Ralph Morice
Encyclopedia
Ralph Morice was the secretary and biographer of Thomas Cranmer
, Archbishop of Canterbury.
, Essex
. His principal duty consisted in supervising the buildings of the countess at Cambridge. The eldest son, William Morice (fl. 1547), was gentleman-usher, first to Richard Pace
, and afterwards to Henry VIII, and towards the end of Henry's reign was in gaol and in peril of his life on a charge of heresy. William was father of the ecclesiastical lawyer James Morice
.
Ralph Morice was educated at Cambridge; he graduated B.A. in 1523, and commenced M.A. in 1526. He became secretary to Cranmer in 1528 before his elevation to the archbishopric, and continued in the office until after Edward VI's death. In 1532 he went with Hugh Latimer
, his brother, and others to see James Bainham
in Newgate Prison
before his execution. On 18 June 1537 he and his father received a grant of the office of bailiff for some crown lands, and in 1547 he was made registrar to the commissioners appointed to visit the dioceses of Rochester, Canterbury, Chichester, and Winchester.
His duties while secretary to the archbishop were heavy. In a memorial, printed in the Appendix to John Strype
's Cranmer and addressed to Queen Elizabeth, he speaks of writing much in defence of the ecclesiastical changes; much of his work must have been anonymous. He had the farm of the parsonage of Chartham
in Kent
—that is to say he put in a curate, keeping the rest of the revenues. The curate, Richard Turner
, got into trouble for protestant preaching in 1544, but Morice managed to clear him. The Turner case was part of the serious plot against Cranmer at this time; Morice worked with Anthony Denny
and William Butts
at court, and played a significant part in the successful counter-attack that secured Cranmer's position with the king.
Under Queen Mary, Morice was in some danger. His house was twice searched, and he lost many of his papers and had to flee. He was imprisoned, but escaped. The end of his life he passed at Bekesbourne
in Kent. There he fell into poverty, and stated in one of his petitions to Queen Elizabeth that he had four daughters whom he lacked the means to marry. Three of these, however, Margaret, Mary, and Anne, were married in January and February 1571. Alyce Morice, who was buried 25 February 1562, may have been his wife. The date of his own death is uncertain.
and others in their literary researches, mainly by supplying them with his Anecdotes of Cranmer. This compilation was used by Strype in his Memorials of Cranmer, and was reprinted from the manuscript at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
, in Narratives of the Reformation (Camden Society
). Morice gave other assistance to Foxe, and wrote an account of Latimer's conversion, which is printed in Strype's ‘Memorials’ and in Latimer's ‘Works.’ Harleian MS. 6148 consists of copies of letters written by Morice on the archbishop's business. Transcripts by Strype of some of these form Lansdowne MS. 1045. They were published by Henry Jenkyns and John Edmund Cox in their editions of Cranmer's ‘Works.’
Thomas Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build a favourable case for Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon which resulted in the separation of the English Church from...
, Archbishop of Canterbury.
Life
Born about 1500, he is presumed to be the younger son of James Morice, clerk of the kitchen and master of the works to Margaret, Countess of Richmond. His father, who was living in 1537, amassed a fortune and lived at Chipping OngarChipping Ongar
Chipping Ongar is a small market town, and a civil parish called Ongar, in the Epping Forest district of the county of Essex, England. It is located East of Epping, South-East of Harlow and North-West of Brentwood.-Geography:...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. His principal duty consisted in supervising the buildings of the countess at Cambridge. The eldest son, William Morice (fl. 1547), was gentleman-usher, first to Richard Pace
Richard Pace
Richard Pace was an English diplomat of the Tudor period. He was educated at Winchester College under Thomas Langton, and later at Padua, at Bologna, and probably at the University of Oxford...
, and afterwards to Henry VIII, and towards the end of Henry's reign was in gaol and in peril of his life on a charge of heresy. William was father of the ecclesiastical lawyer James Morice
James Morice
James Morice was an English politician.He was born 1539, the eldest son of William Morice of Chipping Ongar by Anne Isaac of Kent and educated at the Middle Temple.He was chosen as the Member of Parliament for Wareham in 1563...
.
Ralph Morice was educated at Cambridge; he graduated B.A. in 1523, and commenced M.A. in 1526. He became secretary to Cranmer in 1528 before his elevation to the archbishopric, and continued in the office until after Edward VI's death. In 1532 he went with Hugh Latimer
Hugh Latimer
Hugh Latimer was a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge, Bishop of Worcester before the Reformation, and later Church of England chaplain to King Edward VI. In 1555, under Queen Mary, he was burnt at the stake, becoming one of the three Oxford Martyrs of Anglicanism.-Life:Latimer was born into a...
