Patrick Copland (chaplain)

Patrick Copland (c. 1575 – 1651) was a Scottish Presbyterian minister and chaplain, notable for his travels to the East Indies and his advocacy for education in the American colonies.

Copland served as chaplain to the English East India Company on board the Royal James in 1618. During this voyage, he witnessed a battle between English and Dutch ships in the Java Sea. He is also credited with converting a group of enslaved Africans on the voyage, raising funds upon his return to England to buy their freedom and educate them in England. These efforts marked an early instance of philanthropic work connected to the transatlantic slave trade.

Following his return from the East Indies, Copland served as a parish minister in Scotland. He maintained a strong interest in the spiritual welfare of colonized populations and contributed financially to the establishment of a school, originally intended for Henrico, Virginia, but which, due to the Powhatan uprising of 1622, never materialized there. He is considered an early supporter of education in what would become the United States.

Copland was a staunch Presbyterian and supported the Solemn League and Covenant during the turbulent religious and political landscape of 17th-century Scotland. He died in Scotland in 1651. His life reflects a complex intersection of religious zeal, early colonial engagement, and involvement in the burgeoning global trade of the era.