Henry Godolphin (1648–1733) was a Provost of

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

and Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London, a position in which he clashed with

Sir Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS (; – ) was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 churches ...

in the period when the new cathedral had reached the finishing touches.

Life

He was born at Godolphin House,

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, on 15 August 1648 as the fourth son of Sir Francis Godolphin, and younger brother of

Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin, (15 June 1645 – 15 September 1712) was a leading British politician of the late 17th and the early 18th centuries. He was a Privy Councillor and Secretary of State for the Northern Department b ...

, by Dorothy, second daughter of Sir Henry Berkeley of

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. He was admitted to Eton on 8 October 1665. He matriculated at

Wadham College, Oxford Wadham College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road. Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Dorothy W ...

on 30 August 1664, and took his B.A. in 1668. In the same year he was elected a fellow of

All Souls' College All Souls College (official name: College of the Souls of All the Faithful Departed) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically b ...

, where he proceeded M.A. in 1672, and B.D. and D.D. on 11 July 1685. He was made a fellow of Eton College on 14 April 1677. By royal mandate he was nominated Provost of the college on 16 October 1695, and installed on 30 October. He was a benefactor to the college, contributing towards the expense of altering the chapel, and erecting at his own cost a copper statue of the founder, Henry VI, in the school yard. He was nominated Sneating

Prebendary A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the ...

of St. Paul's on 13 November 1683, and held the prebend until his death. After the death of

William Sherlock William Sherlock (c. 1639/1641June 19, 1707) was an English church leader. Life He was born at Southwark, the son of a tradesman, and was educated at St Saviour's Grammar School and Eton, and then at Peterhouse, Cambridge. In 1669 he became r ...

he was elected Dean of St. Paul's on 14 July 1707, and installed on 18 July. He resigned the deanery in October 1726, when he returned to the duties of the provost of Eton. During his tenure of office at St. Paul's he had been on the Rebuilding Commission, representing with John Younger and William Stanley the rising generation of the cathedral chapter. On matters of detail there were constant disagreements from 1707 until 1711, when the Commission was wound up, with the imperious Sir Christopher Wren. Eventually Wren used the influence of the Queen to rid himself of the Commission, and there were polemics published aimed at Wren, now in his early eighties; but on the accession of

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in 1714 the Commission was set up again. There were more arguments about the dome, with a balustrade or railing proposed, Godolphin arguing for the latter. Wren's career ended on an unsatisfactory note of bitterness and criticism.Leo Hollis, ''The Phoenix: St. Paul's Cathedral and the Men Who Made Modern London'' (2008), p. 322 and pp. 345-9. Godolphin died at

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on 29 January 1732/33, and was buried in Eton College Chapel. One of the earliest extant boarding houses at Eton College, Godolphin House, is named after him.

Family

He married Mary, daughter of Colonel Sidney Godolphin, MP. She died on 30 June 1743. His son, Sir Francis Godolphin, succeeded his cousin Francis Godolphin as 2nd Baron Godolphin of Helston in 1766; on his death in 1785 the title became extinct. His daughter Mary married William Owen of

Porkington Brogyntyn, or Porkington, is a mansion in the parish of Selatyn to the north-west of Oswestry in Shropshire, England. Brogyntyn Hall was the home of the Ormsby-Gore family from 1815, and had previously been the estate of their ancestors the Maur ...

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Godolphin, Henry 1648 births 1733 deaths Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford Fellows of All Souls College, Oxford People educated at Eton College Provosts of Eton College Fellows of Eton College Deans of St Paul's

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

17th-century English Anglican priests 18th-century English Anglican priests