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William Terry Coppin was born in Chelmsford, Essex, on 15th April 1854. After finishing his training at Richmond he was sent to serve in Lagos, Nigeria. Initially he was appointed as the first principal of the High School but later also took on the role of acting Chairman of the District. In 1883 he was appointed as Chairman of the Gold Coast District and looked sympathetically on the idea of greater local responsibility. His interest in education continued, particularly with regard to the creation of Sunday Schools. He encouraged further missionary work amongst the Ashanti and was a leading force in the golden jubilee fundraising activities of 1885 which lead to much restoration of church property. His tenure also included a tense period with the Basel Mission over mission methodology and differences in religious practice. Coppin's health had suffered during his time in West Africa and he left for Britain on 20 May 1887. However, in the same year he was posted to the island of Guernsey where he served until he volunteered for transfer to Gibraltar in 1890.
Coppin arrived, with his wife (Eva Marion Stevenson) and their young son, on the Gibraltar on 3rd September 1890. Whilst there he attempted to increase the mission's presence in Spain and endeavoured to maintain a Methodist School on the island (all the while his health was improving). During his tenure he also laid the foundations for what became the Soldiers' and Sailors' Home. He left Gibraltar on 14th June 1896. He spent the next few years in home districts (Bradford, Haworth and Runcorn) before returning to oversees work by accepting the post of Chairman of the Lucknow District, India, in 1905. However, ill health plagued him again and his tenure was cut short with his return to England in 1907. After further service in home districts he became a supernumerary in Cardiff in 1918 moving to London two years later. He died in Sudbury, Middlesex, on 22nd December 1930.
Further reading:
Bartels, F L, The roots of Ghana Methodism (1965);
Findlay & Holdsworth, The History of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society, (vols 4 & 5, 1922-1924);
Jackson, S I, The Shadow of a Mighty Rock: A History of the Gibraltar Methodist Church (2009). |
William Terry Coppin was born in Chelmsford, Essex, on 15th April 1854. After finishing his training at Richmond he was sent to serve in Lagos, Nigeria. Initially he was appointed as the first principal of the High School but later also took on the role of acting Chairman of the District. In 1883 he was appointed as Chairman of the Gold Coast District and looked sympathetically on the idea of greater local responsibility. His interest in education continued, particularly with regard to the creation of Sunday Schools. He encouraged further missi ... View more |
