Sir Francis Godolphin was an English Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

. The nephew of Sir William Godolphin

William Godolphin (1515-1570)

Sir William Godolphin was a 16th century English soldier and Member of Parliament , whose career has, however, been so confused with that of his father and namesake Sir William that it is sometimes difficult to be sure which of the two held which offices...

, who left no male issue, he succeeded to his uncle's estates early in Queen Elizabeth's

Elizabeth I of England

Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...

 reign. He was one of the leading citizens of Cornwall, described by that county's 17th century historian, Richard Carew, as one "whose zeal in religion, uprightness in justice, providence in government, and plentiful housekeeping, have won him a very great and reverent reputation in his country". (The Survey of Cornwall, 1602, quoted in Burke's Extinct Peerage).

His father, Thomas, had been governor of the Scilly Isles and they were leased to Francis who became governor in his turn (see Governors of Scilly). On royal instructions he improved the defences of the islands which were, in Carew's words "reduced to a more defensible plight by him, who with his invention and purse, bettered his plot and allowance, and therein so tempered strength and delight, and both with use, as it serveth for a sure hold, and a commodious dwelling." Chief among this work of fortification was the building of Star Castle

Star Castle, Isles of Scilly

Star Castle is a fortress on St Mary's, Isles of Scilly, built in 1593 by Francis Godolphin.It is in the shape of an eight-pointed star and features on the flag of the Council of the Isles of Scilly.It is now used as a hotel.- External links :*...

. He was also an innovative manager of Cornwall's tin mines

Mining in Cornwall

Mining in Cornwall and Devon began in the early Bronze Age approximately 2,150 BC and ended with the South Crofty tin mine in Cornwall closing in 1998...

, his inventions greatly increasing their productivity by extracting metal from material; that would previously have been discarded as refuse, so materially improving both the prosperity of Cornwall and the revenue that the Crown derived from it.

Sir Francis represented Cornwall

Cornwall (UK Parliament constituency)

Cornwall is a former county constituency covering the county of Cornwall, in the South West of England. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of England then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832...

 in the Parliament of 1588-9 and Lostwithiel

Lostwithiel (UK Parliament constituency)

Lostwithiel was a rotten borough in Cornwall which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons in the English and later British Parliament from 1304 to 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-History:...

 in that of 1593; he was also twice High Sheriff of Cornwall

High Sheriff of Cornwall

High Sheriffs of Cornwall: a chronological list:Note: The right to choose High Sheriffs each year is vested in the Duchy of Cornwall, rather than the Privy Council, chaired by the Sovereign, which chooses the Sheriffs of all other English counties, other than those in the Duchy of...

 (1580 and 1604), Custos Rotulorum

Custos Rotulorum of Cornwall

This is a list of people who have served as Custos Rotulorum of Cornwall.* Sir John Chamond ?–1544* Sir Richard Grenville 1544–1550* Sir John Arundell bef. 1558 – aft. 1558* Sir William Godolphin bef. 1562–1570* Peter Edgcumbe bef...

 for a number of years, and Vice-Warden of the Stannaries from 1584 to 1603. He married Margaret Killigrew, daughter of Sir John Killigrew of Arwennack and accused pirate Elizabeth Trewinnard

Elizabeth Trewinnard

Elizabeth Trewinnard, Lady Killigrew , was an aristocratic Cornish woman and an accused pirate during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England. She was the wife of Sir John Killigrew of Arwenack, Cornwall. She and her husband received and stored stolen goods at their home, Arwenack House...

; and two of his sons, Sir William (his heir) and Sir Francis

Francis Godolphin (died about 1640)

Sir Francis Godolphin was an English Member of Parliament. The third son of Sir Francis Godolphin of Treveneage , he represented St Ives in the Parliaments of 1624-5 and 1625 and Cornwall in that of 1626. He was also Recorder of Helston in 1620...

, followed him in becoming Members of Parliament.