William Morley

Who is William Morley?

Sir William Morley was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1625 and 1642. He supported the Royalist cause in the English Civil War.

Morley was the son of John Morley, MP. He matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford on 18 June 1602, aged 16 and was a student of Inner Temple in 1604. In 1625 he was elected Member of Parliament for Guildford. He was knighted at Titchfield on 4 September 1625. He was re-elected MP for Guildford in 1626.

He was appointed High Sheriff of Surrey and Sussex for Jan-Nov, 1636. In November 1640, Morley was elected MP for Chichester in the Long Parliament. On the outbreak of the Civil War, he put a garrison into Chichester, and was thereupon disabled from sitting in Parliament on 23 November 1642.

Morley lived at Halnaker. He married firstly Mary Heath, daughter of Sir Robert Heath. He married secondly, after 1669, Anne Lewknor, widow of Sir John Lewknor, M.P. for Midhurst.

On his death, reportedly from cutting his throat, he was buried at Boxgrove.