John Godolphin (1617–1678) was an English jurist and writer, and

Judge of the High Court of Admiralty The Judge of the High Court of Admiralty was established in 1483 he was the chief law officer of the High Court of Admiralty. The office holder was supported by various officials and existed until 1875. History The High Court of Admiralty was ...

under the Commonwealth.

Life

The second son (by Judith Meredith) of John Godolphin, who was younger brother of Sir William Godolphin (died 1613), he was born on 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 ...

, 29 November 1617. He became a commoner of

Gloucester Hall, Oxford Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east of the ...

, in the Michaelmas term of 1632. There he studied philosophy, logic, and the civil law; he graduated as B.C.L. in 1636 and D.C.L. in 1643. He took the Parliamentarian side, and on 30 July 1653 was appointed judge of the admiralty, with William Clerk and Charles George Cocke. After Clarke's death Godolphin and Cock were reappointed in July 1659 to hold the same office until 10 December. After the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

he became one of the king's advocates. He died near

Fleet Street Fleet Street is a major street mostly in the City of London. It runs west to east from Temple Bar at the boundary with the City of Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the London Wall and the River Fleet from which the street was na ...

, 4 April 1678, and was buried in Clerkenwell Church. He was four times married, and had by his first wife a son, Col. Sydney Godolphin (1652–1732) of Thames Ditton, Surrey, MP, Auditor of the Principality of Wales, Governor of the Scilly Isles, etc, who married Susanna Tanat, youngest daughter and co-heiress of Rees Tanat of Abertanat, Shropshire (per her monument in Llanyblodwel Church). Sidney's daughter Mary married

Henry Godolphin Henry Godolphin (1648–1733) was a Provost of Eton College and Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London, a position in which he clashed with Sir Christopher Wren in the period when the new cathedral had reached the finishing touches. Life He wa ...

, Dean of Saint Paul's Cathedral (her father's second cousin), as is stated on her mother's monument in Llanyblodwel Church.

Works

Godolphin wrote the following books on law and divinity: * ‘The Holy Limbec, or an Extraction of the Spirit from the Letter of certain eminent places in the Holy Scripture,’ 1650. ‘The Holy Limbeck, or a Semi-Century of Spiritual Extraction,’ &c., is the same book with title altered. * ‘The Holy Arbor, containing a Body of Divinity. … Collected from many Orthodox Laborers in the Lord's Vineyard,’ 1651. * ‘Synēgoros thalassios, a view of the Admiral Jurisdiction …’ 1661 and 1685 (appendix has a list of lord high admirals after

Henry Spelman Sir Henry Spelman (c. 1562 – October 1641) was an English antiquary, noted for his detailed collections of medieval records, in particular of church councils. Life Spelman was born in Congham, Norfolk, the eldest son of Henry Spelman (d. 1581 ...

, and an extract from the ancient laws of Oleron, translated from Garsias alias Ferrand). * ‘The Orphan's Legacy, or a Testamentary Abridgement’ (in three parts, on wills, executors, and legacies), 1674, 1677, 1685, 1701. * ‘Repertorium Canonicum, or an Abridgement of the Ecclesiastical Laws of this Realm consistent with the Temporal,’ 1678, 1680, 1687.

References

* ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Godolphin, John 1617 births 1678 deaths English legal professionals People from the Isles of Scilly 17th-century English writers 17th-century English male writers

John 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 * Secon ...

English male writers