Sir Lewis Morris (23 January 1833 – 12 November 1907) was a Welsh academic and politician. He was also a popular

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

of the Anglo-Welsh school.

Background

Born in

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, ; , 'Merlin's fort' or possibly 'Sea-town fort') is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community (Wales), community in Wales, lying on the River Towy north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. At the 2021 United Kingdom cen ...

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...

in south-west

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

to Lewis Edward William Morris and Sophia Hughes, he first attended Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School there (1841–47). Then in 1847 he transferred to

Cowbridge Grammar School Cowbridge Grammar School was one of the best-known schools in Wales until its closure in 1974. It was replaced by Cowbridge Comprehensive School. Founded in the 17th century by Sir John Stradling, 1st Baronet, Sir John Stradling and refounde ...

on the appointment to it of the energetically reviving and academically gifted young headmaster, Hugo Harper. There "he gave promise of his future classical scholarship by writing a prize poem on Pompeii".C.D. Phillips, ''Sir Lewis Morris'' (University of Wales Press, 1981), p. 12 In 1850 he was one of about thirty Cowbridge boys who followed Harper to

Sherborne Sherborne is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in north west Dorset, in South West England. It is sited on the River Yeo (South Somerset), River Yeo, on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, east of Yeovil. The parish include ...

whither the latter was bound on a similar mission of resuscitating a moribund school. Such "swarming" in the wake of a charismatic headmaster was typical of the period. Morris and Harper remained lifelong friends. He studied classics at

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship ...

, graduating in 1856: the first student in thirty years to obtain first-class honours in both his preliminary and his

final examinations An examination (exam or evaluation) or test is an educational assessment intended to measure a test-taker's knowledge, skill, aptitude, physical fitness, or classification in many other topics (e.g., beliefs). A test may be administered verba ...

. In 1868 he married Florence Pollard.

Career

He then became a lawyer. He was Liberal candidate for Pembroke Boroughs in 1886 but lost to his Conservative opponent. He was Liberal candidate for Carmarthen Boroughs in 1892 but retired before the poll.'MORRIS, Sir Lewis', Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2015; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014; online edn, April 201
retrieved 23 April 2015
/ref> He was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1895, and narrowly missed being appointed Poet Laureate, possibly because of his association with

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

. One of his most famous poems is "Love's Suicide". He is buried at the parish church of Saint Cynnwr in

Llangunnor Llangunnor () is a village and community located in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is the southern suburb of Carmarthen town and consists mainly of suburban housing which has expanded in recent years. It has a small shop, two chapels, a church and ...

Principal works

*''Songs of Two Worlds'' 1875 *'' The Epic of Hades'' 1877 *''Gwen: A Drama in Monologue Six Acts'' 1879 *''The Ode of Life'' 1880 *''Poetical Works'' 1882 *''Songs Unsung'' 1883 *''Gycia: A Tragedy in Five Acts'' 1886 *''Songs of Britain'' 1887 *''Selections from the Works of Sir Lewis Morris'' 1897 *''Harvest Tide: A Book of Verse'' 1900 *''The New Rambler from Desk to Platform'' 1905

References

Worldcat.org
Retrieved 3 May 2008 *Chisholm, Hugh. "Morris, Sir Lewis." ''The Encyclopædia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature and General information.'' (11 ed.) Vol. XVIII The Encyclopædia Britannica Company, New York, 1911. (pp. 870–871
googlebooks
Retrieved 3 May 2008

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Lewis 1833 births 1907 deaths Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford People from Carmarthen Welsh poets People educated at Sherborne School People educated at Cowbridge Grammar School 19th-century Welsh poets Members of Carmarthenshire County Council Knights Bachelor