John Morice

Sir John Morice, Morris or Moriz (died 1362) was an English-born statesman of the fourteenth century whose career was mainly spent in Ireland. He is remembered chiefly for his enthusiastic, if not very successful, efforts to reform the Irish administration, and for the fact that a portrait of him still exists. This is said to be the earliest portrait of an Irish judge and can be viewed by the public.

Early career

He was born in Bedfordshire. His family are said to have been gentry who had a good estate but lacked influential political connections. He was a knight of the shire for Bedfordshire in the Parliament of 1322. He was also Escheator of Ireland from 1329 to 1336, and sat on a number of special commissions in England, mostly in his native Bedfordshire. He was knighted before 1342 (a Parliamentary knight by then did not always receive this honour). In 1343 as Deputy Justiciar he implemented the Crown's grant to the citizens of Dublin for five years of the right of pavage i.e. the right to levy a toll for paving the streets.

Reformer As Justiciar he was charged by the King with implementing an ambitious programme of reform, which was prompted by numerous complaints of maladministration against Irish Crown officials. The programme was embodied in two Royal ordinances of 1341.

Military campaigns

His lack of military ability, a necessary skill for any Justiciar of that time, was the cause of much harsh comment from the Anglo-Irish nobility. Morice, his Deputy, had been in attendance on the King, who sent a message by Morice to the Justiciar with instructions, but added the ominous comment "if he reaches him alive". Morice is unlikely to have reached D'Ufford while he lived, as he died at Kilmainham near Dublin on 9 April. Morice succeeded him as Justiciar for a time.

In August of that year, the King ordered Morice to take an inquisition from the "worthy gentleman" of County Waterford and County Tipperary concerning all felonies and trespasses committed there. Towards the end of the year he was summoned to England again.

Recall

Despite the good intentions with which he came to Ireland, his government, whether as Chancellor or Justiciar, was clearly not a success: one historian has called him a second-rate civil servant who should never have been given high office, and his handling of the reform programme was disastrously inept. A plaintive letter written by him to the English Crown authorities survives, complaining of disturbances of the peace, the high price of grain and the public's hostility to him, and asking if he was entitled to act as Chancellor at all since his warrant of appointment had not arrived.

He was recalled to England in 1349 and died there in 1362. He married twice and had at least one son John.

Portrait He is portrayed in the Waterford Charter Roll of 1372/3: this is said to be the earliest portrait of an Irish or English judge. The portrait had a political purpose, as Morice had given a judgment upholding the privileges of the port of Waterford: the main purpose of the Charter Roll was to gain Royal favour for Waterford, at the expense of New Ross, and in particular to preserve its status as a royal port, which gave it the power to levy tolls. The Charter Roll is now on public display in the Waterford Museum of Treasures.