Ernest Copleston

Ernest Arthur Copleston (1855 – 24 August 1933[1]) was an Anglican bishop in the first half of the 20th century.[2]

He was born in Barnes, Surrey, the fourth son of Rev. Reginald Edward, vicar of Barnes, fellow of Exeter College, Oxford,[3] and Anne Elizabeth née Sharpe,[4] educated at St John's College, Oxford [5] and ordained in 1878.[6] His career began with curacies at St Luke's Church, Maidenhead[7] and St. Paul's Church, Kandy.[8] On 18 August 1883 he was appointed the incumbent at the Holy Emmanuel Church, Moratuwa, together with St Peter’s Church, Koralawella,[9] and then Principal of the Diocesan Training College, Kandy until 1903. On 30 August 1903 he was consecrated as the fifth Bishop of Colombo at St. Paul's Cathedral, Calcutta. A position in which he served for 21 years, until he was replaced by Mark Carpenter-Garnier in 1924.

His older brother Reginald Stephen Copleston was also an Anglican bishop and his nephew Frederick Copleston was a notable Jesuit priest.