![Sidney Godolphin](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Sidney_Godolphin.jpg)
Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin, (15 June 1645 – 15 September 1712) was a leading
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
politician of the late 17th and the early 18th centuries. He was a
Privy Councillor and
Secretary of State for the Northern Department before he attained real power as
First Lord of the Treasury
The first lord of the Treasury is the head of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury exercising the ancient office of Lord High Treasurer in the United Kingdom, and is by convention also the prime minister. This office is not equivalent to the ...
. He was instrumental in negotiating and passing the
Acts of Union 1707
The Acts of Union ( gd, Achd an Aonaidh) were two Acts of Parliament: the Union with Scotland Act 1706 passed by the Parliament of England, and the Union with England Act 1707 passed by the Parliament of Scotland. They put into effect the te ...
with Scotland, which created the
Kingdom of Great Britain
The Kingdom of Great Britain (officially Great Britain) was a Sovereign state, sovereign country in Western Europe from 1 May 1707 to the end of 31 December 1800. The state was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and ratified by the Acts of ...
. He had many other roles, including that of
Governor of Scilly.
Family and early career
He came from an ancient
Cornish family as the son of Sir
Francis Godolphin (1605–1667)
Sir Francis Godolphin MP (25 December 1605 – 22 March 1667), of Godolphin in Cornwall, was an English nobleman, landowner, politician, and Member of Parliament. His chief claim to fame is that he was the dedicatee of Hobbes' ''Leviathan''. ...
and nephew of the poet
Sidney Godolphin
Sidney Godolphin is the name of:
* Sidney Godolphin (colonel) (1652–1732), Member of Parliament for fifty years
* Sidney Godolphin (poet) (1610–1643), English poet
* Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin (c. 1640–1712), leading British poli ...
. At 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 was introduced into the royal household by King
Charles II of England
Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685.
Charles II was the eldest surviving child of ...
, whose
favourite
A favourite (British English) or favorite (American English) was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In post-classical and early-modern Europe, among other times and places, the term was used of individuals delegated si ...
he had become, and he also entered the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
as member for
Helston
Helston ( kw, Hellys) is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the Lizard Peninsula approximately east of Penzance and south-west of Falmouth.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map she ...
, in Cornwall. Although he spoke few words before the House, they were so to the point that he "gradually acquired a reputation as its chief if not its only financial authority". In 1668, he was a successful intermediary between the King and his sister
Henrietta Anne, the wife of the
Duke of Orléans
Duke of Orléans (french: Duc d'Orléans) was a French royal title usually granted by the King of France to one of his close relatives (usually a younger brother or son), or otherwise inherited through the male line. First created in 1344 by King ...
, to secure an agreement with King
Louis XIV of France
, house = Bourbon
, father = Louis XIII
, mother = Anne of Austria
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
, death_date =
, death_place = Palace of Versa ...
to reject England's Dutch allies in return for French money.
In 1669, he was awarded a 31-year lease on all
tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn (from la, stannum) and atomic number 50. Tin is a silvery-coloured metal.
Tin is soft enough to be cut with little force and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, t ...
mines in
Rialton and
Retraigh in Cornwall.
In 1670, Godolphin was appointed
Groom of the Bedchamber along with a pension of £500 per annum. He held that post until 1678. The King said that he valued Godolphin because he was "never in the way and never out of the way".
Charles appointed Godolphin
envoy-extraordinary to Louis XIV in 1672 to reassure France of Charles's allegiance before Louis attacked the Dutch. Godolphin was with Louis in the field during the
Franco-Dutch War
The Franco-Dutch War, also known as the Dutch War (french: Guerre de Hollande; nl, Hollandse Oorlog), was fought between France and the Dutch Republic, supported by its allies the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Brandenburg-Prussia and Denmark-Nor ...
but was unimpressed with his capabilities as a military commander.
