L

Lorraine Copeland

anthropologist · archaeologist · prehistorian · SOE agent

Died
April 27, 2013 · Grand-Brassac
Age
92 years
Nationality
United Kingdom

Remembering Lorraine Copeland: related finds and keepsakes

About Lorraine Copeland

Lorraine Copeland, 92, British archaeologist and Special Operations Executive agent.

Explore other notable deaths in 2013 or deaths in April 2013.

The Deaths Archive presents

How well do you know Lorraine Copeland?

Explore their life. Test your knowledge. Beat the challenge.

10 questions · One legacy · How much do you really know?

Challenge your friends

Play together in real-time.

Full Biography

|

Lorraine Copeland (née Elizabeth Lorraine Adie; 19 May 1921 – 27 April 2013) was a British archaeologist specialising in the Palaeolithic period of the Near East. She was a secret agent with the Special Operations Executive during the Second World War.

Early life

Elizabeth Lorraine Adie was born May 19, 1921, in Marylebone, London. Her father, William John Adie (1886–1935), an Australian-born British physician and neurologist known for describing the Adie syndrome and narcolepsy. He practiced medicine in London on Harley Street. Elizabeth Lorraine Adie was privately educated at Wycombe Abbey girls' school in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

Special operations executive

Copeland worked for British Intelligence during the Second World War, in the Special Operations Executive. She met her American husband, Miles Copeland Jr., during this period, when he was based in the UK undertaking counter-intelligence for the US Army Counter Intelligence Corps. They married on 25 September 1942 and soon afterwards Miles' work took them to the Near East, particularly Syria, Lebanon and Egypt, and it was whilst in this area that Copeland first developed her interest in archaeology. They held a church wedding September 25, 1943, at Holy Trinity Church, near Harley Street, London.

Archaeology

Copeland worked in the field of Palaeolithic and Neolithic archaeology for over fifty years, and was associated with the University College London Institute of Archaeology. Accompanied by Peter J. Wescombe she co-compiled three volumes titled "Inventory of Stone-Age Sites in Lebanon". Volume 1 (1965) covered the central portion of the western coast from Tripoli to the North bank of the Litani River. Volume 2 (1966) provided an inventory of Stone Age sites in Southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley, expanding on the discovery of the Heavy Neolithic Qaraoun culture, named by Henri Fleisch. Volume 3 was published in 1997. She was an adviser to the Stone Age Institute. In 2004 the festschrift, From the River to the Sea: The Palaeolithic and the Neolithic on the Euphrates and in the Northern Levant, was published in her honour.

Archaeological sites investigated by Copeland

Lebanon

Beqaa Valley (Lebanon)

Syria

Family

Copeland married Miles on 25 September 1942 at St Mary's Church, Great Portland Street, London. The couple had four children, all of whom went on to have notable careers:

  1. Their eldest son Miles Copeland III (born 2 May 1944) is an executive in the entertainment industry.
  2. Ian Copeland (1949–2006) was a music promoter and booking agent.
  3. Lorraine "Lennie" Copeland is a writer and film producer.
  4. Stewart Copeland (born 16 July 1952) is a musician best known as the drummer for the band The Police.

Her husband Miles died on 14 January 1991. Lorraine Copeland died at Château de Marouatte [fr] (Marouatte Castle), Dordogne, France, on 27 April 2013. Lorraine Copeland is buried next to her husband, Miles Axe Copeland, Jr., in the churchyard of St Peter and St Paul's Church (Church of England), Aston Rowant, Oxfordshire.

Selected publications

Paléorient (journal)

British Archaeological Reports (BAR)

Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

Interactive

Test Your Knowledge – Trivia Challenge

How well do you know this person's life and legacy?

No account needed to play. Sign in to keep your score on the leaderboard.

Books & Media

Find books, audiobooks and films about Lorraine Copeland on Amazon.

Available at Amazon

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Sources

People who died on April 27

Related People

Spotted an error?

Help us keep the archive accurate. Report a correction with a source.

Report an error for Lorraine Copeland →

We use cookies for analytics (Google Analytics 4 and PostHog) and advertising (Google AdSense) to understand site usage and improve your experience. By clicking "Accept All", you consent to the use of these cookies. See our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy for details.