William Godolphin (Royalist)

Sir William Godolphin (c 1605–1663) was an English soldier and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640. He fought for the Royalist cause in the English Civil War.

Godolphin was born at Treveneage, Cornwall, the son of Sir John Godolphin and wife Judith Meridith. His father died before he was 21. His uncle was Sir William Godolphin. Godolphin became active with the Cornish trained bands in 1638, and may have taken part in the King’s Scottish Wars in 1640.

In April 1640, Godolphin was elected Member of Parliament for Helston in the Short Parliament. He was probably also elected MP for Cornwall, but the Short Parliament did not last long enough for such situations to be resolved.

On the outbreak of the Civil War in 1642, Godolphin was colonel of a trained band raised for the King in Cornwall. By October 1642 the Royalists had driven Parliamentary forces from Cornwall but as the trained bands could only fight within Cornwall, the Royalist commander Hopton raised a new volunteer force. Godolphin raised one regiment made up from part-time volunteers in his trained bands. The other regiments were formed under Nicholas Slanning, Sir Bevill Grenvile, Colonel John Trevanion and Warwick, Lord Mohun. Hopton first used his forces to make an unsuccessful attempt on Exeter then fell back on Plympton, took it, and invested Plymouth on 1 December. Later that month they took Alphington, Powderham, and Topsham but failed to capture Exeter in a night attack. Their first field battle was Braddock (actually Pinnock) Down in January 1643 when Ruthin's forces were forced to flee back through Liskeard and on to Saltash, while the Earl of Stamford withdrew from Launceston.Godolphins regiment, pursued Ruthin.

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