| Authorised form of name | Godolphin; Sir; William (? 1635 - 1696); diplomat |
| Dates | ? 1635 - 1696 |
| Nationality | British |
| Date of birth | 2 February 1635 |
| Place of death | Madrid, Spain, Europe |
| Date of death | 11 July 1696 |
| DatesAndPlaces | Baptism:
St Mabyn church, Cornwall, England, Europe (2 February 1635) |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
| Activity | Education:
Westminster School (1648); Christ Church, Oxford (MA 1661; DCL 1663); Inner Temple (admitted 1654)
Career:
Under-Secretary of State (South) (1662-1665); MP for Camelford, Cornwall (1665); Captain of a Company in Sicily (1667); employed in negotiations at Madrid leading to a commercial treaty with Spain (1667); Auditor in the Exchequer (1668-1690); Envoy extraordinary to Spain (1669); Ambassador to Spain (1671-1678); recalled to England because he had converted to Roman Catholicism, but he decided to stay in Spain; Grandee of Spain (1680)
Honours:
Kt 1668
|
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 02/11/1664 |
| Age at election | 29 |
| Proposer | Walter Charleton |
| RSActivity | Committee and panels:
Nominated for Committee for improving the English language (1664) |
| Other Royal Society activity | Acted as an overseas correspondent and agent to the Royal Society whilst in Spain (1666) |
| Relationships | Parents: Sir William Godolphin and Ruth Lambe
Siblings: Francis Godolphin
Additional relatives: nephew Francis Godolphin; niece Elizabeth Godolphin |
| OtherInfo | There are some theories, that Godolphin was the author of a satirical poem on the Royal Society 'Ballad of Gresham College' (British Museum, Add. MSS 211 (14)). As an assistant to the Earl of Sandwich (FRS 1663), his diplomatic skill was highly valued. His conversion to catholicism meant that upon his return to England he could not hold public office, under the Test Acts. On his death, his estate in Spain, Rome, Venice and Amsterdam was worth £80,000, part of which was used to found the Godolphin School for Girls. |
| Source | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; Foster; Hunter; Dalton; Henning; ODNB
Notes:
Year of birth from Hunter. |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/1456147 |
| Code | NA8434 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| CLP/19/18 | Paper, 'A Memoriam for Mr Godolphin going for Spaine' by unknown author | 7 February 1666 |