, his brother, and others to see James Bainham
James Bainham
James Bainham was an English lawyer and Protestant reformer, burned as a heretic in 1532.-Life:He was, according to John Foxe, a son of Sir Alexander Bainham, who was sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1497, 1501, and 1516; he was a nephew of William Tracy. He was a member of the Middle Temple, and...
in Newgate Prison
Newgate Prison
Newgate Prison was a prison in London, at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey just inside the City of London. It was originally located at the site of a gate in the Roman London Wall. The gate/prison was rebuilt in the 12th century, and demolished in 1777...
before his execution. On 18 June 1537 he and his father received a grant of the office of bailiff for some crown lands, and in 1547 he was made registrar to the commissioners appointed to visit the dioceses of Rochester, Canterbury, Chichester, and Winchester.
His duties while secretary to the archbishop were heavy. In a memorial, printed in the Appendix to John Strype
John Strype
John Strype was an English historian and biographer. He was a cousin of Robert Knox, a famous sailor.Born in Houndsditch, London, he was the son of John Strype, or van Stryp, a member of a Huguenot family whom, in order to escape religious persecution within Brabant, had settled in East London...
's Cranmer and addressed to Queen Elizabeth, he speaks of writing much in defence of the ecclesiastical changes; much of his work must have been anonymous. He had the farm of the parsonage of Chartham
Chartham
Chartham is a village and civil parish in Kent, west of Canterbury.It is located on the Great Stour river which provided power for the paper mills up until some point before 1955. The name literally means ‘Village on rough ground’, and the word "Chart" is also found in other villages in Kent with...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
—that is to say he put in a curate, keeping the rest of the revenues. The curate, Richard Turner
Richard Turner (reformer)
Richard Turner was an English Protestant reformer and Marian exile.-Life:Born in Staffordshire, he was educated at Magdalen College, Oxford, of which he became a Fellow....
, got into trouble for protestant preaching in 1544, but Morice managed to clear him. The Turner case was part of the serious plot against Cranmer at this time; Morice worked with Anthony Denny
Anthony Denny
Sir Anthony Denny was a confidant of Henry VIII of England. Denny was the most prominent member of the Privy chamber in Henry's last years having, together with his brother-in-law John Gates, charge of the "dry stamp" of Henry's signature, and attended Henry on his deathbed. He also served as...
and William Butts
William Butts
Sir William Butts was a member of King Henry VIII of England's court and served as the King's physician.He had his portrait painted by Hans Holbein the Younger in 1543, and was knighted the following year...
at court, and played a significant part in the successful counter-attack that secured Cranmer's position with the king.
Under Queen Mary, Morice was in some danger. His house was twice searched, and he lost many of his papers and had to flee. He was imprisoned, but escaped. The end of his life he passed at Bekesbourne
Bekesbourne
Bekesbourne is a village, within the civil parish of Bekesbourne-with-Patrixbourne, near Canterbury in Kent, South East England.Situated approximately three miles south-east of the city boundary, the village has a church, St Peter's Parish Church which has a Norman doorway, a 13th century chancel...
in Kent. There he fell into poverty, and stated in one of his petitions to Queen Elizabeth that he had four daughters whom he lacked the means to marry. Three of these, however, Margaret, Mary, and Anne, were married in January and February 1571. Alyce Morice, who was buried 25 February 1562, may have been his wife. The date of his own death is uncertain.
Works
Morice, from his official position, was in possession of information, and helped John FoxeJohn Foxe
John Foxe was an English historian and martyrologist, the author of what is popularly known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs, , an account of Christian martyrs throughout Western history but emphasizing the sufferings of English Protestants and proto-Protestants from the fourteenth century through the...
and others in their literary researches, mainly by supplying them with his Anecdotes of Cranmer. This compilation was used by Strype in his Memorials of Cranmer, and was reprinted from the manuscript at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is notable as the only college founded by Cambridge townspeople: it was established in 1352 by the Guilds of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary...
, in Narratives of the Reformation (Camden Society
Camden Society
The Camden Society, named after the English antiquary and historian William Camden, was founded in 1838 in London to publish early historical and literary materials, both unpublished manuscripts and new editions of rare printed books....
). Morice gave other assistance to Foxe, and wrote an account of Latimer's conversion, which is printed in Strype's ‘Memorials’ and in Latimer's ‘Works.’ Harleian MS. 6148 consists of copies of letters written by Morice on the archbishop's business. Transcripts by Strype of some of these form Lansdowne MS. 1045. They were published by Henry Jenkyns and John Edmund Cox in their editions of Cranmer's ‘Works.’