George Nelson Godwin
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George Nelson Godwin (1846–1907) was an English cleric, known for his antiquarian works with emphasis on
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
.


Life

The only surviving son of Edward Godwin, a draper of
Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...
and then a farmer of
Melksham Melksham () is a town and civil parish on the Bristol Avon, River Avon in Wiltshire, England, about northeast of Trowbridge and south of Chippenham. The parish population was 18,113 at the 2021 census. History Early history Excavations in ...
, by his wife Mary Tugwell, he was born at Winchester on 4 July 1846. With an only sister, Sarah Louisa, he was brought up there, studying at a local private school. After private tuition, and qualifying in 1868 at the London College of Divinity, he was ordained deacon in 1869 and priest in 1870. Going on to
Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...
, he gained the Cluff memorial prize in 1882, and graduated B.A. in 1884 and B.D. in 1887. After filling curacies at
Heanor Heanor (/ˈhiːnə/) is a town in the Amber Valley district of Derbyshire, England. It lies north-east of Derby and forms, with the adjacent village of Loscoe, the civil parishes in England, civil parish and town council-administered area of He ...
(1869–72),
East Bergholt East Bergholt is a village in the Babergh District of Suffolk, England, just north of the Essex border. The nearest town and railway station is Manningtree, Essex. East Bergholt is north of Colchester and south of Ipswich. Schools include E ...
(1873–6), and Capel St. Mary (1876–7), Godwin was appointed a chaplain of the forces in 1877. He continued with the army until 1890, serving at
Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
,
Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
,
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
,
the Curragh The Curragh ( ; ) is a flat open plain in County Kildare, Ireland. This area is well known for horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is on the edge of Kildare town, beside the Irish National Stud#The Japanese Gardens, Japane ...
, and
Netley Hospital The Royal Victoria Hospital or Netley Hospital was a large British Military Hospital, military hospital in Netley, near Southampton, Hampshire, England. Construction started in 1856 at the suggestion of Queen Victoria but its design caused some ...
. From 1890 to 1893 he was vicar of
East Boldre East Boldre is a linear village and civil parish situated near Lymington, Hampshire, England. East Boldre is surrounded by the New Forest and forms part of the district of New Forest. The Anglican parish church is dedicated to St. Paul, and th ...
, and after holding other parochial appointments, became curate in charge of Stokesby in Norfolk. He also wrote articles for the Norwich Mercury newspaper. Godwin died suddenly of heart failure while staying for the night at an inn in Little Walsingham on 10 January 1907, and was buried in the churchyard there.


Works

Godwin was best known as an antiquary and local historian, one of the founders of the Hampshire Field Club and Archæological Society, and as an authority on the history of Hampshire and neighbouring counties. He was editor of ''Hampshire Notes and Queries'' 1896–9. ''Civil War in Hampshire, 1642-45, and the Story of Basing House'' (1882; new edit. 1904) contained researches into original authorities. He wrote, with other topographical works, ''The Green Lanes of Hampshire, Surrey, and Sussex'' (1882), and (with Henry March Gilbert) ''Bibliotheca Hantoniensis'' (1891). He published also: * ''A Guide to the Maltese Islands'', 1880. * ''Materials for English Church History, 1625-49'', 1895. * ''A Fourteenth Century Agas''. 1905 *''Nelson and 'The Old Wartime'.'' 1905. * ''An 'Ancient' Victory.'' 1905. * ''Norman Cross : an English 'Concentration Camp'.'' 1905. All four serialised in the Norwich Mercury newspaper.


Family

Godwin was twice married: # on 13 February 1870 to Mary Godwin (not closely related), by whom he had one daughter; # on 8 August 1899 to Rose Elizabeth, daughter of George Jay of
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, who survived him without issue.


Notes

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Godwin, George Nelson 1846 births 1907 deaths 19th-century English Anglican priests English antiquarians Writers from Winchester Clergy from Winchester