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English politician and theologian
Sir William Morice
(6 November 1602 ? 12 December 1676) of
Werrington
in Devon, was an English statesman and theologian. He served as
Secretary of State for the Northern Department
and a
Lord of the Treasury
from June 1660 to September 1668.
Life
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Morice was educated at
Exeter College, Oxford
. He was elected
Member of Parliament
for
Devon
to fill a vacancy in 1648, but was excluded in
Pride's Purge
in December of that year, probably before he had taken his seat. Nevertheless, he was appointed
High Sheriff of Devon
in 1651, and returned to Parliament as MP for Devon in the
First Protectorate Parliament
elected in 1654. He subsequently represented Devon again in the
Second Protectorate Parliament
,
Newport (Cornwall)
in the
Third Protectorate Parliament
.
[1]
A relation of
General Monck
, Morice assisted in the
Restoration
and was knighted in 1660. He was also made a
Privy Counsellor
and appointed
Secretary of State for the Northern Department
, an office he held until he resigned in 1668; he was apparently an undistinguished minister, but justified his tenure of office by his usefulness in the House of Commons. In the
Convention Parliament
of 1660 he was re-elected for Newport but was also elected for
Plymouth
, which he chose to represent, and was that city's MP until his death 16 years later.
[1]
In 1657, during the
Commonwealth
, he published a treatise on the administration of the
sacrament
to all church members.
Marriage and children
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Morice married Elizabeth Prideaux, a daughter of Humphrey Prideaux (abt 1573?1617) of Soldon, and Honor Fortescue, by whom he had children including
Notes
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References
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