Sir William Godolphin, 1st Baronet (c. 1640 – 27 August 1710), of Godolphin

Godolphin Estate

The Godolphin Estate is a National Trust property situated in Godolphin Cross, a few miles north-west of Helston in Cornwall, United Kingdom....

 in Cornwall

Cornwall

Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...

, 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,...

. He was the eldest son of Sir Francis Godolphin, KB

Francis Godolphin (1605-1667)

Sir Francis Godolphin, K.B. , of Godolphin in Cornwall, was an English Member of Parliament. His chief claim to fame is that he was the dedicatee of Hobbes' Leviathan....

, who had been a Member of Parliament until being barred from sitting because of his Royalist sympathies during the Civil War

English Civil War

The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...

, and who after the Restoration

English Restoration

The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...

 was knighted in reward for his loyalty. Probably also in token of Sir Francis's services, William was created a baronet on 29 April 1661.

He represented the family borough of Helston

Helston (UK Parliament constituency)

Helston, sometimes known as Helleston, was a parliamentary borough centred on the small town of Helston in Cornwall.Using the bloc vote system of election, it returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then to House of Commons of Great Britain until 1800, and...

 in Parliament from 1665 until 1679, but his career was overshadowed by that of his younger brother, Sidney

Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin

Sir Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin, KG, PC was a leading English politician of the late 17th and early 18th centuries...

, who rose to be First Lord of the Treasury

First Lord of the Treasury

The First Lord of the Treasury is the head of the commission exercising the ancient office of Lord High Treasurer in the United Kingdom, and is now always also the Prime Minister...

 and was granted a peerage and later an earldom; another brother, Henry

Henry Godolphin

Henry Godolphin was an English Provost of Eton College and Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral, a position in which he clashed with Sir Christopher Wren in the period when the new cathedral had reached the finishing touches.-Life:...

, took holy orders and ended as Dean of St Paul's

Dean of St Paul's

The Dean of St Paul's is the head of the Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral in London, England in the Church of England. The most recent Dean, Graeme Knowles, formerly Bishop of Sodor and Man, was installed on 1 October 2007 and resigned on 31 October 2011...

 and Provost of Eton. Sir William died unmarried, and the family estates passed to his brother.