Lieutenant-General William Evelyn (10 February 1723 – 13 August 1783) was a British soldier and

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

. The sixth son of

Sir John Evelyn, 1st Baronet of Wotton Sir John Evelyn, 1st Baronet (1 March 1682 – July 1763) of Wotton, Surrey, was a British official and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1708 to 1710. His grandfather, the diarist John Evelyn, influenced his independent attitude i ...

, he was educated at

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

. He was commissioned as an Ensign in the

2nd Foot Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

in 1739, became a Lieutenant-Colonel in 1754, Colonel in 1762, Major-General in 1770 and Lieutenant-General in 1777. He was colonel of the 29th Foot from 1769 until his death. Evelyn entered Parliament in 1767 as member for

Helston Helston ( kw, Hellys) is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the Lizard Peninsula approximately east of Penzance and south-west of Falmouth.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map she ...

, replacing his elder brother; he generally voted with the government in the House of Commons, although he is not recorded as having ever spoken. He did not stand for re-election in 1774, but was a candidate for Helston once more in 1780, when the returning officer made a double return (reporting all the candidates in a disputed election as elected so that the relevant House of Commons committee could determine the outcome). The committee decided against him, so he was unable to retake his seat: nor, ironically, could his opponent Jocelyn Deane, who had died before the dispute was settled. Evelyn died unmarried in 1783, and is buried at Send in Surrey.

References

* The Evelyn Family History by Helen Evelyn, published 1915 * *Robert Beatson, ''A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament'' (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807

* Lewis Namier & John Brooke, ''The History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1754-1790'' (London: HMSO, 1964)
Worcestershire regiment website
, - 1723 births 1783 deaths Coldstream Guards officers 29th Regiment of Foot officers Younger sons of baronets Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Helston British MPs 1761–1768 British MPs 1768–1774 British Army lieutenant generals {{England-GreatBritain-MP-stub