William Taylor Copeland
Encyclopedia
William Taylor Copeland, MP, Alderman (1797 – 12 April 1868) was a British businessman and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London
and a Member of Parliament
.
.
Copeland was the only son of William Copeland, partner of Josiah Spode
in the Stoke Potteries, of Staffordshire and of Portugal Street, London. He succeeded his father as head of the porcelain firm in Portugal Street, London and eventually bought out the interests of the Spode family in the business in the Potteries and London. He ran the business in partnership with Thomas Garrett between 1833 and 1847. After the dissolution of the Copeland and Garret partnership, it traded as W.T. Copeland and Sons.
In 1866 Copeland was appointed china and glass manufacturer to the Prince of Wales. He became a director of the London and Birmingham Railway Company. He was also a major investor in Fenton Park Colliery.
William Taylor Copeland was a Director of the North Staffordshire Railway
Company from 1846 to 1852. He was also the first Chairman of the Provisional Directors of the Trent Valley Railway Company (TVRC), appointed on 11 April 1844 at their first meeting. He resigned his post in February 1845, his letter of resignation being read and accepted at the TVRC Board meeting on 15 February. His successor was Edmund Peel, brother of Sir Robert Peel.
In 1826 he married Sarah Yates. They had ten children, of whom a daughter and four sons survived. The sons were William Fowler Mountford Copeland (1828–1908), Edward Capper Copeland (1835–1875), Alfred James Copeland (1837–1921), and Richard Pirie Copeland (1841–1913).
, a house on his Essex estate. The relationship between the two men resulted in a collection of paintings. Most of the scenes used for "The Hunt" are taken from these works. The title of the featured painting is on the backside along with the official royal insignia of Spode, encapsulating its English heritage. More than two centuries of tableware tradition and the sporting life are represented in each piece.
J.F. Herring, born in 1795, undertook commissions to paint horses for titled owners. In about 1830 he was in debt and W.T. Copeland took up the bills and offered the artist a house on his estate in Essex. He also commissioned Herring to paint his own racehorses, pictures of fox hunting and scenes of rural life incorporating horses. It is from these paintings that most of the scenes for "The Hunt" are derived, although some were derived from the work of other sporting artists.
. He was elected alderman for Bishopsgate ward in 1828, served as sheriff of London and Middlesex in 1828–9 and in 1835 he was elected Lord Mayor of London (the third youngest man to hold that office) for 1835-36..
He was a member of the Goldsmiths' Company and its master in 1837-38. For seven years he was president of the royal hospitals of Bridewell and Bethlem, as well as a member of the Irish Society
and President of the Honourable Artillery Company.
Copeland was active in Ireland as a Whig politician. He contested the Irish UK parliament constituency of Coleraine
at the 1831
and 1832
general elections. On both occasions he lost the initial poll, but was declared duly elected on petition. In the 1835 general election
Copeland was re-elected MP for Coleraine, by a majority of five. He sat for the borough until 1837.
Copeland then contested the Stoke-upon-Trent
constituency in England, as a Conservative
candidate. He sat for that seat between 1837 and 1852 (when he was defeated) and again from 1857 until he retired in 1865.
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
and a 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,...
.
Family and business
The family traces its descent back to John of Copeland, who in 1346 captured the King of Scotland at the Battle of Neville's CrossBattle of Neville's Cross
The Battle of Neville's Cross took place to the west of Durham, England on 17 October 1346.-Background:In 1346, England was embroiled in the Hundred Years' War with France. In order to divert his enemy Philip VI of France appealed to David II of Scotland to attack the English from the north in...
.
Copeland was the only son of William Copeland, partner of Josiah Spode
Josiah Spode
Josiah Spode was an English potter and the founder of the English Spode pottery works which became very famous for the quality of its wares. He is often credited with the establishment of blue underglaze transfer printing in Staffordshire in 1781–84, and with the definition and introduction in c...
in the Stoke Potteries, of Staffordshire and of Portugal Street, London. He succeeded his father as head of the porcelain firm in Portugal Street, London and eventually bought out the interests of the Spode family in the business in the Potteries and London. He ran the business in partnership with Thomas Garrett between 1833 and 1847. After the dissolution of the Copeland and Garret partnership, it traded as W.T. Copeland and Sons.
In 1866 Copeland was appointed china and glass manufacturer to the Prince of Wales. He became a director of the London and Birmingham Railway Company. He was also a major investor in Fenton Park Colliery.
