COOPER, George (son of Mr. Cooper, assistant organist at St. Paul’s cathedral, who d. 1843). b. Lambeth 7 July 1820; organist of St. Benet’s, Paul’s wharf, London 1834, of St. Anne and St. Agnes 1836; assistant organist of St. Paul’s cathedral, March 1838 to death; organist of St. Sepulchre’s 1843 to death, of Christ’s hospital 1843, of the Chapel Royal, St. James’s, Sep. 1856 to death; author of The organist’s assistant; The organist’s manual 1851, 26 numbers; Organ arrangements 3 vols. 1864 etc.; Classical extracts for the organ 1867–69, seven numbers; Introduction to the organ; Maud Irving or the little orphan, An operetta in 5 acts 1872. d. 2 Oct. 1876. Musical Standard 7, 14, 21, 28 Oct. 1876, 18, 25 Nov., 9, 23 Dec.
COOPER, Henry. Ensign 62 foot 26 Feb. 1829; lieut. col. 45 foot 19 July 1848 to 1 May 1861; inspecting field officer 1861–2; col. 79 foot 21 Aug. 1870 to 17 March 1876; col. 45 foot 17 March 1876 to death; general 1 Oct. 1877. d. Bottesham hall, Cambs. 24 Aug. 1878.
COOPER, Henry Christopher, b. Bath 1819; solo violinist at Drury Lane theatre 1830; principal violinist at Royal Italian opera; leader at Philharmonic Society; violinist at provincial festivals; conductor at Gaiety theatre, Glasgow to death; one of the foremost of English school of violinists, d. 220 Hope st. Glasgow 26 Jany. 1881.
COOPER, John (son of Mr. Cooper of Bath, locksmith). b. Bath 1790; apprenticed to a brush maker at Bath; first appeared on the stage at Bath theatre 14 March 1811 as Inkle in Colman’s drama Inkle and Yarico; first appeared in London at Haymarket theatre 15 May 1811 as Count Montalban in The honeymoon and received £4 a week; played at Liverpool some years as the rival of Vandenhoff; played at Drury Lane theatre 1820–45, stage manager; played at Princess’s theatre to 1859; had studied 200 parts and was ready at very short notice to undertake any of them; the last actor of the Kemble school; lived at 6 Sandringham gardens, Ealing. d. Tunbridge Wells 13 July 1870. Oxberry’s Dramatic biog. v, 73–86 (1826), portrait; Metropolitan Mag. xviii, 74–80 (1837); Jerrold’s Bride of Ludgate (Lucy’s ed. 1872), portrait.
COOPER, John Ramsay. Chemist and druggist at 17 High st. Canterbury; a prominent promoter of the blue riband movement; invented phonic system of teaching reading, which was adopted in many of the principal elementary schools in England 1885; bankrupt on his own petition, June 1885; died at the police station, Canterbury 5 July 1885 from taking a solution of strychnia and about 15 or 20 grains of the salt; coroner’s jury returned a verdict that he committed suicide while of unsound mind.
COOPER, John Wilbye, always known as Wilbye Cooper. Tenor vocalist to 1870; composed songs entitled Ah where are now those happy hours 1852; The old cottager 1852; author of The voice, the music of language and the soul of song, a short essay on the art of singing 1874; edited Cramer’s Educational Course consisting of Cramer’s Vocal Tutor 2 parts 1867, and Cramer’s New Singing Method 4 parts 1872–74. d. 20 Castellain road, Maida hill, London 19 March 1885.
COOPER, Joseph Thomas. b. London 25 May 1819; organist of St. Michael’s, Queenhithe 1837, of St. Paul’s, Balls Pond, London 1844, of Ch. Ch. Newgate st. 1866 to death, of Christ’s hospital 1876 to death; musical editor of Evening Hours, monthly mag. March 1871; F.R.A.S. 1845. d. 113 Grosvenor road, Highbury 17 Nov. 1879.
COOPER, Robert. Educ. at Charter house school; went to Canada; edited British Canadian paper at Toronto 1846; edited Herald paper at London, Upper Canada; county judge of united counties of Huron and Bruce 1856; published Rules and practice of the Court of Chancery of Upper Canada, Toronto 1851. d. Goderich, Upper Canada 19 June 1866.
COOPER, Thomas Thornville (8 son of John J. Cooper of Bishopwearmouth, coalfitter). b. Bishopwearmouth 13 Sep. 1839; made several journeys into interior of Australia; clerk in house of Arbuthnot and Co. at Madras 1859–61; joined Shanghai volunteers and helped to protect that city against Taiping rebels 1863; attempted to penetrate from China through Tibet to India 1868; attempted to enter China from Assam 1869; political agent at Bamo; attached to political department of India office, London; sent to India with despatches and presents to the viceroy in connection with imperial durbar of Delhi 1876; re-appointed political agent at Bamo; author of Travels of a pioneer of commerce in pigtail and petticoats 1871; Mishmee hills, an account of a journey 1873; murdered by a sepoy at Bamo 24 April 1878. W. Gill’s River of Golden sand, new ed. 1883 introduction p. 108, portrait and p. 323.
COOPER, Rev. William. R. of Wadingham, Lincs. March 1808 to death; R. of West Rasen, Lincs. 1809 to death; chaplain in ord. to the Sovereign 1830 to death. d. West Rasen rectory 24 Aug. 1856 aged 86.