Charles Morton (librarian)
Encyclopedia
Charles Morton MD
(1716–1799) was an English
medical doctor and librarian
who became the principal librarian of the British Museum
.
from September 18, 1736. Some time before 1745, he moved to Kendal
, Westmoreland
, where he practiced as a physician. He then practiced in London for several years, and on April 19, 1750 he was elected physician to the Middlesex Hospital
. He was admitted licentiate of the College of Physicians
on April 1, 1751.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society on January 16, 1752, and was secretary of the Royal Society from 1760 to 1774. He was also a member of the Academy of St Petersburg.
In 1754 also became physician to the Foundling Hospital
. In June 1754, Lady Vere, wife of Vere Beauclerk, wrote a letter of recommendation for Doctor Morton to temporarily replace Doctor Conyers who had recently resigned. The recommendation was followed through in July 1754 when he was appointed to attend for the time being.
By 1756, he was appointed under librarian of the British Museum. At the British Museum, Morton was initially a medical under-librarian in charge of manuscripts in the Cotton
, Harley
, Sloane, and Royal
collections. On the death of Matthew Maty
in 1776, Morton was appointed principal librarian and held the office till his death.
Morton died on February 10, 1799.
Marriage to Mary Berkeley
Morton first married Miss Mary Berkeley, niece of Lady Betty Germaine and granddaughter of Charles Berkeley, 2nd Earl of Berkeley
, on September 13, 1744. at Kendal.. They had one known child, Elizabeth Morton, born May 26, 1745 also at Kendal. Her descendants, through James Dansie, have been tracked as descendants of the Blood Royal, on account of Mary Berkeley's ancestry.
According to the 1812 Edition of Collins' Peerage
, page 622, Mary Berkeley died on March 10, 1755. This Mary Berkeley did not die in 1768 and subsequently was buried at Twickenham on October 6, 1768, as stated in the current version of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, citing the International Genealogical Index, in which a record is not currently found. The record can be found in Edward Ironside's History and Antiquities of Twickenham however; but Morton married Mary Pratt (Lady Savile) on August 25, 1767, a year prior to this (other) Mary Berkeley's death.
Marriage to Mary Pratt
Charles Morton's second known marriage, to Lady Savile (born Mary Pratt), took place on August 25, 1767 at St George Bloomsbury
in London across the street from the British Museum
where he was employed. Morton's marriage date is often misidentified as 1772 but the Records of the Lumleys of Lumley Castle indicates Lady Savile was married to Captain Wallace in May of 1744 and the marriage record at St George Bloomsbury identifies Mary Wallace as the Charles Morton's bride on August 25, 1767. Her mother, Honoretta Brooks Pratt, was the first cremated individual in England when she died on September 26, 1769, and Lady Savile's father, John Pratt, was the Vice Treasurer of Ireland.
Lady Savile was 61 years old in 1767, and this was her third marriage. Her first marriage was to George Savile, 7th Baronet on December 19, 1722 By this union she was mother to 1.) Arabella Savile who married John Thornhay Hewet on July 23, 1744 and 2.) Barbara Savile who married Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarbrough
on December 26, 1752 and 3.) Sir George Savile, 8th Baronet. Lady Savile's second marriage to Captain Wallace took place 8 months after George Savile died on September 17, 1743. Lady Savile died on February 14, 1791 .
Morton lived at Twickenham in the former home of Elizabeth Montagu
, called Montagu House prior to his acquiring it and being termed Savile House thereafter. Lady Savile, at the age of 61, was too old to be the mother of Charles Carr Morton after she married Doctor Morton.
Marriage to Elizabeth Pratt
Charles Morton's third known marriage was to Elizabeth Pratt , who is said to have been age 35 at the time, also took place at St George Bloomsbury, on April 25, 1791 , one month and two weeks after Lady Savile died. Elizabeth Pratt was the daughter of Reverend Joseph Pratt and a near relation to Lady Savile. As such, she lived in the same household as Doctor Morton and his wife Mary Pratt from as early as January 6, 1778. This is evidenced both her wedding announcement in the Gentleman's Magazine , and also by the summary of a letter now in the Nottinghamshire Archives, which states: "Note from Eliza Pratt sending Lady Savile's compliments to Mr. Hewett and that she will be much obliged to him if he invites Dr. Morton to dine at Grosvenor St. next Saturday."
