b.
6 May 1705
at
Y Fferem
,
Llanfihangel Tre'r Beirdd
,
Anglesey
;
third son of
Morris ap Rhisiart Morris
(q.v.)
and brother of
Lewis
,
Richard
, and
John
Morris
(qq.v.). His own words suggest that he was tall and lanky; possibly he had a pronounced stoop, for his nephew
John
Owen
(d.
1759
, q.v.)
nicknames him ‘
Gwilym Gam
’ (the crooked), but it may be that the nephew refers rather to his ‘stinginess’ — he had neither the generosity of his brother
Richard
nor the prickly genius of his brother
Lewis
; indeed, he had more hard common-sense than either. It is known that as a youth he spent some time at
Liverpool
(he was there to our knowledge in
1726
), but in
Feb. 1737
he was appointed
collector of customs
at
Holyhead
(later on, he added other duties to this), and in
1758
became
comptroller of customs
there — in the meantime (
1742
) he had declined the
chief clerkship to the comptroller
at
Chester
. Thus from
1737
till his death he was settled at
Holyhead
, where he was also an unofficial
physician
and in great demand as a
consultant in legal and other business
. His chief friend at
Holyhead
was the
curate
Thomas
Ellis
(
1711/2
-
1792
) (q.v.)
, up to
Ellis
's removal to
Nutfield
(
1759
);
Morris
was
Ellis
's
choirmaster
and was
greatly interested in church music
— to him alone of the brothers has anyone dreamt of attributing a hymn, though it is very far from certain that a well-known
Welsh
hymn is actually his.
Morris
, too, fully shared his parson's opposition to
Methodism
. Though he was a good general
naturalist
, his chief pursuit was
botany
, of which he had an unusually good knowledge — the
Welsh Botanology
of
Hugh
Davies
(
1739
-
1821
) (q.v.)
is based chiefly on
William
Morris
's notes. Like his brothers, he was a
collector and copyist of manuscripts
— he took special pride in the volume called ‘
the Leathern Harp
,’ which feckless
Goronwy
Owen
nearly lost for him. His knowledge and judgement in matters
Welsh
was highly respected by his brothers, and he in turn was greatly interested in the
Cymmrodorion Society
, whose first ‘corresponding members’ were in effect chosen by him. His ‘discovery’ of
Goronwy
Owen
and of
Robin Ddu yr Ail o Fôn
(qq.v.) is familiar. But his real importance is as a
letter-writer
; two-thirds of
J. H.
Davies
's collection of
Morris Letters
are by
William
. The whole life of
Anglesey
in the
mid-18th cent.
is mirrored in his letters, and he is our chief source for the social history of the island during his lifetime.
He m. (
1745
)
Jane
, daughter and heiress of
Robert
Hughes
of
Llanfugail
(
J. E.
Griffith
,
Pedigrees
, 41); she d.
1 May 1750
, and
Morris
remained a widower. A son and a daughter survived him. The (elder) son,
ROBERT
MORRIS
, b.
9 March 1746
, m.
Jane
Parry
, a widow, of the
Bulkeley
of
Brynddu
family
(
J. E.
Griffith
, op. cit., 33), sold his share of the
Llanfugail
estate, and went to live at
Holyhead
. The daughter,
JANE
(
1749
-
1833
), b.
12 Feb. 1749
, m. twice: (1)
John
Jones
,
exciseman
at
Caernarvon
, (2)
Thomas
Jones
,
customs officer
at
Beaumaris
(
J. E.
Griffith
, op. cit., 41). She d., a widow,
21 Feb. 1833
(
Camb. Quart. Mag.
, v, 311). To her we owe the preservation of the
letters written to her father by
Goronwy
Owen
(see
J. H.
Davies
's preface to his edition of
Goronwy
's letters).
William
Morris
's letters make abundant mention of the children.
William
Morris
d.
29 Dec. 1763
— he was practically on his deathbed when his father d., and was unable to be at his father's funeral — his letter to his brother
Lewis
giving him the news (
12 Nov. 1763
) is the last we have of his letters.
Emeritus Professor Robert Thomas Jenkins, C.B.E., D.Litt., Ll.D.,
F.S.A., (1881-1969), Bangor.
