Godolphin was founded by Elizabeth Godolphin using her own money and some from the estate of her husband, Charles. 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,^[2] 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".^[3] This was a fairly advanced curriculum for its time, since girls of this class were expected to be able to read but not necessarily to be able to write. The new charity was initially to be administered by her nephew William Godolphin and his heirs,^[2] The dean and chapter declined to take on the task^[2] on the grounds that the idea of educating women was "mere foolery and dreaming". Every year, in November, the school commemorates its founder Elizabeth Godolphin when the head girl, accompanied by members of the upper sixth and the Old Girls Association (OGA), lay a wreath on her tomb in the cloister of Westminster Abbey. This ceremony is known to girls past and present as "Commem."^{[citation needed]}

The school did not open its doors until 9 August 1784, when it was set up in Rosemary Lane, in the Cathedral Close, Salisbury.^[2] It later occupied various houses in the vicinity, including Arundells, more recently the home of Sir Edward Heath, and finally the King's House. A prospectus of 1789, written by the headmistress, Mrs Voysey,^[who?] promised a regime of early rising, "agreeable exercise" and a diet of wholesome books "such as enlarge the heart to Virtue and excellency of Sentiment".

Following an outbreak of cholera in 1848, the school moved to Milford Hill, where for nearly half a century it occupied various premises, including Fawcett House on Elm Grove, which was later to become the Swan School. Under the leadership of Miss Polhill^[who?] (1854–1857) and M. T. Andrews (1875–1890), numbers were small and the curriculum narrow. Then, in 1890, Mary Douglas arrived. Described variously as a 'headmistress of genius' and 'the second founder of the School', her headship saw a tenfold increase in numbers from 23 in 1890 to 230 in 1920, the year she retired. In 1891, the distinctive red-brick building on the top of Milford Hill was opened at a cost of £4000, and in the years that followed several new boarding houses were added. During the 1890s school fees were 4 guineas per term for pupils under 12, 5 guineas for pupils from 12 to 15, and 6 guineas for pupils over 15.

In 1904 an additional six acres were purchased to extend the school grounds, which were then landscaped on the side facing Laverstock. In 1914 oak panelling, which gives the hall its unique atmosphere, was installed; and in 1925 an open-air swimming pool was opened. Additions to the school since the Second World War have included a new library building, several new boarding houses, a science and technology block, a prep school, a performing arts centre, an indoor swimming pool with fitness centre, a new boarding house and a Sixth Form Centre. ^{[citation needed]}

The arms and motto of the school are those of the Godolphin family. The motto Franc ha leal eto ge is Old Cornish and means 'Frank and loyal art thou'.

The formal uniform includes a blazer, skirt, shirt, a traditional "pinny" and boater.

Godolphin was awarded the Sunday Times Southwest Independent Secondary School of the Year 2019.^{[citation needed]}

• Mrs Voysey
• 1784–: Miss Giffard (Mrs Davis)
• 1815–: Anna Maria Alford
• 1829–: Miss Emily
• 1832–1854: Margaret Bazeley
• 1854–1857: Miss Polhill (Mrs Cother)
• 1857–1875: Emma Polhill
• 1875–1890: M. T. Andrews
• 1890–1919: Mary Alice Douglas
• 1920–1935: Cecily Ray Ash
• 1935–1940: D. M. M. Edwards-Rees
• 1940–1958: G. May Jerred
• 1958–1967: Miss Engledow
• 1968–1980: Veronica Fraser
• 1980–1989: Elizabeth Prescott-Decie (Hannay)
• 1989–1996: Hilary Fender
• 1996–2010: Jill Horsburgh
• 2010–2013: Samantha Price
• 2014–2022: Emma Hattersley
• 2022– : Jenny Price

• Minette Batters, business owner, farmer, NFU President
• Antonia Bernath, actor
• Sheila Callender, haematologist^[4]
• Mary Cartwright, mathematician^[5]
• Jilly Cooper, writer^[6]
• Molly Harrower, psychologist
• Deborah Meaden, business entrepreneur
• Dame Anna Pauffley, High Court judge
• Isabel Quigly, novelist and translator
• Dorothy L. Sayers, writer^[7]
• Mary Spender, singer and songwriter
• Dorothy Spicer, aviator, first woman to gain an advanced qualification in aeronautical engineering^[8]
• Catherine Steadman, actor and writer
• Theodora Turner, nurse
• Minette Walters, writer^[6]
• Hannah White, sailor

• "Schools: Latymer and Godolphin Schools". A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 1, Physique, Archaeology, Domesday, Ecclesiastical Organization, the Jews, Religious Houses, Education of Working Classes To 1870, Private Education From Sixteenth Century. Victoria County History (digital version courtesy of British History Online). 1969. pp. 305–6.
• The Godolphin Book, compiled by Mary Alice Douglas, published 1928

• Official website  
• "Godolphin School: Review by Muddy Stilettos". Muddy Stilettos. 6 March 2019. Archived from the original on 1 February 2020.
• Good Schools Guide Review
• Tatler Schools Guide 2019
• Sunday Times Southwest Independent Secondary School of the Year 2019
• ISI Inspection Reports