Francis Orpen Morris
Encyclopedia
Rev. Francis Orpen Morris (25 March 1810 near Cork
- 10 February 1893), Irish ornithologist and entomologist, was notable as the author of many children's books and books on natural history and heritage buildings. He died on 10 February 1893 and was buried at Nunburnholme
, East Riding of Yorkshire
, England
.
, co. Kerry. Francis Orpen Morris grew up on the western shores of Ireland where he developed an enduring love of the natural world. The whole family relocated to England in 1824. After living for some time in Worcester
, they settled in Charmouth
, Dorset
in 1826.
his love of natural history grew and he started a collection of birds and insects. He left school in 1828 and spent a year with a private tutor, and then enrolled at Worcester College Oxford
. Here he read Classics
and was awarded a BA in 1833. One of the subjects in which he chose to be examined, was Pliny
's Natural History. During this period he met the entomologist James Duncan
(1804-1861), author of British Butterflies. As a student Morris maintained his interest in natural history, and helped order the insect collection in the Ashmolean Museum
.
, near Dewsbury
. Then followed his ordaining as Deacon by the Archbishop of York
in August 1834. Between 1842 and 1844 he was vicar at Huttons Ambo. In November 1844, he became vicar of Nafferton
near Driffield
in East Yorkshire
, a parish he served for nine years. In 1854 he moved to the Rectory of Nunburnholme
, near Market Weighton
in East Yorkshire
. Here he had ample leisure to pursue his interests in natural history.
During his stay at Nafferton he acquired a reputation for writing popular essays on natural history and in particular on birds. His first book was an arrangement of British birds and was published in 1834. About this time he formed a close working association with Benjamin Fawcett
(1808-1893), a local printer. This relationship would last nearly 50 years and have a profound effect on British ornithology. Benjamin Fawcett was arguably the most accomplished of nineteenth century woodblock
colour printers.
Morris wrote the text for books which were financed and printed by Fawcett, and were illustrated by Alexander Francis Lydon
(1836-1917). Colour printing showed an enormous improvement on the work of Thomas Bewick
(1753-1828). At first wood-engraving illustrations were coloured by hand, but later a system of colouring from multiple wood blocks was used.
Morris' books were mostly published by Groombridge & Sons, of London. His first best-seller was A History of British Birds which was published from June 1850 in monthly parts over a period of some seven years. Each folio consisted of text and 4 hand-coloured plates. Initially only a thousand copies were printed, but surprising demand quickly forced Fawcett to move to larger premises at East Lodge in Driffield
. A Natural History of the Nests and Eggs of British Birds, A History of British Butterflies and A History of British Moths followed in rapid succession. The final work which Fawcett, Morris and Lydon would do together was The County Seats of the Noblemen and Gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland. This appeared in six volumes, each with 40 coloured plates, and text as usual by Morris. Groombridge & Sons dissolved about 1880, with neither Fawcett nor Morris having profited much financially from their collaboration.
, eventually raising a family of 3 sons and 6 daughters.
From all accounts Morris was irascible by nature, impatient with conservatism and imbued with the spirit of reform - this did not endear him to many people. He had deep-seated convictions on some matters: he was an anti-feminist, loathed fox hunting
and any other destruction of wildlife, had an abiding abhorrence of evolution
as expounded in Charles Darwin
's Origin of Species and a fervent dislike of Thomas Huxley
whom he saw as an enthusiastic vivisectionist. He was an early advocate for conservation and was instrumental in founding the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
.
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
- 10 February 1893), Irish ornithologist and entomologist, was notable as the author of many children's books and books on natural history and heritage buildings. He died on 10 February 1893 and was buried at Nunburnholme
Nunburnholme
Nunburnholme is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately east of the market town of Pocklington.The civil parish is formed by the village of Nunburnholme and the hamlet of Kilnwick Percy....
