In December 1687 Sir William Petty, a founder member, attended the annual dinner of the Royal Society. He was obviously seriously ill and in 'greate pain' and shortly afterwards, on December 16th, he died in his house in Piccadilly, opposite St James Church. It was a quiet end to a dramatic life, one which typified the century in which he lived. Petty, from obscure origins, made a fortune during the Commonwealth period, was knighted at the Restoration, founded a dynasty and achieved an enduring reputation as an early economic theorist, who, in the opinion of some, should be recognised as the 'father of economics'.