Richard Morgan

Sir Richard Morgan SL PC (died May 1556) was a Welsh lawyer, judge and politician of the mid-Tudor period. After achieving prominence as a lawyer in the reign of Henry VIII, he became recorder of Gloucester and also Member (MP) of the Parliament of England for Gloucester in the three parliaments of 1545, 1547 and March 1553. He was a notable Catholic supporter of Mary I, who made him Chief Justice of the Common Pleas. However, he was soon removed from office and died in mysterious circumstances, apparently suffering from some form of mental disorder.

Background and early life Richard Morgan was the son of Philip ap Morgan, also known as Philip ap Morgan Watkin, of Llanfair Cilgoed, just west of the village of Cross Ash in Monmouthshire. Maud Philpot, daughter of Tomlyn Philpot of Blackbrook, a hamlet to the east of Cross Ash.

Richard Morgan was the second son: his elder brother Dafydd was to predecease his parents without issue. Richard had a younger brother, John Philip Morgan, who was also a Member of Parliament in the reign of Mary I. Their family was of the lowest stratum of the landed gentry and Richard turned to the Law to improve his prospects.

Morgan's lineage led back through the Turberville family, to Sir Payn de Turberville, one of the legendary Twelve Knights of Glamorgan, the Norman conquerors of south-east Wales. In the 13th century, this junior branch of the Turbervilles adopted the standard Welsh patronymic system of naming. Richard Morgan's father maintained this, generally calling himself Philip ap Morgan, while Richard's grandfather was Morgan ab Watkin. Richard broke with this system completely, adopting Morgan as a surname in the English fashion. (John still used his father's name as a second name, and was also known as Jenkin ap Philip.)

The change of names reflected momentous changes that came to Wales in Richard Morgan's lifetime. Hitherto, the feudal lordships established by the Normans still had a reality, especially in Monmouthshire, where the authority of the Council of Wales and the Marches, based at Ludlow in Shropshire, was often ignored. Henry VIII and his ministers tightened up central control in every way, establishing Princess Mary at Ludlow. Under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542, Wales was formally made part of single state with England. It was shired on the English pattern, and Monmouthshire, uniquely, was made part of the English assize system. Boroughs were incorporated and representatives returned to the Westminster parliament. This opened up new paths of promotion and enrichment to ambitious and educated men.

Richard Morgan was admitted to Lincoln's Inn on 31 July 1524.

Political career

Parliament of 1545 Thomas Bell, the immensely rich former mayor who was elected alongside Richard Morgan as MP for Gloucester. Morgan was elected to the parliament of 1545, the last of Henry VIII's reign, by two constituencies. Gloucester's indenture or electoral return was dated 6 January and placed Morgan first in order of precedence over Thomas Bell, the former mayor.

However, Monmouth Boroughs returned Morgan on 14 January. Thomas Kynnyllyn, who was elected in 1542, was still involved in a protracted legal action to get the outboroughs to pay his wages, as they were legally obliged to do, although it was not clear what say they had had in his election. The Duchy of Lancaster owned the manor and borough of Monmouth and exercised great influence over the election, although the burgesses entitled to vote were numerous. Morgan was certainly known to the duchy and favoured by its officials, although it is not known whether he was already retained by it.

At Gloucester, it was customary to send the recorder to parliament as one of the MPs. The circumstances turned this from a minor episode in a personal feud into a case of parliamentary privilege. Brandling complained to parliament on 15 February and it became Morgan's responsibility to ensure the culprits were brought before parliament. He drew up the necessary warrants and the initiator of the brawl, Henry Widdrington, was committed to the Tower of London. In the case of William Ward, a Lancaster MP, it was the member himself whose actions required investigation. Ward had taken out an action for breach of privilege on his own account, obtaining a writ from Chancery without consulting the House of Commons. The House passed the matter to a committee of Morgan and three other members: Sir Robert Bowes, Sir Nicholas Hare and Sir John Mason. The outcome is unknown. Finally, he was one of three members deputed to handle the replacement of Thomas Curtys, deceased member for the City of London, whose replacement was John Blundell.

Morgan was one of those deputed to the redraft the Treason Act 1551 to make it illegal to say that the king "is an heretic, schismatic, infidel or usurper of the crown." The notes made by him and other members were submitted to the House on 14 March 1552.

Parliament of March 1553 In the final months of Edward VI's reign, Morgan was commissioned by Parliament, along with his fellow Catholic, Robert Broke, to investigate the Maidstone election scandal. The issue was complicated by the developing succession crisis, in which John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, apparently with the king's support, manoeuvred for Lady Jane Grey, his own daughter-in-law, to be nominated Edward's successor. Maidstone was in the Protestant heartland of Kent: Thomas Wyatt was lord of the manor and the returning officer was Sir John Guildford, the High Sheriff of Kent who was a cousin of Dudley's wife One of the MPs elected was a relative of both Dudley and Jane Grey. Faced with possible malpractice by the Protestant court faction, the House ordered Morgan and Broke to "peruse the charter of Maidstone ... whether they may have burgesses in this House; and in the meantime the burgesses there to be absent out of this House till it be fully ordered." The result of the investigation is not known but can be guessed, as Maidstone's right to representation was not established until 1558, after Queen Elizabeth I succeeded her Catholic sister, Mary.

This was Morgan's last parliament. His appointment as chief justice by Mary took him away from his recordership and made him, in any case ineligible for the House of Commons, as he was called by a writ of assistance to serve in the House of Lords in the parliaments of October 1553 and April 1554.

Death The circumstances surrounding Morgan's death are not entirely clear. The Elizabethan sources were certain that he was punished for his antipathy toward the Protestant faith, in particular his condemnation of Lady Jane Grey. Foxe reports: Touching the condemnation of this lady Iane, here is to be noted, that the Iudge morgan who gaue the sentence of condemnation against her, shortly after hee had condemned her, fell mad, and in hys rauing cryed out continually to haue the Lady Iane taken away from him, and so ended hys lyfe. The story was repeated, almost verbatim, in Holinshed's Chronicles and became the accepted explanation of his sudden fall from power and influence. In fact, Morgan was removed from office in October 1555, which was almost two years after the trial of Jane Grey.

Morgan's last will provided for his younger sons, John and Polydore, to share the lease of Grosmont, which Morgan held from the duchy of Lancaster. Thomas, his heir, was to receive all his other leases of lands in Monmouthshire, including his share of the family home at Ynysgynwraidd/Skenfrith. His wife was given use of the London house, although the reversion was to Polydore. His books were divided among his sons. He ordered a ring of fine gold to be made for Anne, the wife of John Philip Morgan. This reiterated his first will, which said it was for kindness shown him during an illness – possibly an earlier bout of the complaint that finally overwhelmed him.

Family Morgan married Mary Bailey or Bayly, daughter of Sir Robert Bailey of the Whitecastle lordship, Monmouthshire. She survived Morgan and later married William Brayne of Littledean, Gloucestershire.

At least seven children of Morgan and Mary Bailey are known, with three sons surviving to inherit property from Morgan. Thomas Morgan, the heir, who married Mary Pryce of the Priory, Aberhonddu/Brecon John Morgan, who married Mary Worrall of English Bicknor, Gloucestershire Polydore Morgan Gilbert Morgan, who probably predeceased his parents Elsbeth "Besse" Morgan, who married one Higgs of London Anne Morgan, who married Thomas Quayne of Norfolk Mary Morgan