Family and Education

b. ?1714, 1st s. of John Morton of Tackley. educ. Abingdon sch.; Trinity, Oxf. 28 May 1730, aged 15; I. Temple 1732, called 1740, bencher 1758. m. by June 1751, Elizabeth, da. of Paul Jodrell of Duffield, Derbys., sis. of Paul Jodrell.

Offices Held

Recorder, Woodstock 1743; K.C. 1758; c.j. Chester 1762-d.; attorney-gen. to the Queen Mar. 1770-d.; dep. high steward, Oxf. Univ. 1770-d.

Biography

A successful Tory lawyer, who was counsel and became deputy high steward of Oxford University, Morton was on friendly terms with several members of the Leicester House set, including Jodrell, the Prince’s solicitor-general, whose sister he married.1 and the 2nd Lord Egmont, who put him down c.1750 as counsel for the board of Trade in a list of office holders in Frederick’s reign. On 23 Jan. 1750 he spoke in support of an amendment to the mutiny bill moved by Egmont, following this up with an exceptionally fully reported speech moving an amendment of his own, which was opposed by the secretary at war, Henry Fox. Next year he spoke on the regency bill, and in 1752 he was one of a number of leading Tories who spoke for a motion by Lord Harley against subsidy treaties in peace time.2

He died 25 July 1780.

Ref Volumes: 1715-1754

Author: R. S. Lea

Notes

• 1. W. R. Ward, Georgian Oxford, 263; Recs. Cust Fam. iii. 128, 133, 137.
• 2. Walpole, Mems. Geo. II, i. 144, 254.