Burke's Landed Gentry identifies Elizabeth Pratt as Charles Carr Morton's mother. It is said that Elizabeth Pratt was 35 years old when she married Charles Morton in 1791 and therefore old enough to have been Charles Carr Morton's mother. However, Charles Carr Morton was married only 8 years after Elizabeth Pratt's marriage to Morton.
On May 1, 1799 Charles Carr Morton married Charlotte Tatlow at Drumora Lodge in Cavan County, Ireland. By January 5, 1800, Charles Carr Morton was father to his first child Anna.
; a fact which caused resentment towards him from Abraham Farley
, a deputy chamberlain of the Exchequer who for many years had controlled access to Domesday Book in its repository at the Chapter House
, Westminster, and furthermore had been involved in the recent Parliament Rolls printing operation. In 1768 Farley complained to the Treasury that he, not Morton, should be in charge of the project, while Morton, for his part, complained that he was being obstructed in his work by the staff at the Chapter House. Abraham Farley
took over the project and published a new edition in 1783.
Morton produced two large publications during his tenure at the Museum, both related to the activities of Sir Bulstrode Whitelocke
including his Journal of the Swedish Embassy and Notes Upon the King's Writt.
In 1759, Morton wrote a series of articles in the London Magazine
about how annuities should properly be calculated, first appearing on page 251., debated further on page 286 and answered by Morton on page 425.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
(1716–1799) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
medical doctor and librarian
Librarian
A librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
who became the principal librarian of the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
.
Life
Morton first attended Leiden UniversityLeiden University
Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
from September 18, 1736. Some time before 1745, he moved to Kendal
Kendal
Kendal, anciently known as Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish within the South Lakeland District of Cumbria, England...
, Westmoreland
Westmoreland
Westmoreland is a historic county in England. It may also refer to:-Places:Australia*Westmoreland County, New South WalesCanada*Westmorland County, New BrunswickJamaica*Westmoreland, Jamaica, a parishNew Zealand...
, where he practiced as a physician. He then practiced in London for several years, and on April 19, 1750 he was elected physician to the Middlesex Hospital
Middlesex Hospital
The Middlesex Hospital was a teaching hospital located in the Fitzrovia area of London, United Kingdom. First opened in 1745 on Windmill Street, it was moved in 1757 to Mortimer Street where it remained until it was finally closed in 2005. Its staff and services were transferred to various sites...
. He was admitted licentiate of the College of Physicians
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
on April 1, 1751.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society on January 16, 1752, and was secretary of the Royal Society from 1760 to 1774. He was also a member of the Academy of St Petersburg.
In 1754 also became physician to the Foundling Hospital
Foundling Hospital
The Foundling Hospital in London, England was founded in 1741 by the philanthropic sea captain Thomas Coram. It was a children's home established for the "education and maintenance of exposed and deserted young children." The word "hospital" was used in a more general sense than it is today, simply...
. In June 1754, Lady Vere, wife of Vere Beauclerk, wrote a letter of recommendation for Doctor Morton to temporarily replace Doctor Conyers who had recently resigned. The recommendation was followed through in July 1754 when he was appointed to attend for the time being.
By 1756, he was appointed under librarian of the British Museum. At the British Museum, Morton was initially a medical under-librarian in charge of manuscripts in the Cotton
Cotton library
The Cotton or Cottonian library was collected privately by Sir Robert Bruce Cotton M.P. , an antiquarian and bibliophile, and was the basis of the British Library...
, Harley
Harley Collection
The Harleian Collection is one of main collections of the British Library, London, England.The manuscript collection of more than 7,000 volumes, more than 14,000 original legal documents, and 500 rolls, formed by Robert Harley , and his son Edward Harley...
