Copeland was born at Moorside Farm, near
Woodplumpton in
Lancashire,
England the son of Robert Copeland, yeoman, and his wife, Elizabeth Milner, and attended
Kirkham Grammar School. He was fluent in French, German and Persian. He died in
Edinburgh on 27 October 1905. He was buried in
Morningside Cemetery, Edinburgh. He is buried with his second wife, Theodara, and his daughters Paula Theodora Copeland and Agnes Copeland MD. The grave lies in the south-west section of the cemetery. ==Legacy==