Constituency Dates
Helston
Family and Education
bap. 2 Nov. 1706, o.s. of Rev. Henry Godolphin, dean of St. Paul’s 1707-26 and a yr. bro. of Sidney, 1st Earl of Godolphin, by Mary, da. and h. of Sidney Godolphin, gov. of Scilly Isles. educ. Eton 1718-21; Queen’s, Oxf. 1723. m. (1) 18 Feb. 1734, Lady Barbara Bentinck (d. 13 Apr. 1736), da. of William, 1st Earl of Portland, s.p.; (2) 28 May 1747, Lady Anne Fitzwilliam, da. of John, 2nd Earl Fitzwilliam [I], s.p. suc. fa. 1733; and cos. as 2nd Baron Godolphin 17 Jan. 1766.
Offices Held

Recorder, Helston 1766 – d.; lt. gov. Scilly Isles 1739 – 66, gov. 1766 – d.

Address
Main residence: Baylis, Bucks.
biography text

Godolphin sat on the family interest at Helston. Under George II he counted as a Whig, and Dupplin in 1754 classed him as a country gentleman supporting Administration. In Bute’s list of the Parliament of 1761 he is marked ‘Newcastle’ and then ‘convert’—presumably he went over to Bute. But he appears neither in Fox’s list of Members favourable to the peace preliminaries nor in any list of those voting against them. In the autumn of 1763 Jenkinson classed him as ‘doubtful’; he voted against general warrants, 15 and 18 Feb. 1764; was classed by Newcastle as a ‘sure friend’, 10 May 1764; and by Rockingham as ‘pro’, July 1765. There is no record of his having spoken in the Commons, nor was he prominent in the Lords.

He died 25 May 1785.

Author
J.B.
Volume
Commons 1754-1790