7. _Guybon Goddard_. We hear of him first as _Deputy Recorder_ of this borough, in 1645, under the memorable Miles Corbet, who had been chosen Recorder the preceding year. Goddard continued his deputy till 1650, or rather till the beginning of the ensuing year, when he succeeded to the recordership, as appears from the following passage in the Hall-books. “Jan. 31. 1650, 51; This day Mr. Mayor and aldermen have elected and chosen in the place of Miles Corbet, Esq. (called by the Parliament to the service of Ireland) _Guybon Goddard_ Esq. Recorder, provided always, that he, accepting of the place, shall come and inhabit in this town, for the better assistance of the succeeding mayors with his advice and councell.” It may be supposed that he took up his residence here accordingly. However that might be, it seems he retained the place over after, and executed the duties, attached to it with much credit to himself, and to the satisfaction of the body corporate and the rest the community. He was doubtless very good lawyer, but more distinguished perhaps as an antiquary, to which pursuit he was much devoted, in which his acquirements we supposed to have been very considerable. His brother-in-law, _Sir William Dugdale_, and _Parkin_ also, make honourable mention of his antiquarian attainments, {1003} and is such a case they must have been very competent judges. To archaiological objects in the adjacent and surrounding country he paid much attention, and still more to those that appertained to this town, his collection for a history of which is supposed to have been very complete, and excited for a long while very high expectation among his cotemporaries. But they were all sadly disappointed; for it was never suffered to see the light: and though the corporation, after his decease, endeavoured to procure it from his son, and offered for it what must have been at that time a handsome gratuity; yet it does not appear that they were able to obtain it. What became of it afterwards no one can tell: but it is most probable that it has long ago been irretrievably lost. Had it been preserved, and fallen into the present writer’s hands, it might (as was hinted at p. 821,) have rendered this work far more worthy than it now is of the public patronage. In Parkin’s History of Freebridge (p. 293,) the death of Goddard is placed in 1671, which we suspect to be a mistake for 1677, as the application to his son was made about the beginning of the next year; and it is not likely it would have been deferred for so long a time as seven years. However that was Guybon Goddard seems clearly entitled to have his name enrolled among the memorable men of Lynn.