Sir Francis Gofton was an English courtier and administrator. He was an auditor of royal accounts and jewels, Chief Auditor of the Imprest from 1597 and Auditor of Mint from August 1603. Gofton acquired the manor of Heathrow, and houses in Stockwell and West Ham. He was often called "Auditor Gofton". The surname is frequently transcribed as "Goston."
Career
In January 1603 the auditor Richard Sutton complained that he had been continually sick on a previous official visit to Ireland with Gofton and begged to be excused. In December 1603 he consulted with Lord Buckhurst, the Lord Treasurer at West Horsley Place over plans for the garrison at Berwick-upon-Tweed. In January 1612 George Nicholson sent him accounts for Berwick noting that ten old pensioners and Sir William Selby had died. In October 1604 he audited the accounts of Richard Mellersh, the former steward of the disgraced Lord Cobham and Frances Howard, Countess of Kildare. He delivered Cobham's "garter" and "George" jewels to Sir Edward Carey, Master of the King's Jewels and Plate, in March 1605. Gofton had a house at West Ham on the outskirts of London where he had fishing rights, though he lodged in Red Cross street in the city. On 19 January 1606 a great porpoise was taken alive at West Ham, in a little Creek, a mile and a half within the land, and this was presented to Francis Gofton. Gofton gave the porpoise to the Earl of Salisbury. This incident is often connected with a line in Ben Jonson's play, Volpone; "Were there three porpoises seen above the Bridge, As they give out?". Salisbury House being above London Bridge on the Thames. In February 1608 the Privy Council of England sent him a letter reminding of him of a need for quality and curious workmanship in new plate delivered to the Jewel House to replace that given to ambassadors in September 1605. Gofton sold lands and fishings on the Erne in Ireland to Sir Henry Folliot in April 1609, the former property of the Abbey of Assaroe near Ballyshannon. He was knighted in February 1619 with other commissioners for the royal household and navy. After the death of Anna of Denmark he and Sir Edward Coke inventoried her possessions at Denmark House and brought them to Greenwich Palace. In December 1621 his house at Stockwell, near the house of the ambassador Noel Caron, burnt down and all his stuff was lost. As owner of this property he was known as "Francis Gofton of Stockwell". In his will, written in 1626, Gofton mentions that he had spent considerable sums on the Stockwell house, which belonged to his wife, before and after the fire. By this time his London house was in St Giles without Cripplegate. The lands at Stockwell manor had been bought by his wife's first husband, John Pyndar, in 1586.
0n 2 March 1623 King James wanted Secretary Conway to visit the Tower of London with Lord Brooke, the Treasurer of the Household, the Chancellor of Exchequer, and George Heriot to select some "fine jewels fit for a woman", and others to be worn in hats. Some were for Prince Charles to give as presents in Spain, others were intended to be returned. The selection was to be sent to the king at Newmarket. The jewels selected, including the king's hat badge of the letter "I" or "J" and others which had belonged to Anna of Denmark, were sent to Spain in March with Lord Carey of Leppington to Lord Compton, and in May with Sir Francis Stewart. Gofton wrote to Secretary Conway about the plan of King Charles to sell jewels on 17 October 1625. He thought the best diamonds in the Tower of London had been sent to the king when he was at Canterbury and not returned, and the remainder in the Tower were "verie meane". He sent Conway an inventory including jewels returned from Spain, and contents of the "chest of late Queen Anne" which contained; a gold "flagon" bracelet; a jewel "in fashion of a Jesus" ; 41 small diamonds from a jewel in the shape of a bay leaf; an old cross set with six diamonds of an old cut with four rubies and pearls; a gold chain, buttons, and aglets of "Spanish work" filled with white ambergris; a bodkin set with a diamond cut like a heart; a great ruby set in claws of gold, and other jewels and stones.
Death
Francis Gofton died in 1628.
Marriage and children
Francis Gofton married Katherine Kinsman, the widow of John Pynder, a vintner and Member of Parliament. In her will, Katherine asked to be buried at the chapel of the Mercers’ Company near to John Pynder. Their children included:
Francis Gofton
John Gofton. His mother left him a house called Downhall in Barrow, Lincolnshire, and property in Stockwell including farms and the Old Orchard of the manor of Stockwell, with silver plate some formerly belonging to Roger Manners, 5th Earl of Rutland. He was buried at Lambeth.
