John Morris (1617?–1649) was a celebrated and dashing army officer of the
First English Civil War
The First English Civil War took place in England and Wales from 1642 to 1646, and forms part of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. They include the Bishops' Wars, the Irish Confederate Wars, the Second English Civil War, the Anglo ...
. He served on both royalist and parliamentarian sides of the conflict, and was executed on a treason charge.
Early life
John Morris was eldest son of Mathias Morris of
Emsall, near
Pontefract
Pontefract is a historic market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, east of Wakefield and south of Castleford. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is one of the towns in the City of Wake ...
,
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
.
Mathias Morris was the son of Thomas Morris and Barbara Wentworth, daughter of John Wentworth of Emsall Esq.
This made John Morris the great-grandson of John Wentworth Esq. John Morris' great uncle, Richard Morris, was a steward to
Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford
Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, (13 April 1593 ( N.S.)12 May 1641), was an English statesman and a major figure in the period leading up to the English Civil War. He served in Parliament and was a supporter of King Charles I. From 1 ...
.
The Wentworth family had strong links to North Elmsall for many generations.
Brought up in the house of Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford, when Strafford became
Lord Deputy of Ireland
The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish executive (government), executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and then the Kingdom of Ireland. He deputised prior to 1523 for the Viceroy of Ireland ...
, he was at age 16 made ensign to Strafford's own company of foot, and soon afterwards lieutenant of his guard. After Strafford's death, Morris became captain in Sir Henry Tichborne's regiment. During the
Irish rebellion of 1641
The Irish Rebellion of 1641 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1641) was an uprising by Irish Catholics in the Kingdom of Ireland, who wanted an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and to partially or fully reverse the plantatio ...
he was appointed sergeant-major in the regiment commanded by Sir Francis Willoughby, and major by commission from the
Earl of Ormonde (2 June 1642). After the storming of
Ross Castle
Ross Castle ( ga, Caisleán an Rois) is a 15th-century tower house and keep on the edge of Lough Leane, in Killarney National Park, County Kerry, Ireland. It is the ancestral home of the Chiefs of the Clan O'Donoghue, later associated with th ...
, though wounded, he rallied some English troops that were retreating before General Preston, and charged the enemy. On returning to England, Morris served for a while in
Lord Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...
's regiment.
Roundhead soldier
After the surrender of
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
in 1644, Morris threw up his commission on a whim, and joined the parliamentary army, where he became a colonel. But when the
New Model Army
The New Model Army was a standing army formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians during the First English Civil War, then disbanded after the Stuart Restoration in 1660. It differed from other armies employed in the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Th ...
was set up, he was out of place, and was not immediately entrusted with command. Morris went back to his home at Esthagh.
Esthagh is one of many variants used to name East Hague, the location of Hague Hall, then the manor house of the Parish of
South Kirkby
South Kirkby is a town in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England which is governed locally by South Kirkby and Moorthorpe Town Council. The town forms half of the civil parish of South Kirkby and Moorthorpe. The parish has a population ...
, near Pontefract.
The manor house, Hague Hall was acquired by Nathaniel Burkead Esq around 1620
the area must have been the location of more buildings as John Morris and his family were not the sole inhabitants. Edward Watson inherited the manor in 1649 from his father-in-law Nathaniel Birkhead,
showing that Morris was simply an inhabitant in the area.
Seizure of Pontefract Castle
![Pontefract Castle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Pontefract_Castle.jpg)
From the siege of
Sandal Castle
Sandal Castle is a ruined Middle Ages, medieval castle in Sandal Magna, a suburb of the city of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, overlooking the River Calder, West Yorkshire, River Calder. It was the site of royal intrigue and the setting ...
in 1645 Morris knew Colonel
Robert Overton
Major-General Robert Overton 1609 to 1678, was a member of the landed gentry from Yorkshire, who fought for Parliament of England, Parliament during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, and reached the rank of Major General in 1652. A committed Repub ...
, who had since been made governor of Pontefract. With reason to believe Overton sympathetic to the royalists, Morris entered into a conspiracy with him to surprise
Pontefract Castle
Pontefract (or Pomfret) Castle is a castle ruin in the town of Pontefract, in West Yorkshire, England. King Richard II is thought to have died there. It was the site of a series of famous sieges during the 17th-century English Civil War. ...
: Overton promised that he would open a
sally port
A sally port is a secure, controlled entry way to an enclosure, e.g., a fortification or prison. The entrance is usually protected by some means, such as a fixed wall on the outside, parallel to the door, which must be circumvented to enter an ...
at need. But in November 1647 Overton was transferred to the governorship of
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.
It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-east ...
, and Morris had little connection with Cotterell, who succeeded him at Pontefract.
