Author: Copleston, John Gaius
Biography:
COPLESTON, John Gaius (1778-1841: ancestry.co.uk)
He was born on 5 Mar. 1778 and baptised on 2 June at Offwell, Honiton, Devon, the son of Rev. John Bradford Copleston (1749-1831) and his wife Margaret Gay (1747-1839), who had married in 1773. He was probably educated at home like his elder brother, Edward Copleston (1776-1849), who went on to become Bishop of Llandaff; he then proceeded to Pembroke College Oxford (matric. 1795) before migrating to Corpus Christi College (BA 1799, MA 1802). He married Harriet Townsend (1774-1835) on 27 Apr. 1801 at Offwell. They went on to have five sons and five daughters. She died on 10 Jan. 1835. He became rector of Offwell (1804-41) and held a number of other church livings. He died on 20 July 1841 at Offwell, leaving a considerable estate to his children, with the sons receiving property, avowsons and money; four unmarried daughters £3000 each; and a married daughter £2000. In addition to the works listed here, he published a sermon, Philosophy the Handmaid of Divinity (1827) and The Christian’s Invitation to Rest (1835). As sometime acting magistrate he had dealings with the administration of the Poor Laws and his Observations on Compulsory Apprenticeships (1832) was highly critical of the practice. Both works listed here have been attributed to his son John Gay Copleston (1802-94). Halkett and Laing (1882) and West Country Poets (1896) give both items to him. Martin (1834) gives The Churchyard Yew (sic) to the father; Bibliotheca Devoniensis (1852) simply states both items to be by Rev. J. G. Copleston. Although John Gay Copleston was often at Offwell, he was only rector after 1841, so on the balance of probabilities, both items have been attributed here to John Gaius Copleston. It is, however, possible that one or both items are by his son. (ancestry.co.uk 17 Apr. 2023; CCEd 17 Apr. 2023; “Copleston, Edward,” ODNB 17 Apr. 2023; West Country Poets, 117; Johnson item 213; Western Times 17 Jan. 1835, 12 Jan. 1839, 31 July 1841, 20 Oct. 1849; Bath Chronicle 14 Apr. 1831) AA
Other Names:
- J. G. C.
- John G. Copleston