George Selth Coppin (1819 - 1906)

Born 8 Apr 1819 in Steyning, Sussex, England

Ancestors

Husband of Harriet Diana (Bray) Coppin — married Aug 1855 (to 1859) in Victoria

Husband of Lucy (Hillsdon) Coppin — married 4 Jun 1861 in Melbourne, Victoria

Descendants

Died 14 Mar 1906 at age 86 in Richmond, Melbourne, Victoria

Problems/Questions Profile manager: John Andrewartha [send private message]

• George Selth Coppin portrait <+Q bySamuel Thomas Gill (1818 - 1880)

Biography

George Selth Coppin ^[1]
Event Type Christening | Event Date 25 Apr 1819
Event Place Steyning, Sussex, England | Gender Male
Father's Name George Selth Coppin | Mother's Name Elizabeth Jane Coppin

George Selth Coppin ^[2] (1819-1906), comic actor and entrepreneur, was born on 8 April 1819 at Steyning, Sussex, England, son of George Selth Coppin and Elizabeth Jane, née Jackson. His grandfather was a clergyman of Norwich claiming long descent in Norfolk; his father was disowned by his family for abandoning his medical studies at 19 to join a group of strolling players, and marrying one of its members who was twice his age.
George grew up in the uncertain world of the itinerant theatre, first appearing on the stage as an infant. He attended village day schools between demands of the theatre and early learned to play the violin. By 1826 he and his sister were performing their own act together. George, solemn-faced and tubby, was found to have a flair for comic acting.
At 16 he became his own master, and for the next seven years had a variety of jobs connected with the theatre, mainly in the provinces. In Dublin, acting for the Abbey Street theatre, he met Maria Watkins Burroughs, an actress nine years older than himself. They lived together in 1842-48.

In 1842 Coppin decided to leave England for lands of greater promise and, since a toss of a coin decreed Australia and not America, they left England in the Templar and on 10 March 1843 arrived in Sydney. . . . more . . adb.anu.edu

In August 1846 he left for Adelaide, where on 10 September he arranged to convert the billiard room of the Temple Tavern, Gilles Arcade, into the New Queen's Theatre capable of holding 700 people.
His progressive approach to the theatre was evident in his methods of advertising, his insistence on correct costuming and his recognition in 1871 of the need for a school of acting to develop Australian talent, but he was not always scrupulous in dealing with rivals.

Coppin, George Selth (1819–1906), Obituaries Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, accessed 24 March 2018.

His wife Harriet passed away in Victoria in 1859.^[3]

In 1861 he married his step-daughter Lucy Hillsden/Hillsdon.^[4]

George S Coppin passed away at Melbourne in 1906.^[5]
Occupation Esquire | Death Date 14 Mar 1906
Event Place Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | Residence City Richmond

People - LifeTree

Christopher Coppin (1839 - 1915) of Western Australia.

James Cassius Williamson Theatrical manager and Colleague

A Walking Tour of Civil War Melbourne Sketches and Photos. -
Lower left corner - click - then search/find Coppin

The Old Colonists’ Association of Victoria was formed in 1869 by a group of prominent Melbourne leaders including George Selth Coppin.
- - - and also Members of the Old Colonists’ Association of the Ovens and Murray District 1886

The map is signed above the title by George Coppin (land sales)
History : see pages 1 (map) and 8 (story of horses).

• Samuel Gill - Art Tree

Research Notes

There was reference to ocav.com.au/150-years/our-history/ website which no longer exists, it has been removed as no replacement could be found in the LifeTree section of this profile Jules Harris Harris-41347 13:36, 4 December 2023 (UTC)

Sources

• George Coppin . . . . more . . Wikipedia® , and Links to his activities, and Theatres.

• Coppin the Great (1951, March 31). The Herald
  (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954), p. 9. Retrieved December 16, 2021

1. ↑ "England, Sussex, Parish Registers, 1538-1910", database, FamilySearch : 7 December 2017, George Selth Coppin, 1819.
2. ↑ Sally O'Neill, Coppin, George Selth (1819–1906), Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University,
   published first in hardcopy 1969, accessed online 24 March 2018.
3. ↑ Vic BDM

   Family name: COPPIN

   Given name(s): Harriet Hillsden

   Event: Death

   Mother's name: Harriet

   Mother's family name at birth: UNKNOWN

   Father's name: Bray Charles

   Place of birth: U

   Spouse at Death: COPPIN, George

   Age at Death: 38

   Reg. year: 1859

   Reg. number: 5748/1859

4. ↑ Vic BDM marriages

   Registration number: 2269 / 1861

   Family name: COPPIN

   Given name(s): George Selth

   Spouse's family name: HILLSDEN

   Spouse's given name(s): Lucy

5. ↑ "Australia, Victoria, Index to Probate Registers, 1841-1989," database with images, FamilySearch : 9 March 2018, George S Coppin, 29 May 1906; citing Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, series 99, record 601, Public Record Office, Victoria; FamilySearch digital folder 004104573.

• Interesting Note The name Selth

This may be a family name. Tanner Berrett found this on 9XVP-MZZ ​ Elizabeth Selth born around 1684. She married John Coppin born 1682 in Norfolk, England. They had a son and a grandson named Selth Coppin. There are not enough records to link all the generations accurately. Modified : 28 November 2015 by Tanner Berrett