— Ch. 1 · A Son Of Devon —
Frederick Copleston.
~5 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
Frederick Charles Copleston was born on the 10th of April 1907 at Claremont in the parish of Trull, near Taunton in Somerset. He entered a world where his family held ancient rights as lords of the manor of Copleston in Devon until 1659. A traditional rhyme from the early 18th century recalled that Crocker, Cruwys, and Coplestone were already home when the Conqueror arrived. His father Frederick Selwyn Copleston served as a judge of the High Court in Rangoon, Burma. Norah Margaret Little was his mother, the second wife of his father.
The young boy grew up within an Anglican household. His uncle Reginald Stephen Copleston became the Anglican bishop of Calcutta. Another uncle Ernest Copleston took the role of Anglican Bishop of Colombo. This religious environment shaped his early years before he turned eighteen. At that age, he made a decision to convert to the Roman Catholic faith. The move caused great stress within his own family circle.
Copleston explained his reasoning by pointing to the objective authority of the Church. He believed if Christ founded a Church to teach all nations, it must possess authority like its Master. Despite faults, he saw the Roman Catholic Church as the only reasonable development from what Christ established. His father opposed the conversion but still helped him complete his education at St John's College, Oxford.
Jesuit Vows And War
After leaving Oxford University in 1929 with a good second degree, Copleston entered St Mary's College Oscott as a seminarian for the diocese of Clifton. He soon realized this life was not for him. In 1930 he chose instead to enter the Society of Jesus. He completed a two-year Jesuit novitiate in Roehampton before following traditional studies for the priesthood. These studies took place at the Jesuit house of studies in Heythrop, Oxfordshire. He received ordination as a Jesuit priest there on the 1st of July 1937.
The year 1938 brought travel to Germany to finish his training. He returned to Britain just before the outbreak of war in 1939. The conflict made his planned doctorate at Rome impossible. Instead he accepted a posting back to Heythrop to teach philosophy history to remaining Jesuits. This teaching role marked the beginning of his long academic career during World War II.
From that time onwards he began writing his influential multi-volume A History of Philosophy. The original and DoubleDay editions appeared across nine volumes between 1946 and 1975. Later publishers added two previously published works after his death to present it as an eleven volume series. Critics described the work as a monumental achievement that stayed true to the authors it discussed.