Godfrey Clarke (born c. 1684 – 1734), was an English landowner and politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

from 1710 to 1734. Clarke was the son of

Sir Gilbert Clarke ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English language, English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in Fren ...

Chilcote Chilcote is a village and civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England. Until 1897 it was in Derbyshire. The parish had a population of 108 according to the 2001 census, including Stretton-en-le-Field and i ...

and his second wife Barbara Clerke daughter of George Clerke of Northamptonshire. The family was long associated with Somersall Hall and had acquired Chilcote Hall (now demolished) in the 17th century. He was educated at

Rugby School Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...

in 1690 and matriculated at

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and ...

on 25 June 1695, aged 16. He succeeded his father on 30 May 1701. He was appointed deputy-lieutenant in 1702, and was

High Sheriff of Derbyshire This is a list of Sheriffs of Derbyshire from 1567 until 1974 and High Sheriffs since. The ancient Sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around ...

for the year 1705 to 1706. He contracted a favourable marriage with Catherine Stanhope daughter of

Philip Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Chesterfield Philip Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Chesterfield Privy Council of England, PC Royal Society, FRS (1634 – 28 January 1714) was a peer in the peerage of England.G. E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and L ...

in 1706 and this connected him with the peerage. Clarke was returned unopposed as Member of Parliament for

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

at the 1710 general election. He was returned unopposed with Curzon again in

1713 Events January–March * January 17 – Tuscarora War: Colonel James Moore leads the Carolina militia out of Albemarle County, North Carolina, in a second offensive against the Tuscarora. Heavy snows force the troops to take ...

and was classed as a Tory. Clarke was returned unopposed at the 1715 general election and voted against the Government in 1719 on the repeal of the Occasional Conformity and Schism Acts and the

Peerage Bill {{short description, Proposed British law of 1719 The Peerage Bill was a 1719 measure proposed by the British Whig government led by James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope, and Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland, which would have largely halted th ...

. He was returned again in

1722 Events January–March * January 27 – Daniel Defoe's novel '' Moll Flanders'' is published anonymously in London. * February 10 – The Battle of Cape Lopez begins off of the coast of West Africa (and present-day Gabon), ...

and

1727 Events January–March * January 1 – (December 21, 1726 O.S.) Spain's ambassador to Great Britain demands that the British return Gibraltar after accusing Britain of violating the terms of the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. Britain ...

. He died just before the 1734 general election. Clarke died unmarried on 14 March 1734.The History of the County of Derby Drawn Up from Actual Observation, and from the Best Authorities; Containing a Variety of Geological, Mineralogical, Commercial, and Statistical Information
By Stephen Glover, Thomas Noble His estates went to his nephew Godfrey Clarke, son of his deceased brother, Gilbert Clarke, of Ulcombe, Kent. The son of this Godfrey Clarke was Godfrey Bagnall Clarke (born about 1742) the last member of the family of Chilcote.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Godfrey 1680s births 1740s deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Derbyshire British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1715–1722 British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1727–1734 People educated at Rugby School