Morris made an unsuccessful attempt to seize the castle by means of a
scaling ladder
{{Unreferenced, date=May 2007
Escalade is the act of scaling defensive walls or ramparts with the aid of ladders. Escalade was a prominent feature of sieges in ancient and medieval warfare, and though it is no longer common in modern warfare, ...
on 18 May 1648. Cotterell pulled in those of the garrison who were sleeping in the town, and issued warrants for beds for a hundred men. Disguised as countrymen, Morris and William Paulden (brother of
Capt. Thomas Paulden), each with four men carrying beds and with three others bringing money as though to compound for theirs, gained admission to the castle on 3 June. Offering quarter to the guard, they shut them in the dungeon. Cotterell, who, lying on his bed at the time, resisted Paulden and was wounded. Troops waiting nearby joined Morris's party. Colonel Bonivent who had been governor of Sandal Castle in 1644-5 was at first credited with the exploit; and Morris allowed
Sir John Digby
John Digby, 1st Earl of Bristol (February 1580 – 21 January 1653),David L. Smith, 'Digby, John, first earl of Bristol (1580–1653)’, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008. was an E ...
, who came from Nottingham, to assume nominal command.
Morris answered
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...
's summons to surrender (9 November) with defiance, but desertions were frequent. He made two determined sallies in February 1649 but was compelled on 3 March to treat with the parliamentarians. General
John Lambert John Lambert may refer to:
*John Lambert (martyr) (died 1538), English Protestant martyred during the reign of Henry VIII
*John Lambert (general) (1619–1684), Parliamentary general in the English Civil War
*John Lambert of Creg Clare (''fl.'' c. ...
, who was in command, insisted upon having six persons, whom he refused to name, excepted from mercy, and of these Morris was one.
Aftermath and trial
On 17 March the treaty was concluded. The excepted officers having liberty to make their escape if they could, Morris charged through the enemy's army, and with Cornet Michael Blackborne got away into
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
. Lambert had given assurance for Morris's safety if he could escape five miles from the castle; but he was betrayed at Oreton in the
Furness Fells
The Furness Fells are a multitude of hills and mountains in the Furness region of Cumbria, England. Historically part of Lancashire, the Furness Fells or High Furness is the name given to the upland part of Furness, that is, that part of Furness ...
, about ten days later, and taken to
Lancaster Castle
Lancaster Castle is a medieval castle and former prison in Lancaster in the English county of Lancashire. Its early history is unclear, but it may have been founded in the 11th century on the site of a Roman fort overlooking a crossing of ...
.
On 16 August Morris was brought to trial at York assizes, and indicted. The judges,
John Puleston and
Francis Thorpe
Francis Thorpe (1595–1665) was an English barrister, judge and politician.
Early life
He was the eldest son of Roger Thorpe of Birdsall, North Yorkshire and of his wife Elizabeth, daughter of William Danyell of Beswick. He was admitted a stu ...
, ordered him to be put in irons. He defended himself, and was condemned to death as a traitor; vain efforts were made to save him, even by officers of the parliamentary army. On the night of 20 August Morris and his fellow-prisoner Blackborne escaped from prison in York Castle, but in getting over the wall Blackborne broke his leg, and Morris refused to leave him. They were retaken, and executed on 23 August.
Burial and legacy
By his desire Morris was buried at
Wentworth Wentworth may refer to:
People
* Wentworth (surname)
* Judith Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth (1873–1957), Lady Wentworth, notable Arabian horse breeder
* S. Wentworth Horton (1885–1960), New York state senator
* Wentworth Miller (born 1 ...
, near the grave of Lord Strafford. His exploits were celebrated by
Thomas Vaughan in Latin elegiac poems printed at the end of
Henry Vaughan
Henry Vaughan (17 April 1621 – 23 April 1695) was a Welsh metaphysical poet, author and translator writing in English, and a medical physician. His religious poetry appeared in ''Silex Scintillans'' in 1650, with a second part in 1655.''Oxfor ...
's ''Thalia Rediviva'' (1678).
Family
Morris married Margery (1627-1665), eldest daughter of Robert Dawson,
Bishop of Clonfert and Kilmacduagh
The Bishop of Clonfert and Kilmacduagh was the Ordinary of the Church of Ireland diocese of Clonfert and Kilmacduagh, comprising the southern part of County Galway and a small area of County Roscommon, Ireland. In 1834, Clonfert and Kilmacduagh ...
, by whom he had issue Robert (b. 1645) of
North Emsall,
Castilian (1648-1702), and Mary. His widow remarried Jonas Bulkeley or Buckley of
South Elmsall
South Elmsall ( ) is a town and civil parish in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. South Elmsall lies to the east of Hemsworth The town had a population in 2001 of 6,107, increasing to 6,519 at the 2011 Census.
History
The town ...
,
fourth son of Abel Bulkley, of Bulkley,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
. Castilian, so named because he was born during the siege of Pontefract Castle, was appointed town clerk of
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
in 1684. Some extracts from his diary were printed in the ''Yorkshire Archaeological and Topographical Journal'' (x. 159). Margery appears to have died in childbirth, giving birth to Morris Buckley the son of Jonas Buckley.
Notes
;Attribution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, John
1617 births
1649 deaths
Cavaliers
Roundheads