William Morice MP (1602 - 1676)

Born 6 Nov 1602 in Exeter, Devon, England

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Prideaux) Morice — married about 1629 in Exeter, Devon, England

Descendants

Died 12 Dec 1676 at age 74 in England

Biography

William was born in St. Martin Parish in Exeter, the son of Dr. Evan Morice and Mary (Castle) Morice, daughter of John Castle of Scobchester of Ashbury in Devon. She became, in 1611, the third wife of Sir Nicholas Prideaux of Solden, Devon and died in 1647^[1] William was educated at Exeter College, Oxford. He was elected Member of Parliament for Devon to fill a vacancy in 1648, but was excluded in Pride's Purge in December of that year, probably before he had taken his seat. Nevertheless, he was appointed High Sheriff of Devon in 1651, and returned to Parliament as MP for Devon in the First Protectorate Parliament elected in 1654. He subsequently represented Devon again in the Second Protectorate Parliament, Newport (Cornwall) in the Third Protectorate Parliament.

A relation of General Monck, Morice assisted in the Restoration and was knighted in 1660. He was also made a Privy Counsellor and appointed Secretary of State for the Northern Department, an office he held until he resigned in 1668; he was apparently an undistinguished minister, but justified his tenure of office by his usefulness in the House of Commons. In the Convention Parliament of 1660 he was re-elected for Newport but was also elected for Plymouth, which he chose to represent, and was that city's MP until his death 16 years later.

In 1657, during the Commonwealth, he published a treatise on the administration of the sacrament to all church members.

Marriage and children

Morice married Elizabeth Prideaux, a daughter of Humphrey Prideaux (abt 1573-1617) of Soldon, and Honor Fortescue, by whom he had children including:

• Sir William Morice, 1st Baronet (c. 1628 – 1690), eldest son and heir, MP, created a baronet in 1661.
• John Morice (c. 1630 – 1705), MP.
• Nicholas Morice (c. 1640 – 1712), MP.
• Humphry Morice (c. 1640–1696).
• Anne (b. c.1653), who married Sir John Pole, 3rd Baronet.
• Thomasine, who married Sir Walter Moyle.

Sources

1. ↑ Dictionary of National Biography: Vol. 39, Page 47

• Wikipedia:William Morice (Secretary of State)
• History of Parliament online: MORICE, William I (1602-76), of Werrington, Devon and Spring Garden, Westminster
• Display of Heraldry, John Guillim, John Logan (Captain.), Sir George Mackenzie, 1724, p.176