In March 1679, Godolphin was appointed a member of the Privy Council and in September was promoted, along with
Viscount Hyde (afterwards Earl of Rochester) and the
Earl of Sunderland
Earl of Sunderland is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1627 in favour of Emanuel Scrope, 11th Baron Scrope of Bolton. The earldom became extinct on his death in 1630 while the barony becam ...
, to the chief management of affairs.
Exclusion and revolution
Although he voted for the
Exclusion Bill
The Exclusion Crisis ran from 1679 until 1681 in the reign of King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland. Three Exclusion bills sought to exclude the King's brother and heir presumptive, James, Duke of York, from the thrones of England, Sco ...
in 1680, which, if successfully enacted, would have prevented the Catholic Duke of York from assuming the throne, he continued in office after the dismissal of Sunderland, and in September 1684, he was created
Baron Godolphin of Rialton
and succeeded Rochester as
First Lord of the Treasury
The first lord of the Treasury is the head of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury exercising the ancient office of Lord High Treasurer in the United Kingdom, and is by convention also the prime minister. This office is not equivalent to the ...
. After the accession of
James II, he was made chamberlain to the queen,
Mary of Modena
Mary of Modena ( it, Maria Beatrice Eleonora Anna Margherita Isabella d'Este; ) was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland as the second wife of James II and VII. A devout Roman Catholic, Mary married the widower James, who was then the young ...
, and, along with Rochester and Sunderland, enjoyed the king's special confidence. In 1687 he was named commissioner of the treasury. Although Parliament had voted to grant James II £6,000,000, Godolphin was involved in the payment of approximately £125,000 to James II by Louis XIV in return for James's support for Louis. The historian
David Ogg
David Ogg (born 23 November 1967) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the Brisbane Bears in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Ogg was a half forward flanker in the Swan Districts team which won the 1990 WASFL Grand Fin ...
has written, "James and his two ministers, Rochester and Godolphin, were prepared to barter the independence of England for a sum little more than a sixtieth part of that granted by the national legislature".
He was present at the birth of the
Old Pretender
James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 16881 January 1766), nicknamed the Old Pretender by Whigs, was the son of King James II and VII of England, Scotland and Ireland, and his second wife, Mary of Modena. He was Prince of Wales fro ...
, but during the ensuing controversy as to whether or not the birth was genuine, he said diplomatically that he had no useful information to contribute, as he was too far from the bed to see anything. He was one of the council of five appointed by King James to represent him in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
when James went to battle after the landing of
William of Orange in England, and he, along with
Lord Halifax
Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax, (16 April 1881 – 23 December 1959), known as The Lord Irwin from 1925 until 1934 and The Viscount Halifax from 1934 until 1944, was a senior British Conservative politician of the 19 ...
and
Lord Nottingham, was afterwards appointed a commissioner to negotiate with the prince. On the accession of William, he obtained only the third seat at the treasury board but was in control of affairs. He retired in March 1690 but was recalled in November and appointed first lord.
Career under William III and Queen Anne
While holding the office he for several years continued, in conjunction with
John Churchill
General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 O.S.) was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reign ...
(the future Duke of Marlborough), a secret correspondence with James II and is said to have disclosed to James intelligence regarding the intended expedition against
Brest
Brest may refer to:
Places
*Brest, Belarus
**Brest Region
**Brest Airport
**Brest Fortress
* Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria
* Břest, Czech Republic
*Brest, France
** Arrondissement of Brest
**Brest Bretagne Airport
** Château de Brest
*Br ...
. Godolphin was a Tory by inheritance and was thought to have a romantic admiration for the wife of James II. After
Fenwick's confession in 1696 regarding the attempted assassination of William III, Godolphin, who was compromised, tendered his resignation, but when the Tories came into power in 1700, he was again appointed First Lord of the Treasury. Though not technically a favourite with
Queen Anne, he was after her accession appointed Lord Treasurer on the strong recommendation of Marlborough, and he retained the office for eight years.
