William Godolphin

Who is William Godolphin?

Sir William Godolphin was a 16th-century English Member of Parliament. He sat as Member for Cornwall during the reign of Henry VIII and possibly also of Edward VI, and also served as High Sheriff of Cornwall and Warden of the Stannaries. He seems to have been confused with his eldest son, also Sir William, not least in Burke's Extinct Peerage which conflates the two, so that is not clear which offices were held by the elder and which by the younger. Sir William lived to an advanced age, dying at around the same time as his son, which may have been the original cause of the confusion. He married Margaret Glynn, and had four children:

Sir William Godolphin, who had three daughters but no sons

Thomas Godolphin, Captain of The Scilly Isles, through whom the male line of the family was continued

Elizabeth Godolphin, who married John Langdon

Honor Godolphin, who married William Melton