, East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Early life
Morris was the eldest son of the Royal Navy's Admiral Henry Gage Morris and Rebecca Orpen, youngest daughter of the Rev. Francis Orpen, vicar of KilgarvanKilgarvan
-History:Kilgarvan was the site of the Battle of Callan in 1261 which reduced Norman power in Ireland for almost 300 years. The battle site is located in the townland of Callan ....
, co. Kerry. Francis Orpen Morris grew up on the western shores of Ireland where he developed an enduring love of the natural world. The whole family relocated to England in 1824. After living for some time in Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, they settled in Charmouth
Charmouth
Charmouth is a village at the mouth of the River Char in West Dorset, England, with a population of 1,687 according to the 2001 census.-The village:...
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
in 1826.
Education
At Bromsgrove SchoolBromsgrove School
Bromsgrove School, founded in 1553, is a co-educational independent school in the Worcestershire town of Bromsgrove, England. The school has a long history and many notable former pupils.-History:...
his love of natural history grew and he started a collection of birds and insects. He left school in 1828 and spent a year with a private tutor, and then enrolled at Worcester College Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. Here he read Classics
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
and was awarded a BA in 1833. One of the subjects in which he chose to be examined, was Pliny
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
's Natural History. During this period he met the entomologist James Duncan
James Duncan (zoologist)
James Duncan was a Scottish naturalist.He wrote* with James Wilson Entomologia Edinensis: Or A Description and History of the Insects Found in Ediburgh...
(1804-1861), author of British Butterflies. As a student Morris maintained his interest in natural history, and helped order the insect collection in the Ashmolean Museum
Ashmolean Museum
The Ashmolean Museum on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is the world's first university museum...
.
Church
He entered the Church and became curate at Hanging HeatonHanging Heaton
Hanging Heaton is a large village in West Yorkshire, England. Partly in both Batley and Dewsbury it is a historic village mentioned in the Domesday Book under the name 'Etun'. The prefix 'Hanging' refers to a steep hillside hanging above lower ground...
, near Dewsbury
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
. Then followed his ordaining as Deacon by the Archbishop of York
Archbishop of York
The Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
in August 1834. Between 1842 and 1844 he was vicar at Huttons Ambo. In November 1844, he became vicar of Nafferton
Nafferton
Nafferton is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately north east of Driffield town centre and lies just south of the A614 road....
near Driffield
Driffield
Driffield, also known as Great Driffield, is a market town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The civil parish is formed by the town of Driffield and the village of Little Driffield....
in East Yorkshire
East Yorkshire
East Yorkshire could be:*East Yorkshire Motor Services*An alternative name for the East Riding of Yorkshire*East Yorkshire , a former district of Humberside*East Yorkshire...
, a parish he served for nine years. In 1854 he moved to the Rectory of Nunburnholme
Nunburnholme
Nunburnholme is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately east of the market town of Pocklington.The civil parish is formed by the village of Nunburnholme and the hamlet of Kilnwick Percy....
, near Market Weighton
Market Weighton
Market Weighton is a small town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is one of the main market towns in the East Yorkshire Wolds and lies midway between Hull and York, about from either one...
in East Yorkshire
East Yorkshire
East Yorkshire could be:*East Yorkshire Motor Services*An alternative name for the East Riding of Yorkshire*East Yorkshire , a former district of Humberside*East Yorkshire...
. Here he had ample leisure to pursue his interests in natural history.
Writing
Benjamin Fawcett
Benjamin Fawcett was one of the finest of English nineteenth century woodblock colour printers. The son of a ship's master, he was apprenticed at age 14 for seven years to William Forth, a Bridlington bookseller and printer...
(1808-1893), a local printer. This relationship would last nearly 50 years and have a profound effect on British ornithology. Benjamin Fawcett was arguably the most accomplished of nineteenth century woodblock
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
colour printers.
Morris wrote the text for books which were financed and printed by Fawcett, and were illustrated by Alexander Francis Lydon
Alexander Francis Lydon
Alexander Francis Lydon was an English watercolour artist, illustrator and engraver of natural history and landscapes. He worked for Benjamin Fawcett the printer, to whom he had been apprenticed from an early age. He collaborated on a large number of works with the Rev...