William Taylor Copeland was a Director of the North Staffordshire Railway
North Staffordshire Railway
The North Staffordshire Railway was a British railway company formed in 1845 to promote a number of lines in the Staffordshire Potteries and surrounding areas in Staffordshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire and Shropshire....
Company from 1846 to 1852. He was also the first Chairman of the Provisional Directors of the Trent Valley Railway Company (TVRC), appointed on 11 April 1844 at their first meeting. He resigned his post in February 1845, his letter of resignation being read and accepted at the TVRC Board meeting on 15 February. His successor was Edmund Peel, brother of Sir Robert Peel.
In 1826 he married Sarah Yates. They had ten children, of whom a daughter and four sons survived. The sons were William Fowler Mountford Copeland (1828–1908), Edward Capper Copeland (1835–1875), Alfred James Copeland (1837–1921), and Richard Pirie Copeland (1841–1913).
An artistic legacy
"The Hunt" collection, first introduced in 1930 as everyday earthenware, was inspired in 1830, when W.T. Copeland, of Spode, offered the great sporting artist, John Frederick Herring, Sr.John Frederick Herring, Sr.
John Frederick Herring, Sr. , also known as John Frederick Herring I, was a painter, sign maker and coachman in Victorian England.John F. Herring, Sr. is the painter of the 1848 "Pharoah's Chariot Horses"...
, a house on his Essex estate. The relationship between the two men resulted in a collection of paintings. Most of the scenes used for "The Hunt" are taken from these works. The title of the featured painting is on the backside along with the official royal insignia of Spode, encapsulating its English heritage. More than two centuries of tableware tradition and the sporting life are represented in each piece.
J.F. Herring, born in 1795, undertook commissions to paint horses for titled owners. In about 1830 he was in debt and W.T. Copeland took up the bills and offered the artist a house on his estate in Essex. He also commissioned Herring to paint his own racehorses, pictures of fox hunting and scenes of rural life incorporating horses. It is from these paintings that most of the scenes for "The Hunt" are derived, although some were derived from the work of other sporting artists.
Public life
Copeland was active in the civic life of the City of LondonCity of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
. He was elected alderman for Bishopsgate ward in 1828, served as sheriff of London and Middlesex in 1828–9 and in 1835 he was elected Lord Mayor of London (the third youngest man to hold that office) for 1835-36..
He was a member of the Goldsmiths' Company and its master in 1837-38. For seven years he was president of the royal hospitals of Bridewell and Bethlem, as well as a member of the Irish Society
Irish Society
The Irish Society may refer to:*The Honourable The Irish Society*The Society of the United Irishmen*Benevolent Irish Society...
and President of the Honourable Artillery Company.
Copeland was active in Ireland as a Whig politician. He contested the Irish UK parliament constituency of Coleraine
Coleraine (UK Parliament constituency)
Coleraine is a former United Kingdom Parliament constituency, in Ireland, returning one MP. It was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Union of Great Britain and Ireland took effect on 1 January 1801.-Boundaries:...
at the 1831
United Kingdom general election, 1831
The 1831 general election in the United Kingdom saw a landslide win by supporters of electoral reform, which was the major election issue. As a result it was the last unreformed election, as the Parliament which resulted ensured the passage of the Reform Act 1832. Polling was held from 28 April to...
and 1832
United Kingdom general election, 1832
-Seats summary:-Parties and leaders at the general election:The Earl Grey had been Prime Minister since 22 November 1830. His was the first predominantly Whig administration since the Ministry of all the Talents in 1806-1807....
general elections. On both occasions he lost the initial poll, but was declared duly elected on petition. In the 1835 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1835
The 1835 United Kingdom general election was called when Parliament was dissolved on 29 December 1834. Polling took place between 6 January and 6 February 1835, and the results saw Robert Peel's Conservatives make large gains from their low of the 1832 election, but the Whigs maintained a large...
Copeland was re-elected MP for Coleraine, by a majority of five. He sat for the borough until 1837.
Copeland then contested the Stoke-upon-Trent
Stoke-upon-Trent (UK Parliament constituency)
Stoke-upon-Trent was a parliamentary borough in Staffordshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1832 until 1885, and then one member from 1885 until 1918, when the borough was enlarged, renamed Stoke-on-Trent, and split into three single-member...
constituency in England, as a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
candidate. He sat for that seat between 1837 and 1852 (when he was defeated) and again from 1857 until he retired in 1865.