Francis Godwin

Born in 1562, he was an English clergyman and historian who went on to become Bishop of Llandaff and later Bishop of Hereford. He studied at Christ Church, Oxford, and built a career in the Church of England while also earning a reputation as a careful writer of history.

He is especially remembered today for The Man in the Moone, a fantastical tale published after his death in 1638. The book describes a journey to the Moon and is often noted as an early landmark in speculative fiction, which gives his work an unusual place at the meeting point of religion, scholarship, and literary imagination.

Alongside that inventive side, he also wrote historical works, including accounts of English bishops and notable events. He died in 1633, leaving behind a legacy that feels both scholarly and unexpectedly forward-looking.