, Sloane, and Royal
Royal Collection
The Royal Collection is the art collection of the British Royal Family. It is property of the monarch as sovereign, but is held in trust for her successors and the nation. It contains over 7,000 paintings, 40,000 watercolours and drawings, and about 150,000 old master prints, as well as historical...
collections. On the death of Matthew Maty
Matthew Maty
Matthew Maty , originally Matthieu Maty, was a Dutch physician and writer of Huguenot background, and after migration to England secretary of the Royal Society and the second principal librarian of the British Museum.-Early life:...
in 1776, Morton was appointed principal librarian and held the office till his death.
Morton died on February 10, 1799.
Marriages
Charles Morton was married three, possibly four times; he married into the minor aristocracy. The identity of his son Charles Carr Morton's mother is not clear. Although Charles Carr Morton's mother is listed as Elizabeth Pratt in Burke's Landed Gentry 1852 (Morton of Kilnacrott), this is a conventional impossibility, as shown by the sequence of known events.Marriage to Mary Berkeley
Morton first married Miss Mary Berkeley, niece of Lady Betty Germaine and granddaughter of Charles Berkeley, 2nd Earl of Berkeley
Charles Berkeley, 2nd Earl of Berkeley
Charles Berkeley, 2nd Earl of Berkeley PC KB FRS , was a British nobleman and diplomat, known as Sir Charles Berkeley from 1661 to 1679 and styled Viscount Dursley from 1679 to 1698....
, on September 13, 1744. at Kendal.. They had one known child, Elizabeth Morton, born May 26, 1745 also at Kendal. Her descendants, through James Dansie, have been tracked as descendants of the Blood Royal, on account of Mary Berkeley's ancestry.
- Elizabeth Morton married James Dansie , and they were the parents of
-
- Mary Dansie who married John Freeman in 1798; and
- Elizabeth Dansie who married Richard Barneby .
According to the 1812 Edition of Collins' Peerage
Arthur Collins (antiquarian)
Arthur Collins was an English antiquarian, genealogist, and historian. He is most known for his work Peerage of England.-Personal life:...
, page 622, Mary Berkeley died on March 10, 1755. This Mary Berkeley did not die in 1768 and subsequently was buried at Twickenham on October 6, 1768, as stated in the current version of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, citing the International Genealogical Index, in which a record is not currently found. The record can be found in Edward Ironside's History and Antiquities of Twickenham however; but Morton married Mary Pratt (Lady Savile) on August 25, 1767, a year prior to this (other) Mary Berkeley's death.
Marriage to Mary Pratt
Charles Morton's second known marriage, to Lady Savile (born Mary Pratt), took place on August 25, 1767 at St George Bloomsbury
St. George's Church, Bloomsbury
St George's, Bloomsbury is a parish church in Bloomsbury, London Borough of Camden, United Kingdom.-History:The Commissioners for the Fifty New Churches Act of 1711 realised that, due to rapid development in the Bloomsbury area during the latter part of the 17th and early part of the 18th...
in London across the street from the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
where he was employed. Morton's marriage date is often misidentified as 1772 but the Records of the Lumleys of Lumley Castle indicates Lady Savile was married to Captain Wallace in May of 1744 and the marriage record at St George Bloomsbury identifies Mary Wallace as the Charles Morton's bride on August 25, 1767. Her mother, Honoretta Brooks Pratt, was the first cremated individual in England when she died on September 26, 1769, and Lady Savile's father, John Pratt, was the Vice Treasurer of Ireland.
Lady Savile was 61 years old in 1767, and this was her third marriage. Her first marriage was to George Savile, 7th Baronet on December 19, 1722 By this union she was mother to 1.) Arabella Savile who married John Thornhay Hewet on July 23, 1744 and 2.) Barbara Savile who married Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarbrough
Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarbrough
Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarbrough was an English soldier and statesman best known for his role in the Glorious Revolution.-Origins:...
on December 26, 1752 and 3.) Sir George Savile, 8th Baronet. Lady Savile's second marriage to Captain Wallace took place 8 months after George Savile died on September 17, 1743. Lady Savile died on February 14, 1791 .
Morton lived at Twickenham in the former home of Elizabeth Montagu
Elizabeth Montagu
Elizabeth Montagu was a British social reformer, patron of the arts, salonist, literary critic, and writer who helped organize and lead the bluestocking society...
