| Authorised form of name | Copley; Sir; Godfrey (c1653 - 1709); politician |
| Dates | c1653 - 1709 |
| Nationality | British |
| Date of birth | c. 1653 |
| Place of death | His house in Red Lion Square, Westminster, London, England, United Kingdom, Europe |
| Date of death | 9 April 1709 |
| DatesAndPlaces | Burial:
Sprotborough, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe (23 April 1709) |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Activity | Education:
Lincoln's Inn (admitted 1674); Inner Temple (admitted 1681)
Career:
Sheriff of Yorkshire (1676-1677, 1677-1678); MP for Aldborough (1679-1681); MP for Thirsk (1695-death); Commissioner of Public Accounts; Controller of Army Accounts (1691) |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 30/11/1691 |
| Proposer | Sir John Hoskins |
| RSActivity | Royal Society roles:
Council 1692-1693, 1695-1699, 1703-1708
Committees/panels:
Committee to wait upon Lord Halifax (1707) |
| Other Royal Society activity | Left £100 legacy to the Society for experiments or other benefits to the Society (1709), which developed into the Copley Medal |
| Relationships | Parents: Sir Godfrey Copley, 1st Baronet, and Eleanor Walmesley; succeeded his father as second baronet (1677)
Married: 1) Catherine Purcell; 2) Gertrude Carew
Children: 1) Catherine Copley |
| OtherInfo | Copley held varied interests in branches of natural philosophy and antiquities. He was a close friend of Sir Hans Sloane (FRS 1685) and Ralph Thoresby (FRS 1697). The Copley Medal is the oldest Royal Society medal and is considered the oldest surviving scientific award in the world. Its first recipient was Stephen Gray (FRS 1733). |
| Related images | Discover a selection of related images in our picture library |
| Image | 
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| Source | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; Hunter; GEC Baronetage; Henning; LI
References:
Armytage, W H G. 1954-55. 'Sir Godfrey Copley, FRS (FRS 1653-1709). Some Tercentenary Glimpses through Letters to his Friends', in Notes and Records, vol. 11, pp. 54-74
Maddison, R E W. 1960. 'Abraham Hill, FRS (1635-1722)', in Notes and Records, vol. 15, pp. 173-182
Notes:
Proposed by Sir John Hoskins. GEC says he was said to have been 13 at the Heralds' Visitation of Yorkshire in 1666. |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/90497456 |
| Code | NA8421 |