Sarah Churchill later wrote that if Anne came to learn anything about politics and statecraft, it was entirely from Godolphin's mentoring. In 1704, he was also made a
Knight of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George ...
, and in December 1706, he was created
Viscount Rialton and
Earl of Godolphin.
Though a Tory, he had an active share in the intrigues that gradually led to the predominance of the Whigs in alliance with Marlborough: the two were nicknamed "the Duumvirs". The influence of the Marlboroughs with the queen was, however, gradually supplanted by that of
Abigail Masham and
Robert Harley (later Earl of Oxford), and with the fortunes of the Marlboroughs, those of Godolphin were indissolubly united. The Queen initially relied heavily on his guidance, but relations became strained. Eventually, when he threatened to resign, she said coldly, "Do as you please... there are many to take your place". The services of both Marlborough and Godolphin were so appreciated by the nation that for a time, they regarded the loss of the queen's favour with indifference and even in 1708 to procure the expulsion of Harley from office. However, after the High Tory reaction to the impeachment of
Henry Sacheverell
Henry Sacheverell (; 8 February 1674 – 5 June 1724) was an English high church Anglican clergyman who achieved nationwide fame in 1709 after preaching an incendiary 5 November sermon. He was subsequently impeached by the House of Commons and ...
, who had abused Godolphin under the name of
Volpone
''Volpone'' (, Italian for "sly fox") is a comedy play by English playwright Ben Jonson first produced in 1605–1606, drawing on elements of city comedy and beast fable. A merciless satire of greed and lust, it remains Jonson's most-perfor ...
, Anne made use of the opportunity to get rid of Marlborough by abruptly dismissing Godolphin from office on 7 August 1710 in tones as cold and ungrateful as those that she later used with Marlborough. Godolphin died two years later and his estate was worth more than £12,000. He is buried in the south aisle of the nave of
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...
. On the wall is a bust of him by the sculptor
Francis Bird
Francis Bird (1667–1731) was one of the leading English sculptors of his time. He is mainly remembered for sculptures in Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral. He carved a tomb for the dramatist William Congreve in Westminster Abbey and ...
.
Marriage and succession
On 16 May 1675, Godolphin married
Margaret Blagge, daughter of
Thomas Blagge
Colonel Thomas Blagge (13 July 1613 – 4 November 1660) served as Groom of the Chamber to Charles I and his son Charles II. He fought for the Royalists during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, and following the Execution of Charles I in January ...
, the pious lady whose life was written by
John Evelyn
John Evelyn (31 October 162027 February 1706) was an English writer, landowner, gardener, courtier and minor government official, who is now best known as a diarist. He was a founding Fellow of the Royal Society.
John Evelyn's diary, or memo ...
in his book ''The Life of Mrs Godolphin''.
She died in childbirth in 1678 bearing his only son, and Godolphin never remarried. Margaret is buried at
Breage
Breage or Breaca (with many variant spellings) is a saint venerated in Cornwall and South West England. According to her late hagiography, she was an Irish nun of the 5th or 6th century who founded a church in Cornwall. The village and civil pari ...
, Cornwall, the spot being marked by a small brass floor plaque erected by the Duke of Leeds. Progeny:
*
Francis Godolphin, 2nd Earl of Godolphin
Francis Godolphin, 2nd Earl of Godolphin, (3 September 1678 – 17 January 1766), styled Viscount Rialton from 1706 to 1712, was an English courtier and politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons between 1695 and 1712, whe ...
(1678–1766)
Gallery
Image:Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt.jpg, Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin by Godfrey Kneller
Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1st Baronet (born Gottfried Kniller; 8 August 1646 – 19 October 1723), was the leading portrait painter in England during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and was court painter to Kingdom of England, English and Br ...
