Francis, son of Dr Godwin, bishop of Bath and Wells, was born at Havington, Northamptonshire, in 1561. After passing through the usual course of grammar-school instruction, he was sent to Christ Church College, Oxford, where he was elected a student in 1578, and took his degree of bachelor in 1580, and that of master of arts in 1583. About this time he wrote an amusing piece on a philosophical subject, which, as it contradicted certain received notions, he never published, but which appeared about five years after his death, under the title of the Man in the Moon, or a discourse of a Voyage thither, by Domingo Gonzalez, 1638, in 8vo. This satirical production, which displays considerable fancy and even genius, seems to have afforded to Dr Swift several hints of which he availed himself in his voyage to Laputa; and, what is still more remarkable, it shows the author to have been acquainted with the Copernican system. He also suppressed another piece, entitled Nuncius Inanimatus, or the Inanimate Messenger, intended to communicate various methods for conveying intelligence secretly, speedily, and safely; a production which appears to have been the prototype of Bishop Wilkins' Mercury, or secret and swift Messenger. It was published, however, in 1657, and afterwards translated by Dr Thomas Smith. Some time after he had taken his degree, Godwin entered into holy orders, and soon became rector of Samford-Orcais in Somersetshire, a prebendary in the church of Wilts, and canon-residentiary, also vicar of Weston-in-Zoyland. in the same county. Having turned his attention to the subject of British antiquities, he became acquainted with Camden, whom he accompanied in a journey through Wales in 1590, in search of curiosities; but, although he took great pleasure in these inquiries, he at length confined himself entirely to ecclesiastical history and antiquities. He was created bachelor of divinity in 1593, and doctor in 1595, when, having resigned the vicarage of Weston, he was appointed rector of Bishop's Liddiard in the same county. In 1601 he published his Catalogue of the Bishops of England, since the first planting of the Christian religion in this island; a work in which he embodied his collections in ecclesiastical biography, and which, through the intercession of Lord Buckhurst, to whom he acted as chaplain, procured him the bishopric of Llandaff. In 1615 he published another edition, with numerous alterations and additions; but this having been very erroneously printed, owing to the author's distance from the press, he recast the whole in an elegant Latin dress, and the year after sent it abroad to be printed. This last edition was dedicated to the king, who in return conferred upon him the bishopric of Hereford, to which he was translated in 1617. The work was afterwards reprinted, in the year 1743, with a continuation by Dr Richardson, the whole being in one volume folio, with a portrait of Godwin, and other embellishments. In 1616 he published, in Latin, Rerum Anglicarum Henrico VIII., etc. regnantibus, which was translated and published by his son under the title of Annals of England, containing the reigns of Henry VIII., Edward VI., and Queen Mary, in folio. His last publication was a Computation of the Value of the Roman Sesterce and Attic Talent, which appeared in the year 1630. After this he fell into a languishing disorder, which put a period to his existence in April 1633.

Goodwin Sands. See Kent.