Cardinal William Godfrey

Cardinal William Godfrey
posted on 11 January 2005

William GodfreyBorn Liverpool, 25 September 1889. He was educated at Ushaw and at the Venerable English College, where he was ordained in 1916 during the First World War. He gained his Doctorate the following year. He then taught at Ushaw for 12 years – Classics, Philosophy and Theology.

In 1930 he was appointed Rector of the College where during the next 8 years he watched Mussolini’s rise to power. He was known affectionately to his students despite his strictness as ‘Uncle Bill.’


In 1938 he became the first Apostolic Delegate to Great Britain, Gibraltar and Malta and he served in this post with such discretion that in 1953, long after the war, he became Archbishop of Liverpool and in 1956 Archbishop of Westminster. He was created Cardinal two years later.

He died in London on 22 January 1963 aged 73.