Image:Margaret Blagge Godolphin.png, Margaret Blagge, wife of Sidney Godolphin, portrait by Matthew Dixon
File:Francis Godolphin, 2nd Earl of Godolphin by Jean Baptiste van Loo.jpg, Francis Godolphin, 2nd Earl of Godolphin
Francis Godolphin, 2nd Earl of Godolphin, (3 September 1678 – 17 January 1766), styled Viscount Rialton from 1706 to 1712, was an English courtier and politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons between 1695 and 1712, whe ...
by Jean-Baptiste van Loo
Jean-Baptiste van Loo (14 January 1684 – 19 December 1745) was a French subject and portrait painter.
Life and career
He was born in Aix-en-Provence, and was instructed in art by his father Louis-Abraham van Loo, son of Jacob van Loo. Hav ...
Legacy
![Memorial to Sidney, Earl of Godolphin, Westminster Abbey](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Memorial_to_Sidney%2C_Earl_of_Godolphin%2C_Westminster_Abbey.jpg)
The Whig historian
Lord Macaulay
Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay, (; 25 October 1800 – 28 December 1859) was a British historian and Whig politician, who served as the Secretary at War between 1839 and 1841, and as the Paymaster-General between 1846 and 1 ...
said of Godolphin in 1848:
He was laborious, clear-headed, and profoundly versed in the details of finance. Every government, therefore, found him an useful servant; and there was nothing in his opinions or in his character which could prevent him from serving any government. “Sidney Godolphin,” said Charles, “is never in the way, and never out of the way.” This pointed remark goes far to explain Godolphin's extraordinary success in life. He acted at different times with both the great political parties; but he never shared in the passions of either. Like most men of cautious tempers and prosperous fortunes, he had a strong disposition to support whatever existed. He disliked revolutions, and, for the same reason for which he disliked revolutions, he disliked counter-revolutions. His deportment was remarkably grave and reserved, but his personal tastes were low and frivolous; and most of the time which he could save from public business was spent in racing, cardplaying, and cockfighting
A cockfight is a blood sport, held in a ring called a cockpit. The history of raising fowl for fighting goes back 6,000 years. The first documented use of the ''word'' gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a "game", a sport, pastime or ente ...
.[Thomas Babington Macaulay, ''The History of England from the Accession of James the Second. Popular Edition in Two Volumes. Volume I'' (London: Longmans, 1889), p. 125.]
In the opinion of Julian Hoppitt, Godolphin "tirelessly oversaw the dramatic expansion of key areas of the State, providing an element of integrity, continuity, and predictability in a very uncertain environment. He was in a very real sense Marlborough's partner and together the duumvirs oversaw the glory days of the War of the Spanish Succession. In a very real sense Marlborough's dismissal and Godolphin's death the following year marked the end of an era".
Roy Sundstrom asserted that Godolphin is an important figure in the history of England:
first he raised the money required to blunt French hegemony in Europe and thus preserved the British constitution and the protestant monarchy; second he was instrumental in planning the military and diplomatic strategy that ultimately defeated Louis XIV; third, as lord high treasurer, he worked to make the Treasury more efficient and attempted to weed out corruption—the Treasury as he left it served England well for the remainder of the eighteenth century; fourth he was instrumental in negotiating and passing the Act of Union with Scotland which created the united kingdom of Great Britain; and fifth he negotiated the creation of a unified East India Company, which would be instrumental in establishing British rule in India.
Notes
References
Primary sources
*
*
*
*
Secondary sources
*
*
*
*
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Godolphin, Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl Of
1645 births
1712 deaths
British Secretaries of State
Garter Knights appointed by Anne
Lord High Treasurers
Lord-Lieutenants of Cornwall
People from Breage, Cornwall
Members of the pre-1707 English Parliament for constituencies in Cornwall
Members of the Privy Council of England
Pages of Honour
Secretaries of State for the Northern Department
Sidney
English MPs 1661–1679
English MPs 1679
English MPs 1680–1681
English MPs 1681
Earls of Godolphin
Politicians from Cornwall
Peers of England created by Charles II
Governors of the Isles of Scilly
British and English royal favourites