Thomas Coplestone (1688–1748) of

Bowden, Yealmpton Bowden is a historic estate in the parish of Yealmpton in Devon, England. From the 15th century until 1748 the manor house was for eight generationsVivian, p.226 the seat of a junior branch of the Copleston family of Copplestone. The manor hous ...

, Devon, was a British landowner and Whig politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

for 29 years from 1719 to 1748.

Origins

Coplestone was baptized on 25 May 1688 the eldest son of John Copleston of Bowden and his wife Mary Reynell of West Ogwell, Devon. From the 15th century until 1748 Bowden was for 8 generations the seat of a junior branch of the prominent and ancient Copleston family of

Copplestone Copplestone (anciently Copelaston, Coplestone etc.) is a village, former manor and civil parish in Mid Devon in the English county of Devon. It is not an ecclesiastical parish as it has no church of its own, which reflects its status as a r ...

in the parish of Colebrooke, Devon. Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, pp.224-6, pedigree of Copleston It was first the seat of Walter Copleston, the 3rd son of John Copleston (d.1458) of Copleston. John Copleston served three times as a Member of Parliament for Devon, and married Elizabeth Hawley (d.1457), daughter and eventual heiress of John Hawley (died 1436) "the Younger", of Dartmouth in Devon, 12 times a Member of Parliament for Dartmouth, and son of John Hawley (d.1408) ("the Elder") of Dartmouth, a wealthy ship owner who served fourteen times as Mayor of Dartmouth and was elected four times as a Member of Parliament for Dartmouth, whose magnificent

monumental brass A monumental brass is a type of engraved church monument, sepulchral memorial once found through Western Europe, which in the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional church monument, monuments and effigy, effigies carve ...

survives in St Saviour's Church, Dartmouth.

Career

Coplestone was admitted at the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

in 1704 for training as a lawyer. He was elected a Member of Parliament for

Callington Callington () is a civil parish and town in east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom about north of Saltash and south of Launceston. Callington parish had a population of 4,783 in 2001, according to the 2001 census. This had increased to 5,78 ...

in Cornwall, a

pocket borough A rotten or pocket borough, also known as a nomination borough or proprietorial borough, was a parliamentary borough or constituency in England, Great Britain, or the United Kingdom before the Reform Act of 1832, which had a very small electo ...

owned by the Rolle family of

Heanton Satchville, Petrockstowe Heanton Satchville was a historic Manorialism, manor in the parish of Petrockstowe, North Devon, England. With origins in the Domesday manor of Hantone, it was first recorded as belonging to the Yeo family in the mid-14th century and was then ...

, Devon, at a by-election on 4 December 1719 in succession to Samuel Rolle (1646–1719) of whose estates he was a trustee. He was a Whig and voted with the Administration in every recorded division, except when he was absent. He was elected again in

1722 Events January–March * January 27 – Daniel Defoe's novel '' Moll Flanders'' is published anonymously in London. * February 10 – The Battle of Cape Lopez begins off of the coast of West Africa (and present-day Gabon), ...

, but was returned unopposed in

1727 Events January–March * January 1 – (December 21, 1726 O.S.) Spain's ambassador to Great Britain demands that the British return Gibraltar after accusing Britain of violating the terms of the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. Britain ...

. In 1730, he was appointed Clerk of quit-rents and forfeitures in Ireland and held the post for the rest of his life. He was returned unopposed as MP for Callington in

1734 Events January– March * January 8 – Salzburgers, Lutherans who were expelled by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Salzburg, Austria, in October 1731, set sail for the British Colony of Georgia in America. * February 16 – ...

but he faced contests which he won in

1741 Events January–March * January 13 ** Lanesborough, Massachusetts is created as a township. ** Conventicle Act of 1741 is introduced in Denmark-Norway. *February 13 – Sir Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister of Great Britain ...

and

1747 Events January–March * January 31 – The first venereal diseases clinic opens at London Lock Hospital. * February 11 – King George's War: A combined French and Indian force, commanded by Captain Nicolas Antoine II ...

Death and succession

He died unmarried on 19 February 1748. After his death his executors sold Bowden to William Pollexfen Bastard (1727–1782) of nearby Kitley in the parish of

Yealmpton Yealmpton () is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the England, English county of Devon. It is located in the South Hams on the A379 road, A379 Plymouth to Kingsbridge road and is about from Plymouth. Its name derives fr ...

,Vivian, p.51, pedigree of Bastard who was gazetted as a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

in 1779 but as he took no steps towards passing the

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an sufficiency of disclosure, enabling discl ...

the title was not used by him or his descendants.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coplestone, Thomas 1688 births 1748 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Callington British MPs 1715–1722 British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747 British MPs 1747–1754