Jeremy Morris
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Jeremy Nigel Morris (born 22 January 1960) is a British historian,
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
priest and academic. He specialises in
church history __NOTOC__ Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritual ...
. From 2014 to 2021, he was
Master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...
of
Trinity Hall, Cambridge Trinity Hall (formally The College or Hall of the Holy Trinity in the University of Cambridge) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is the fifth-oldest surviving college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by ...
. Previously, he was
Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...
of Trinity Hall from 2001 to 2010, and Dean of the Chapel of
King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the city ...
from 2010 to 2014.


Early life

Morris was born on 22 January 1960 to David and Diana Morris. He read
Modern History The term modern period or modern era (sometimes also called modern history or modern times) is the period of history that succeeds the Middle Ages (which ended approximately 1500 AD). This terminology is a historical periodization that is applie ...
at
Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...
, and graduated
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
(BA) in 1981. He remained at the
University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...
to undertake
post-graduate study Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree. The organization and struc ...
, during which he was a temporary lecturer. He was awarded his
Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...
(DPhil) degree in 1985. His doctoral thesis, on the impact of urban expansion on the development of Victorian and
Edwardian The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...
organised religion within the
parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
and borough of Croydon, was published as a book in 1992.


Career


Early career

Following his university studies, Morris worked in
management consultancy Management consulting is the practice of providing consultant, consulting services to organizations to improve their performance management, performance or in any way to assist in achieving Goal#Goal setting management in organizations, organizatio ...
and
university administration Academic administration is a branch of university or college employees responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the institution and separate from the faculty or academics, although some personnel may have joint responsibilities. Some t ...
. From 1985 to 1987, he was a scholarship officer for the
Association of Commonwealth Universities The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) was established in 1913, and has over 500 member institutions in over 50 countries across the Commonwealth. The ACU is the world's oldest international network of universities. Its mission is ...
. Then, from 1987 to 1990, he was a senior administrative officer at the
London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...
.


Ordination and ministry

Morris left his early career in administration to train for the priesthood. In preparation for this, he studied
theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
at
Clare College, Cambridge Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded ...
, graduating
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
(BA) in 1992. whilst being trained for ordination at
Westcott House, Cambridge Westcott House is an Anglican theological college based on Jesus Lane in the centre of the university city of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.Westcott House website, Home pag Retrieved on August 27, 2006. Its main activity is training people for ...
, and completed a Certificate in Theology for Ministry in 1993. He was ordained a
deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...
in the
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
in 1993 and a
priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
in 1994. He served as a
curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...
at
St Mary's Church, Battersea St Mary's Church, Battersea, is the oldest of the churches in Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth, in the inner south-west of the UK's capital city. Its parish shared by three Anglican churches is in the diocese of Southwark. Christian ...
, from 1993 to 1996. On 25 February 2019, he was installed as an
honorary canon A canon (from the Latin , itself derived from the Greek , , "relating to a rule", "regular") is a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, i ...
of
Ely Cathedral Ely Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is an Anglican cathedral in the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. The cathedral has its origins in AD 672 when St Etheldreda built an abbey church. The presen ...
. He has held
permission to officiate A permission to officiate (PTO), also known as a licence to officiate, is a concessionary ministry licence granted by an Anglicanism, Anglican bishop. It is most commonly issued to a retired Deacon#Anglicanism, deacon, Priest#Anglican or Episcopal ...
in the
Diocese of Ely The Diocese of Ely is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury. It is headed by the Bishop of Ely, who sits at Ely Cathedral in Ely. There is one suffragan (subordinate) bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon. The diocese now co ...
since 2021. Since May 2022, he has been the Church of England's National Adviser on Ecumenical Relations.


