THE COPPER FAMILY

Rottingdean’s International Folk Group

The Copper Family of Rottingdean have been singing their songs for generations, lovingly preserving them for the future.

James “Brasser” Copper was born in Rottingdean in 1845 into a farming family, entering full time employment at the age of 8.  Mr. Steyning Beard was the village Squire and owner of the 3000 acre Rottingdean Farm which had been gradually acquired and enlarged by a long line of his forbears, all Quakers, going back to the 16th century.  James worked as a shepherd boy, hard and tedious work, but he was able to contribute a few shillings each week to the family income.  At 18 he voluntarily attended evening classes with his brother Thomas (at their own expense) to learn how to read, write and reckon.  This education clearly paid off as Thomas went on to become landlord of the first principal pub in the village “The Black Horse”, whilst James worked his way up through the hierarchy of the farm, achieving the role of Bailiff, or general manager.

Having been brought up in a close knit family where harmony singing came naturally, Brasser and Tom built up something of a reputation as singers. In 1898 they demonstrated their musical skills to visiting folklorist and musician Kate Lee in 1898 and, largely as a result of this rich vein of rural music that was discovered in Rottingdean, what is now known as the The English Folk Dance and Song Society was formed in London.  Brasser’s influence on the lives of the farmworking families of Rottingdean was unique: he encouraged and nurtured not only the singing of a great many old songs, but such rituals as Tater Beer Nights, Black-Ram, Hollering Pot and the Village Mummers.

Brasser continued to run the farm until the Great War when he handed over to his son, Jim.  Father and son lived at Nos. 1 and 2 Challoners Cottages, just across the road from the farm office.  When Brasser was in his mid-seventies, he was persuaded to write down the words of some of his lovely old songs.  Copies of these survive in the family archives and are a joy to behold: although phonetically correct, the spelling is touchingly inventive.  The close family bonding exemplified in the singing of the current generations of the family is their direct heritage from this remarkable Victorian and it is a vivid reminder of former values, nowadays almost completely obliterated by mass entertainment.

Brasser’s son James “Jim” Copper was born in Ovingdean, when his father was working as a carter for Mr. Steyning Beard of Ovingdean (before they moved to Challoners Cottages).  From 1884 the Rottingdean farms were run for the Beards by Mr. William Brown, resident in Challoners Manor, a Georgian-style country house originally dating from the 15th century, which dominated the upper part of the village.  Jim took to music like other members of his family, and played a penny whistle to some effect and, with a rather individual style, the clarinet.  Jim enhanced the family harmonies, decorating the melodies with his resonant bass runs, which was to prove a powerful inspiration to later Coppers.  He was also a great raconteur and full of fun.

As farming declined and mechanisation wrought changes, the fortunes of the Rottingdean farms declined.  Jim turned his skills to carpentry and eventually took a job as blacksmith and carpenter on the Sea Defence Project, constructing a sea wall from Brighton to Rottingdean.  His evenings were spent making models in both metal and wood; he also mended boots and shoes and was an accomplished knitter.  The old ways were fast disappearing.  Jim wrote, “There’s only one thing that doesn’t change round these parts, and that’s our old songs.”  In 1936 he set down the words to 80 or so of his favourites, all from memory.  The family still carry this book with them to all their gigs: it was dedicated to Bob.

Jim’s  children had flown the nest by then, Joyce (born 1910) to work in London and Bob (born 1915) to be a policeman in West Sussex. But, as his son John once said, he gave that up because he was getting too much fun poked at him about being “PC Copper”.  Bob had earlier worked at the village barber’s shop and briefly served as a soldier in the Life Guards. Jim continued to survive in Rottingdean and with his older brother John and John’s son Walter Ronald Copper, (Ron), kept the family singing tradition going.  After the Second World War, Bob was in nearby Peacehaven running the Central Club with his wife Joan, whom he had married in 1941.  Many recordings emanated from this club in the years to follow. The BBC got wind of the family tradition of folk singing and sent a reporter down to Brighton, from which resulted a prime-time programme on the Home Service “The Life of James Copper” and a full page photograph of Jim on the front cover of the Radio Times. In 1953 Jim, John, Bob and Ron, representing unaccompanied English Folk Music, sang at the Royal Albert Hall in a two-day extravaganza of folk dance and song..  After Ron’s death in 1978, Bob’s son John was eager to take his place to provide the harmonies that make the Copper Family singing so distinctive.  The line-up later expanded and now includes John’s sister Jill and her husband Jon Dudley and John and Jill and Jon’s children: there is now yet another generation following to keep the tradition alive: towards the end of Bob’s life, he often said how happy he was that this would be safe for at least the next two generations.

Shortly after his 87th birthday, Bob went to New York to meet the American folk singer, Pete Seeger, whose work he had long admired.  A programme featuring their conversation, songs and views on their family traditions and on folksong in general was broadcast on Radio 4 in January 2002.  Bob had received a Gold Badge from the English Folk Dance and Song Society in 1978, he received an honorary degree from Sussex University in 2000.  Only 4 days before his death on March 29, 2004, he went to Buckingham Palace to receive his MBE.

The Copper Family have toured to the USA and have a long list of recording credits, the most recent being “The Coppers at Christmas” (2007) and “The Young Coppers” (2008). Bob Copper also wrote several acclaimed books, including “Bob Copper’s Sussex”.

website www.thecopperfamily.com