restoration of Charles II of England to be a reward for those Englishmen who had faithfully and actively supported Charles dur ...

, with an income of £1,800 per year. His wife Mary died in 1663, without issue. Late in 1664, he married Anne Glynne (d. 1691), daughter of John Glynne, by whom he had one daughter, Frances (d. 1681). Sir John succeeded his father in 1664, inheriting an extensive estate in

, including the manors of Walkhampstead or Godstone, Godstone Place, Lee Place, Marden, and Flower in Godstone. He was appointed

High Sheriff of Surrey The list of known High Sheriffs of Surrey extends back to 1066. At various times the High Sheriff of Surrey was also High Sheriff of Sussex (1229–1231, 1232–1240, 1242–1567, 1571–1635). 1066–1228 (High Sheriffs of Surrey only) 1229– ...

for the year 1666. Sir John was on bad terms with the rest of his family, filing a bill in the

Court of Exchequer Chamber The Court of Exchequer Chamber was an English appellate court for common law civil actions before the reforms of the Judicature Acts of 1873–1875. It originated in the fourteenth century, established in its final form by a statute of 1585. The ...

alleging that, being out of the country when his father died, his mother and brother George had taken the opportunity to withhold papers showing Sir John's right to certain of his father's lands. Lady Evelyn and George denied these charges, and added that Sir John had extorted certain lands from his father while the latter was alive, to avoid a lawsuit, taken a part of Lady Evelyn's jointure, and that Lady Evelyn had felt compelled to flee the family seat less than a month after her husband's death because of Sir John's temper. He was reported by

John Aubrey John Aubrey (12 March 1626 – 7 June 1697) was an English antiquary, natural philosopher and writer. He is perhaps best known as the author of the '' Brief Lives'', his collection of short biographical pieces. He was a pioneer archaeologist ...

to have demolished the manor house at Godstone because his brother would not grant him money "to satisfy his vicious Inclinations". Shortly before his death on 10 August 1671, Sir John conveyed Marden Park (including Tillingdon) and Flower to his mistress Mary Gittings. She in turn sold them to Robert Clayton and John Morris in 1672 (Marden) and 1677 (Flower). He was buried at Godstone. The baronetcy became extinct, and the entailed estates passed to his brother George; Sir John left £500 to his legitimate daughter Frances, whom he repudiated, and £500 per year to his natural daughter by Gittings, who shared her mother's name. George brought an action against her to prove her undue influence on Sir John's will, but was not successful in recovering Marden and Flower.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evelyn, John, 1st Baronet 1633 births 1671 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of England High Sheriffs of Surrey