Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Merle, William
MERLE or MORLEY, WILLIAM (d. 1347), meteorologist, son of William Merle, is said to have been a fellow of Merton College, Oxford (Digby MS. 176, f. 3), but his name does not appear on the extant lists of fellows. He was presented to the rectory of Driby, near Alford, Lincolnshire, by John Harsyk in 1331, was admitted thereto on 13 May in that year, and died in 1347. His connection with Oxford is supported by the fact that some of his observations were made there. Those contained in Digby MS. 176 were prepared for William Reed (d. 1385) [q. v.], bishop of Chichester, a former fellow of Merton, who presented this volume to his old college. Mr. Symons suggests that Merle was of French extraction, on the supposition that the name is French and not English. This conjecture seems needless; the modern form of the name may be Morley, as given by Tanner, and in any case Merle is not uncommon in thirteenth and fourteenth century records (cf. Patent Rolls Edward I., sub anno 1283, and Cal. Documents relating to Scotland, iii. 257); in Digby MS. 147 the name is spelt Merlee, and in Digby MS. 97 Merla.
Merle wrote: 1. ‘Temperies aeris Oxoniæ pro septennio scilicet a Januario mcccxxxvii ad Januar. mcccxliv.’ In Digby MS 176, ff. 4–8. This tract is perhaps the oldest systematic record of the weather, which is noted month by month, and in large part day by day. The last date is 8 Jan. 1344. Reference is made both to Lincolnshire and to Oxford. A photographic reproduction of the manuscript, with a translation, was published, under the supervision of Mr. G. J. Symons, in 1891, with the title, ‘Consideraciones temperiei pro 7 Annis.’ 2. ‘De futura aeris intemperie:’ incipit ‘Hec sunt consideranda ad hoc.’ Digby MS. 97, f. 128b and Digby MS. 176, f. 3 in the Bodleian Library. 3. ‘De prognosticatione aeris.’ Digby MS. 147, ff. 125–37. A footnote states ‘Expletum igitur est opus istud Exon. [?Oxon.] anno domini 1340 per magistrum Willielmum Merlee.’
[Tanner's Bibl. Brit.-Hib., p. 532; R. Plot in Philosophical Transactions, No. 169, 1685; Symons's Preface to the Consideraciones Temperiei; Athenæum, 28 Nov. 1891; Catalogue of Digby MSS.]