Godolphin School

Godolphin was founded by Elizabeth Godolphin using her own money and some from the estate of her husband, Charles Godolphin (c.1650–1720), who was a Member of Parliament for Helston, Cornwall. She created the school originally for the education of eight young orphaned gentlewomen. According to the terms of the will, the beneficiaries were to be daughters of members of the Church of England, between eight and twelve years of age, born in Salisbury or some other Wiltshire town, and to have had "some portion left to them but not exceeding £400". The girls were to be taught to "dance, work, read, write, cast accounts and the business of housewifery". This was a fairly advanced curriculum for…