Thomas Copeland (headmaster)


Thomas Copeland was a headmaster at Sherborne in the reign of Henry VI of England.

Life

Copeland's name appears on two lists dated 1437 of subscribers to the foundation of an almshouse at Sherborne, provided for italic=no.
The Foundation Deed for the almshouse is dated 10 January 1437. Copeland is recorded as a magister scholarum living in 'Chepstrett'.
Copeland's donation of three shillings and fourpence made him one of the largest contributors.
The licence of King Henry VI to found the Almshouse is dated 11 July 1437. The building was completed in 1448 and consisted of a Chapel and a hall with dormitories above. The Almshouse was dedicated to St John The Baptist and St John The Evangelist; a fine doorway with niches and statues of the two Saints John provided the main entrance from Trendle Street.
Copeland's origins are obscure, although the surname was found predominantly in Cumbria, Cheshire and Yorkshire then as now.

Caricature

A Miserere seat in Sherborne Abbey, that has been dated to 1436-59, is carved with the representation of a round capped master flogging a boy. It has been conjectured that this is a caricature of Copeland.