, called Montagu House prior to his acquiring it and being termed Savile House thereafter. Lady Savile, at the age of 61, was too old to be the mother of Charles Carr Morton after she married Doctor Morton.
Marriage to Elizabeth Pratt
Charles Morton's third known marriage was to Elizabeth Pratt , who is said to have been age 35 at the time, also took place at St George Bloomsbury, on April 25, 1791 , one month and two weeks after Lady Savile died. Elizabeth Pratt was the daughter of Reverend Joseph Pratt and a near relation to Lady Savile. As such, she lived in the same household as Doctor Morton and his wife Mary Pratt from as early as January 6, 1778. This is evidenced both her wedding announcement in the Gentleman's Magazine , and also by the summary of a letter now in the Nottinghamshire Archives, which states: "Note from Eliza Pratt sending Lady Savile's compliments to Mr. Hewett and that she will be much obliged to him if he invites Dr. Morton to dine at Grosvenor St. next Saturday."
Family
Charles Morton had 14 grandchildren by his son Charles Carr Morton. In document at the Nottinghamshire Archives, Eliza Pratt writes: "...Dr. Morton intends putting him to Mr. Angelo's to ride and fence but he is not to go into the guards" which seems to indicate that Charles Carr Morton was anywhere from 16 to 18 years old in 1779, having been born around 1761–1763, six years after Mary Berkeley died, but four years prior to his marriage to Lady Savile.Burke's Landed Gentry identifies Elizabeth Pratt as Charles Carr Morton's mother. It is said that Elizabeth Pratt was 35 years old when she married Charles Morton in 1791 and therefore old enough to have been Charles Carr Morton's mother. However, Charles Carr Morton was married only 8 years after Elizabeth Pratt's marriage to Morton.
On May 1, 1799 Charles Carr Morton married Charlotte Tatlow at Drumora Lodge in Cavan County, Ireland. By January 5, 1800, Charles Carr Morton was father to his first child Anna.
Publications
In March 1767, Morton was put in charge of the publishing the Domesday BookPublications of the Domesday book since 1086
The Domesday Book is the record of the great survey of England completed in 1086, executed for William I of England. This article is about the various ways the Domesday Book was published, beginning in the eighteenth century...
; a fact which caused resentment towards him from Abraham Farley
Abraham Farley
Abraham Farley was a lifelong civil servant, who was appointed deputy chamberlain of the Exchequer in 1736, and soon became involved with the public records at the Chapter House of Westminster Abbey. First amongst these was the Domesday Book, of which Farley became custodian, granting visiting...
, a deputy chamberlain of the Exchequer who for many years had controlled access to Domesday Book in its repository at the Chapter House
Chapter house
A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room attached to a cathedral or collegiate church in which meetings are held. They can also be found in medieval monasteries....
, Westminster, and furthermore had been involved in the recent Parliament Rolls printing operation. In 1768 Farley complained to the Treasury that he, not Morton, should be in charge of the project, while Morton, for his part, complained that he was being obstructed in his work by the staff at the Chapter House. Abraham Farley
Abraham Farley
Abraham Farley was a lifelong civil servant, who was appointed deputy chamberlain of the Exchequer in 1736, and soon became involved with the public records at the Chapter House of Westminster Abbey. First amongst these was the Domesday Book, of which Farley became custodian, granting visiting...
took over the project and published a new edition in 1783.
Morton produced two large publications during his tenure at the Museum, both related to the activities of Sir Bulstrode Whitelocke
Bulstrode Whitelocke
Sir Bulstrode Whitelocke was an English lawyer, writer, parliamentarian and Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England.- Biography :...
including his Journal of the Swedish Embassy and Notes Upon the King's Writt.
In 1759, Morton wrote a series of articles in the London Magazine
London Magazine
The London Magazine is a historied publication of arts, literature and miscellaneous interests. Its history ranges nearly three centuries and several reincarnations, publishing the likes of William Wordsworth, William S...
about how annuities should properly be calculated, first appearing on page 251., debated further on page 286 and answered by Morton on page 425.