Colonel Sidney Godolphin (1652–1732) came from an ancient Cornish

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...

 family. The Godolphin

Baron Godolphin

Baron Godolphin is a title that was created three times: first in the Peerage of England, then in the Peerage of Great Britain, and lastly in the Peerage of the United Kingdom...

 family had held a long lease of Scilly

Isles of Scilly

The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The islands have had a unitary authority council since 1890, and are separate from the Cornwall unitary authority, but some services are combined with Cornwall and the islands are still part...

 since the late 16th century. Godolphin was Governor of The Isles of Scilly and Auditor of Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

. He served in Parliament for nearly 50 years, where he was 'Father of the House

Father of the House

Father of the House is a term that has by tradition been unofficially bestowed on certain members of some national legislatures, most notably the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. In some legislatures the term refers to the oldest member, but in others it refers the longest-serving member.The...

'.

The Assessment Book of Thames Ditton

Thames Ditton

Thames Ditton is a village in Surrey, England, bordering Greater London. It is situated 12.2 miles south-west of Charing Cross between the towns of Kingston upon Thames, Surbiton, Esher and East Molesey...

showing assessments for the relief of the poor gives the Colonel's address as 'Ditton Street' — but it was probably Forde's Farm:

"He spent his time in arms till his state of health, requiring ease and quiet, made him quit a military life, but not the service of his Country, which he represented in Parliament near fifty years, and died Father of the House. It was his felicity to be valued and countenanced by his Sovereign, esteemed and loved by his friends and relations..."

Godolphin died at the age of 81 in 1732. He has a portrait-bust on his memorial, erected by his youngest daughter Ellen, in The Lady Chapel of St Nicholas Church.