The Copley baronetcy was first created for Godfrey Copley on 17 June 1661. He was

High Sheriff of Yorkshire The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere o ...

for 1676–77. His son Sir Godfrey Copley, 2nd Baronet, High Sheriff for 1677 and whose bequest to the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

financed the Copley Medal, left no male heir and the first creation of the baronetcy thereby became extinct. His daughter Catherine married Joseph Moyle, the second son of Sir Walter Moyle of Beke, Cornwall. Their son Joseph Moyle, who was

Clerk of the Signet The Clerks of the Signet were English officials who played an intermediate role in the passage of letters patent through the seals. For most of the history of the position, four clerks were in office simultaneously. Letters patent prepared by the ...

, changed his surname to Copley by Act of Parliament on inheriting the Sprotbrough estate in 1766 and was created a baronet in 1778.

Copley baronets of Sprotbrough, Yorks

(17 June 1661 creation in the Baronetage of England) Blazon of Copley Baronets of Sprotbrough (1661)

* Sir Godfrey Copley, 1st Baronet (21 February 1623 – 21 February 1678) *

Sir Godfrey Copley, 2nd Baronet Sir Godfrey Copley, 2nd Baronet FRS (; c. 1653 – 9 April 1709) of Sprotbrough House, near Doncaster, West Riding of Yorkshire, was an English landowner, art-collector and Tory politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons b ...

( – 9 Apr 1709) – FRS, MP for Aldborough 1679–1685 and

Thirsk Thirsk is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England known for its racecourse; quirky yarnbomber displays, and depiction as local author James Herriot's fictional Darrowby. History Archeological ...

1695–1709 :Extinct on his death

Copley baronets of Sprotbrough, Yorks

(28 August 1778 creation in the Baronetage of Great Britain) Blazon of Copley Baronets of Sprotbrough (1778)

Sir Joseph Copley, 1st Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

(died 11 Apr 1781) – born Joseph Moyle and changed his name on inheriting Sprotbrough. * Sir Lionel Copley, 2nd Baronet (c. 1767 – 4 March 1806) – MP for

Tregony Tregony ( kw, Trerigoni), sometimes in the past Tregoney, is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Tregony with Cuby, in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It lies on the River Fal. In the village there is a post office (now ...

1796–1802 *Sir Joseph Copley, 3rd Baronet (c. 1769 – 21 May 1838) *Sir Joseph William Copley, 4th Baronet (27 July 1804 – 4 January 1883) :Extinct on his death

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Copley Extinct baronetcies in the Baronetage of England Extinct baronetcies in the Baronetage of Great Britain 1661 establishments in England