He had served many public and other distinguished offices with zeal, ability, integrity, and success.

He had given to English literature some of the classic works that are among the treasures of our literature of the Restoration period.

He had outlived all of his six sons, most of whom had died in childhood, as well as his eldest and favourite daughter.

Of all his nine children, the sole survivors were his daughter Elizabeth, who was soon afterwards married to a son of Sir John Tippet, and Susanna, wife of William Draper, afterwards of Adscomb near Croydon.

After nearly 60 years of pure domestic wedded life, in marked contrast to the prevailing dissoluteness of the time, Evelyn was survived for nearly three years by his widow, who died in 1709, aged 74 years, cherishing to the last her love and affection for him to whom her destiny had been committed whilst she was still a mere child.