Godfrey Copley
Encyclopedia
Sir Godfrey Copley, 2nd Baronet FRS (c. 1653 – 9 April 1709) was a wealthy English
landowner, art-collector and public figure, who lived in Sprotbrough
, now part of Doncaster
in South Yorkshire
.
Copley was the son of Sir Godfrey Copley (1623–1677), who was created baronet
by King Charles II
in 1661, and he succeeded to his father's title in 1678. In 1677 he had immediately followed his father as High Sheriff of Yorkshire
.
He was elected a member of the Royal Society
in 1691. He is remembered mainly because he provided a bequest to the society in London in 1709, which provided the funding for an annual award, the Copley Medal
, the Society's premier award for scientific achievement. It is Britain's oldest scientific honour, a prestigious forerunner of the Nobel Prize, "in trust for the Royal Society of London for improving natural knowledge."
He served as Member of Parliament
for Aldborough
from 1679 to 1685 and for Thirsk
from 1695 to 1709, and also served as commissioner of public accounts and controller of the accounts of the army.
Copley was a major landowner in Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire, holding lands in Sprotborough, Newton, Cusworth, Cadeby, Wildthorpe, Loversall, Doncaster, Bentley and Warmsworth, among other places. Copley's daughter Ann married Emanuel Mote of High Melton, Gent. Through his daughter's marriage, Copley was related to the Levett
family of High Melton and York
, with whom he had extensive real estate dealings.
He died in 1709 and was buried at Sprotborough. he had married twice: firstly Catherine, daughter of John Pucell of Natribia, Montgomeryshire (they had one daughter, Catherine) and secondly Gertrude, daughter of Sir John Carew of Anthony, Cornwall.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
landowner, art-collector and public figure, who lived in Sprotbrough
Sprotbrough
Sprotbrough and Cusworth is a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. It lies to the north west of Doncaster town centre and is split by the A1 motorway...
, now part of Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
in South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
.
Copley was the son of Sir Godfrey Copley (1623–1677), who was created baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
by King Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
in 1661, and he succeeded to his father's title in 1678. In 1677 he had immediately followed his father as High Sheriff of Yorkshire
High Sheriff of Yorkshire
The High Sheriff of Yorkshire was an ancient High Sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years. A list of the sheriffs from the Norman conquest onwards can be found below...
.
He was elected a member of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in 1691. He is remembered mainly because he provided a bequest to the society in London in 1709, which provided the funding for an annual award, the Copley Medal
Copley Medal
The Copley Medal is an award given by the Royal Society of London for "outstanding achievements in research in any branch of science, and alternates between the physical sciences and the biological sciences"...
, the Society's premier award for scientific achievement. It is Britain's oldest scientific honour, a prestigious forerunner of the Nobel Prize, "in trust for the Royal Society of London for improving natural knowledge."
He served as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Aldborough
Aldborough (UK Parliament constituency)
Aldborough was a parliamentary borough located in the West Riding of Yorkshire, abolished in the Great Reform Act of 1832. Aldborough returned two Members of Parliament from 1558 until 1832....
from 1679 to 1685 and for Thirsk
Thirsk (UK Parliament constituency)
Thirsk was a parliamentary borough in Yorkshire, represented in the English and later British House of Commons in 1295, and again from 1547. It was represented by two Members of Parliament until 1832, and by one member from 1832 to 1885, when the constituency was abolished and absorbed into the new...
from 1695 to 1709, and also served as commissioner of public accounts and controller of the accounts of the army.
Copley was a major landowner in Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire, holding lands in Sprotborough, Newton, Cusworth, Cadeby, Wildthorpe, Loversall, Doncaster, Bentley and Warmsworth, among other places. Copley's daughter Ann married Emanuel Mote of High Melton, Gent. Through his daughter's marriage, Copley was related to the Levett
Levett
Levett is an Anglo-Norman territorial surname deriving from the village of Livet-en-Ouche, now Jonquerets-de-Livet, in Eure, Normandy. Ancestors of the earliest Levett family in England, the de Livets were lords of the village of Livet, and undertenants of the de Ferrers, among the most powerful of...
family of High Melton and York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, with whom he had extensive real estate dealings.
He died in 1709 and was buried at Sprotborough. he had married twice: firstly Catherine, daughter of John Pucell of Natribia, Montgomeryshire (they had one daughter, Catherine) and secondly Gertrude, daughter of Sir John Carew of Anthony, Cornwall.