William Godolphin, Marquess of Blandford

Who is William Godolphin, Marquess of Blandford?

William Godolphin, Marquess of Blandford was an English nobleman.

He was born the eldest son of The Hon. Francis Godolphin and his wife Lady Henrietta Godolphin, née Churchill. His grandparents were the Lord and Lady Godolphin and the Earl and Countess of Marlborough.

In 1712 his father succeeded as 2nd Earl of Godolphin. As heir-apparent to the earldom, William assumed the courtesy title Viscount Rialton. He was educated at Pembroke College, Cambridge.

On 9 June 1720, Hugh Boscawen, the Member of Parliament for Penryn, was raised to the House of Lords as Viscount Falmouth. Lord Rialton was elected to the House of Commons in his place on 24 June 1720, sitting as a Whig. He was related to Lord Falmouth on both his father's and his mother's side, as Falmouth was a grandson of Sir Francis Godolphin and had married Charlotte Godfrey, daughter of Arabella Churchill. Rialton represented Penryn for the remainder of the Parliament and was not re-elected in the general election of 1722.

On 16 June 1722 Lord Rialton's maternal grandfather the Duke of Marlborough died, and was succeeded by his daughter Henrietta under a special Act of Parliament. William Godolphin was now heir-apparent to his mother's dukedom as well as his father's earldom, and adopted the higher courtesy title of Marquess of Blandford. He returned to Parliament at the general election of 1727, being elected for Woodstock on 21 August.