The following persons served as Governor of the

Isles of Scilly The Isles of Scilly (; kw, Syllan, ', or ) is an archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England. One of the islands, St Agnes, is the most southerly point in Britain, being over further south than the most southerly point of the ...

, off the coast of Cornwall. The governor was a military commission made by the monarch in consultation with the Admiralty in recognition of the islands' strategic position. The office of Governor was pre-eminent in military law but not in civil law, where the

magistracy A magistrates' court is a lower court where, in several jurisdictions Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...

was vested in the Proprietor, who had a leasehold from the

Duchy of Cornwall The Duchy of Cornwall ( kw, Duketh Kernow) is one of two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Lancaster. The eldest son of the reigning British monarch obtains possession of the duchy and the title of 'Duke of Cornwall' at ...

of the islands' land area. Usually the Proprietor served as Governor, although, according to Robert Heath, a Major Bennett was Governor for a short time before Proprietor Francis Godolphin, 2nd Earl of Godolphin was commissioned on 7 July 1733. The Proprietor/Governor was non-resident, delegating the military functions to a Lieutenant-Governor and the civil functions to a Council of twelve residents. An early governor of Scilly was Thomas Godolphin, whose son

Francis Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places * Rural M ...

received a lease on the Isles in 1568. They were styled ''Governors of Scilly'' and the Godolphins and their Osborne relatives held this position until 1831, when George Osbourne, 6th Duke of Leeds surrendered the lease to the islands, with them then returning to direct rule from the

. In 1834 Augustus Smith acquired the lease from the Duchy for £20,000, and created the title ''Lord Proprietor of the Isles of Scilly''. The lease remained in his family until it expired for most of the Isles in 1920 when ownership reverted to back to the Duchy of Cornwall. Today, the Dorrien-Smith family still holds the lease for the island of Tresco. * 1570–1608 Sir Francis Godolphin (1534–1608) * 1608–1613 Sir William Godolphin (1565–1613) * 1613–1619

John Goldophin John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

(1577–1619) * 1619–1624 ''(office vacant)'' * 1624–1626 Sir Francis Godolphin (1578–1637) * 1626–1647 Sir Francis Godolphin (1605–1667) * 1647–1648

Colonel Joseph Buller Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

* 1648–1651 Sir John Grenville (1628–1701) * 1651–1660 Lieut. Colonel Joseph Hunkin (1610-1661) * 1660–1667 Sir Francis Godolphin (1605–1667) * 1667–1680 Sir William Godolphin (1640–1710) * 1680–1682 William Godolphin (1659–1682) * 1682–1689 Francis Godolphin (1661–1702) * 1689–1700 Sir William Godolphin, 1st Baronet (1645–1712) * 1700–1732

Colonel Sidney Godolphin Lieutenant Colonel Sidney Godolphin (1652–1732) was an English soldier, politician and Member of Parliament for various seats between 1685 and 1732, becoming Father of the House in 1730. He also reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was ...

(1651–1732) * 1733–1766 Francis, 2nd Earl of Godolphin and 1st Baron Godolphin of Helston (1678–1766) * 1766–1785 Francis, 2nd Baron Godolphin of Helston (1706–1785) * 1785–1799 Francis Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds (1751–1799) * 1800–1831 George Osborne, 6th Duke of Leeds (1775–1838) * 1831–1834 ''(

direct rule)'' * 1834–1872 Augustus Smith (1804–1872) * 1872–1918 Thomas Dorrien-Smith (1846–1918) * 1918–1920 Arthur Dorrien-Smith (1876–1955)

References

{{Governors and Constables in England and Wales Governors Scilly