Roger Morrice (1628–1702) was an
English Puritan minister and political journalist. He is most noted for his ''Entring Book'', a manuscript diary which provides a description of society in the years 1677 to 1691. The manuscript is held by
Dr Williams's Library in London, and in 2007 the Boydell Press published a 6 volume edition of the text.
Biography
Little is known about Morrice's life. He was born in about 1628 and died in 1702. He studied at
St Catharine's College, Cambridge
St Catharine's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1473 as Katharine Hall, it adopted its current name in 1860. The college is nicknamed "Catz". The college is located in the historic city-centre of Camb ...
, and later became the vicar of
Duffield in
Derbyshire in 1658.
Because of his Non-conformist views he was ejected from his living at
the Restoration
Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to:
* Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage
** Audio restoration
** Film restoration
** Image restoration
** Textile restoration
* Restoration ecology
...
of the monarchy in 1660, going on to become a private chaplain to
Denzil Holles and
John Maynard, both veteran Parliamentarians.
Though Morrice reveals virtually nothing about himself in his diaries, his ''Entring Book'' is a particularly useful source document for London life and politics from the late 1670s to the early 1690s – as informative, in its own way, as the better known ''Diaries'' of
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys (; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English diarist and naval administrator. He served as administrator of the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament and is most famous for the diary he kept for a decade. Pepys had no mariti ...
. Morrice himself was a puritan clergyman who became a close associate of those opposed to the forms of absolute government favoured by the later
Stuart
Stuart may refer to:
Names
* Stuart (name), a given name and surname (and list of people with the name) Automobile
*Stuart (automobile)
Places
Australia Generally
*Stuart Highway, connecting South Australia and the Northern Territory
Northe ...
kings,
Charles II and his brother and successor, the
Catholic James II James II may refer to:
* James II of Avesnes (died c. 1205), knight of the Fourth Crusade
* James II of Majorca (died 1311), Lord of Montpellier
* James II of Aragon (1267–1327), King of Sicily
* James II, Count of La Marche (1370–1438), King C ...
. Most of the early part of the ''Entring Book'' is concerned with the possible impact of resurgent Catholicism on English liberties. For Morrice, the
Tories, the party of the Court, were not so much a rival to the
Whigs, with whom he identified, but 'conspiracy against the Reformed interest.' After the
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...
of 1688, in which James was replaced by
William III William III or William the Third may refer to:
Kings
* William III of Sicily (c. 1186–c. 1198)
* William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702)
* William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg ...
and
Mary II
Mary II (30 April 166228 December 1694) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, co-reigning with her husband, William III & II, from 1689 until her death in 1694.
Mary was the eldest daughter of James, Duke of York, and his first wife ...
, Morrice is anxious to detect signs of
Jacobitism in the ranks of those whom he refers to as 'the hierarchical party.'
Besides high politics, Morrice's journal has a lot to say about other aspects of contemporary life: from military and legal affairs, to printing, firework carnivals, storms, hurricanes, duels, executions, suicides and many other similar delights.
References
The Entring Book of Roger Morrice, published in six volumes by the Boydell Press, 2007University of Cambridge news item. August 2007: ''Forgotten rival to Pepys finally reaches bookshop shelves''*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrice, Roger
1628 births
1702 deaths
English diarists
Alumni of St Catharine's College, Cambridge
Burials at Bunhill Fields