Person Godolphin; Sir; William (? 1635 - 1696); diplomat Godolphin William Sir diplomat ? 1635 - 1696 British Male 2 February 1635 1635 Madrid, Spain, Europe 11 July 1696 16960711 Baptism: St Mabyn church, Cornwall, England, Europe (2 February 1635)

Spargor, St Mabyn, Cornwall

Diplomat 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 Parents: Sir William Godolphin and Ruth Lambe Siblings: Francis Godolphin Additional relatives: nephew Francis Godolphin; niece Elizabeth Godolphin 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. Committee and panels: Nominated for Committee for improving the English language (1664) Fellow 02/11/1664 29 Walter Charleton Acted as an overseas correspondent and agent to the Royal Society whilst in Spain (1666) Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DNB; Foster; Hunter; Dalton; Henning; ODNB Notes: Year of birth from Hunter. International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) - Ottawa 1996 ISBN 0-9696035-3-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 before 2 Feb 1635 - 11 Jul 1696 The past Fellows entries are under continuous revision. If you have queries or additional information to contribute, please contact Library@royalsociety.org. Content in external sources is not controlled by the Royal Society and historical sources may include content that is now unacceptable. Reviewed on 28/03/2022 as part of the Name Authority Project update. NA8434 21/11/2001 Andyg Pmab 28/03/2023 RS_NET\JonathanB Yes http://viaf.org/viaf/1456147 7534e429-f35e-44d7-acda-571c5e542f9f