(1836-1917). Colour printing showed an enormous improvement on the work of Thomas Bewick
Thomas Bewick
Thomas Bewick was an English wood engraver and ornithologist.- Early life and apprenticeship :Bewick was born at Cherryburn House in the village of Mickley, in the parish of Ovingham, Northumberland, England, near Newcastle upon Tyne on 12 August 1753...
(1753-1828). At first wood-engraving illustrations were coloured by hand, but later a system of colouring from multiple wood blocks was used.
Morris' books were mostly published by Groombridge & Sons, of London. His first best-seller was A History of British Birds which was published from June 1850 in monthly parts over a period of some seven years. Each folio consisted of text and 4 hand-coloured plates. Initially only a thousand copies were printed, but surprising demand quickly forced Fawcett to move to larger premises at East Lodge in Driffield
Driffield
Driffield, also known as Great Driffield, is a market town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The civil parish is formed by the town of Driffield and the village of Little Driffield....
. A Natural History of the Nests and Eggs of British Birds, A History of British Butterflies and A History of British Moths followed in rapid succession. The final work which Fawcett, Morris and Lydon would do together was The County Seats of the Noblemen and Gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland. This appeared in six volumes, each with 40 coloured plates, and text as usual by Morris. Groombridge & Sons dissolved about 1880, with neither Fawcett nor Morris having profited much financially from their collaboration.
Personal life
In January 1835 he married Anne Sanders, who was the second daughter of Charles Sanders of BromsgroveBromsgrove
Bromsgrove is a town in Worcestershire, England. The town is about north east of Worcester and south west of Birmingham city centre. It had a population of 29,237 in 2001 with a small ethnic minority and is in Bromsgrove District.- History :Bromsgrove is first documented in the early 9th century...
, eventually raising a family of 3 sons and 6 daughters.
From all accounts Morris was irascible by nature, impatient with conservatism and imbued with the spirit of reform - this did not endear him to many people. He had deep-seated convictions on some matters: he was an anti-feminist, loathed fox hunting
Fox hunting
Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase, and sometimes killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds, and a group of followers led by a master of foxhounds, who follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.Fox hunting originated in its current...
and any other destruction of wildlife, had an abiding abhorrence of evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
as expounded in Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
's Origin of Species and a fervent dislike of Thomas Huxley
Thomas Huxley
Thomas Henry Huxley PC FRS was an English biologist, known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution....
whom he saw as an enthusiastic vivisectionist. He was an early advocate for conservation and was instrumental in founding the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Bird Notes and News was first published in April 1903.The title changed to 'Bird Notes' in 1947. In the 1950s, there were four copies per year . Each volume covered two years, spread over three calendar years...
.
Works
- 1834 Guide to an Arrangement of British Birds - 20 pp., Longmarts.
- 1849 A Bible Natural History. Groombridge.
- 1850 An Essay on the Eternal Duration of the Earth. 15 pp., Groombridge.
- 1850 An Essay on Scientific Nomenclature. 10 pp., Groombridge.
- 1850-1857. A Natural History of British Birds. 6 vols., 8vo, Groombridge.
- 1851-53 A Natural History of the Nests and Eggs of British Birds. 3 vols., Royal 8no, Groombridge.
- 1852 A Natural History of British Butterflies. Royal 8no, Groombridge.
- 1856 A Book of Natural History. Groombridge.
- 1859-70 A Natural History of British Moths. 4 vols., Royal 8no, Longmarts.
- 1860 Anecdotes of Natural History. Longroans.
- 1861 Records of Animal Sagacity and Character. Longroans.
- 1865 A Catalogue of British Insects in all the Orders. 125 pp., Longmarts.
- 1870 Dogs and their Doings. Partridge.
- 1870 County Seats of The Noblemen and Gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland. William Mackenzie, Ludgate Hill.
- 1886 The Sparrow-Shooter