Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Morris, Francis Orpen

by Bernard Barham Woodward

MORRIS, FRANCIS ORPEN (1810–1893), naturalist, born at Cove, near Cork, on 25 March 1810, was the eldest son of Rear-admiral Henry Gage Morris of York and Beverley, who served in the American and French wars. His mother, Rebecca Newenham Millerd, was a daughter of the Rev. Francis Orpen. His grandfather was Colonel Roger Morris [q. v.] Francis was educated at Bromsgrove School and Worcester College, Oxford, where he graduated B. A., with honours in classics, in 1833. He astonished his examiners by choosing Pliny's Natural History' for his voluntary thesis. He was admitted ad eundem at Durham in 1844.

In 1834 Morris was ordained to the perpetual curacy of Hanging Heaton, near Dewsbury. He was ordained priest at York in 1835 and served successively as curate at Taxal, Cheshire (1836), Christ Church, Doncaster (1836), Ordsall, Nottinghamshire (1838), and Crambe, Yorkshire (1842). In 1844 he was presented to the vicarage of Nafferton.near Driffield, and appointed chaplain to the Duke of Cleveland. In 1854 he was presented by the Archbishop of York to the rectory of Nunburnholme, Yorkshire, and he held that living till his death on 10 Feb. 1893; a few years before his death he received a civil list pension of 100l. He married in 1835 Ann, second daughter of Mr. C. Sanders of Bromsgrove, Worcestershire.

Morris wrote much on religious subjects, but he is best known by his works on natural history, which, although 'popular' rather than scientific, had much literary value. He was never able to accept the theory of evolution, and was an extreme anti-vivisectionist.

His great work was 'A History of British Birds,' in 6 vols. 8vo, London, 1851-7, a third edition of which appeared in 1891.

His other natural history writings include:

1. 'A Guide to the Arrangement of British Birds,' 8vo, London [1834].
2. 'An Essay on Scientific Nomenclature,' 8vo, London, 1850.
3. 'Book of Natural History,' 8vo, London, 1852.
4. 'A Natural History of the Nests and Eggs of British Birds,' 3 vols. 8vo, London, 1853-6; 3rd edit. 1892.
5. 'A History of British Butterflies,' 8vo, London, 1853; 3rd edit. 1893.
6. 'A Natural History of British Moths,' 4 vols. 8vo, London, 1859-1870.
7. '"Fact is Stranger than Fiction." Anecdotes in Natural History,' 8vo, London, 1860.
8. 'Records of Animal Sagacity,' 12mo, London, 1861.
9. 'The Gamekeeper's Museum,' 8vo, London, 1864.
10. 'Catalogue of British Insects in all the Orders,' 8vo, London, 1865.
11. ' Dogs and their Doings,' 8vo, London, 1870; 2nd edit. [1887].
12. 'Anecdotes in Natural History, 8vo, London [1872]; 2nd edit. [1889].
13. Birds 'contributed to 'Simple Lessons for Home Use,' 16mo, 1877.
14. 'Letters to the "Times" about Birds,' 8vo, London [1880].

He also edited vols. vi. to viii. of 'The Naturalist,' 8vo, 1856-8.

In connection with the Darwinian question he wrote:

15. 'Difficulties of Darwinism,' 8vo, London, 1869.
16. 'A Double Dilemma in Darwinism,' 8vo, London [1870].
17. 'A Guard against "The Guardian," ' 8vo, London, 1877.
18. 'All the Articles of the Darwin Faith,' 8vo, London, 1877; 2nd edit. [1882].
19. 'The Demands of Darwinism on Credulity,' 8vo, London [1890].

As a zoophilist he wrote:

20. 'A Word for God's Dumb Creatures,' 8vo, London [1876].
21. 'A Dialogue about Fox-hunting,' 8vo, London [1878].
22. 'The Curse of Cruelty,' a sermon, 8vo, London, 1886.
23. 'The Sparrow Shooter,' 8vo, London, 1886.
24. 'The Sea Gull Shooter,' 8vo, London [1890].
25. 'The Cowardly Cruelty of the Experimenters on Living Animals,' 8vo [London, 1890].
26. 'The Humanity Series of School Books,' 6 pts. 8vo, London, 1890.
27. 'A Defence of our Dumb Companions,' 8vo, London [1892].

His religious and ecclesiastical writings include:

28. 'Extracts from the "Works of … J. Wesley,' 8vo, 1840.
29. 'An Essay on Baptismal Regeneration,' 8vo, London, 1850.
30. 'An Essay on the Eternal Duration of the Earth,' 8vo, London, 1850.
31. 'The Maxims of the Bible,' 12mo, 1855.
32. 'The Precepts of the Bible,' 24mo, 1855.
33. 'The Yorkshire Hymn Book,' 16mo, London, 1860.
34. 'Plain Sermons for Plain People,' 210 nos. 8vo, London [1862-90].
35. 'A Handbook of Hymns for the Sick Bedside,' 8vo, London [1875?].
36. 'Short Sermons for the People,' 4 nos. 8vo, London [1879].
37. 'The Ghost of Wesley,' 8vo [1882].
38. 'A Handbook of the Church and Dissent,' 8vo, London [1882].
39. 'A Dialogue about the Church,' 2 editions, 8vo, London [1889].
40. 'Methodism '[anon.], 8vo, London, 1890.

His other writings include:

41. 'Penny Postage,' 8vo, London, 1840.
42. 'A Plan for the Detection of Thefts by Letter Carriers,' 8vo, London, 1850.
43. 'National Adult Education. Read before the British Association,' 8vo, London, 1853.
44. 'The Present System of Hiring Farm Servants in the East Riding of Yorkshire,' 8vo, Driffield, 1854.
45. 'Account of the Siege of Killowen,' 8vo, Driffield, 1854.
46. 'Account of the Battle of the Monongohela River,' 8vo, Driffield, 1854.
47. 'The Country Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland,' 5 vols. 4to, London [1866-80].
48. 'The Ancestral Homes of Britain,' 4to, London, 1868.
49. 'The Rights and Wrongs of Women,' 8vo, London [1870].
50. 'A Hundred Reasons against the Land Craze,' 8vo, London [1885].

He also wrote letters to the 'Times' on natural history; contributed 'A Thousand and One Anecdotes on Natural History' to the 'Fireside Magazine,' and wrote for the 'Leisure Hour.'

[Yorkshire Post, 13 Feb. 1893; Daily Graphic, 16 Feb. 1893; The Naturalist of Nunburnholme, by E. W. Abram, in Good Words, September 1893 (with portrait); Crockford's Clerical Directory; Brit. Mus. Cat.; information kindly supplied by Miss L. A. G. Morris.]

B. B. W.