Academic career

In 1996, Morris returned to academia as director of studies and then vice-principal at
Westcott House, Cambridge Westcott House is an Anglican theological college based on Jesus Lane in the centre of the university city of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.Westcott House website, Home pag Retrieved on August 27, 2006. Its main activity is training people for ...
. Later he was a senior associate of the
Cambridge Theological Federation The Cambridge Theological Federation (CTF) is an association of theological colleges, courses and houses based in Cambridge, England and founded in 1972. The federation offers several joint theological programmes of study open to students in membe ...
and an affiliated lecturer at the
Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge The Cambridge Faculty of Divinity is the divinity school of the University of Cambridge. It houses the Divinity Faculty Library, Cambridge, Faculty Library. History Divinity (academic discipline), Divinity has been taught in the University of ...
. He was
dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...
and fellow of
Trinity Hall, Cambridge Trinity Hall (formally The College or Hall of the Holy Trinity in the University of Cambridge) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is the fifth-oldest surviving college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by ...
between 2001 and 2010, and director of studies in theology. He was Dean of Chapel at
King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the city ...
, from 2010 to 2014. In addition, he was a fellow of the college and director of studies in theology and religious studies. Morris's early academic work was in the field of modern British religious history, looking in particular at the impact of urbanization and industrialization on religious change. His first book – based on his doctoral thesis – was ''Religion and Urban Change: Croydon 1840–1914'' (1992), and he continues to write on arguments about secularization. His general academic interests also include modern European church history, Anglican theology and ecclesiology (especially High Anglicanism), and the ecumenical movement. His research currently focuses on the social and doctrinal history of the Eucharist in Western Europe since 1800. He is director of the Archbishop's Examination in Theology (the "
Lambeth Awards The Lambeth Awards are awarded by the Archbishop of Canterbury. In addition to the Lambeth degrees, there are a number of non-academic awards. Before 2016, these awards consisted of the Lambeth Cross, the Canterbury Cross, and the Cross of St Augus ...
"). He is a former member and deputy chair of the Faith and Order Commission of the Church of England and continues to serve on a number of ecumenical bodies. He has been a visiting lecturer at
Cardiff University , latin_name = , image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University , motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord , mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord , established = 1 ...
, the Institute of Theology in
Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ' ...
and the Old Catholic Seminary at the
University of Bern The University of Bern (german: Universität Bern, french: Université de Berne, la, Universitas Bernensis) is a university in the Switzerland, Swiss capital of Bern and was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the Canton of Bern. It ...
. He is also one of the directors of the CRASSH project "The Bible and Antiquity in the Nineteenth Century". In January 2014, he was elected the 44th
Master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...
of Trinity Hall, Cambridge. He took up the appointment in October 2014, in succession to
Martin Daunton Martin James Daunton (born 14 February 1949) is a British academic and historian. He was Master of Trinity Hall, Cambridge, between 2004 and 2014. Daunton is the son of Ronald James Daunton and Dorothy ''née'' Bellett. He was educated at Barr ...
.


Controversy

In 2019, Morris was brought into controversy over past abuse cases whilst working at Trinity Hall, an educational institution where young students reside on site. A lecturer sexually harassed 10 students and was allowed to return and continue attending certain events, with Morris (as master) issuing the following statement: "In line with the rights and privileges afforded to Emeritus Fellows of the College, Dr Hutchinson will continue to attend certain College events and to exercise his dining rights, but will not attend events primarily aimed at students or alumni except by agreement with the College." This was two years after Morris was quoted in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' and ''Varsity'' as recognising the "seriousness and the formal nature" of the complaint. Human rights barrister Charlotte Proudman said, "The college has given fellows a licence to abuse their power with impunity. Women students are not safe in their own colleges"; while ''The Guardian'' called it "a gross betrayal to the students", and "a dangerous environment for women students to study". Two weeks later, ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
'' reported Morris' announcement that a sexual harasser had resigned from his post. Morris said that he would launch a review into the college's handling of the saga. Following the preliminary hearing of the
Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) in England and Wales was an inquiry examining how the country's institutions handled their duty of care to protect children from sexual abuse. It was announced by the British Home Secretary ...
within the Church of England, Morris talked about his own sexual harassment:
Back in the 80s, I was slapped on the bottom on several different occasions by a clergyman at the church I attended. I was taken aback, a bit shocked even, but I was unsure what to think. It was in the presence of his partner. Was it simply playful? Was it a kind of advance? It was certainly unwelcome. But I didn't say anything at the time, and now realize I probably should have done. I think I rather minimised the matter, assuming most people would go for the 'he's just being light-hearted' line and it wasn't worth making a fuss. Also, I rather liked him, and didn't want to make things difficult. A common enough reaction, as I realise. But looking back, it's significant I remember distinctly each occasion, and the very fact that I didn't want it to happen and that it was a repeated pattern puts it in a different light today.
In February 2020, Morris stepped aside as Master of Trinity Hall "while an investigation into procedures" was conducted. The college commissioned an independent inquiry led by Gemma White QC which recommended Trinity Hall consider disciplinary action against Morris in relation to his handling of one allegation. Morris resigned as Master in August 2021. Trinity Hall published the report of Gemma White’s inquiry on 8 September 2022.  In response Morris published a statement on his website which included the statement: "I realize that my handling of the allegation made by 'John' was not as thorough as it ought to have been, and for the distress he has suffered as a result of my decisions I am very sorry. I never prejudged this matter, believed I was following the legal advice I had been given, had strong support for my actions from all my senior colleagues bar one…I have learnt from my failure to question the legal advice I received, and I continue to be committed to the safeguarding and well-being of all students.  I have always strongly supported Cambridge University's 'Breaking the Silence' initiative.  I am also grateful for Gemma White's acknowledgement of the positive contributions she received from people I have supported over the years, including those who presented as survivors of sexual violence."


Honours

In June 2017, Morris was awarded The Lanfranc Award for Education and Scholarship by the Archbishop of Canterbury.


Publications

* * * * * * * * *


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Jeremy 1960 births Living people British historians of religion Historians of Christianity 21st-century English Anglican priests Deans of Trinity Hall, Cambridge Masters of Trinity Hall, Cambridge Fellows of King's College, Cambridge Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge Alumni of Westcott House, Cambridge Staff of Westcott House, Cambridge