Cardinal John Morton, Lord Chancellor and Archbishop of Canterbury

Name and Title: Cardinal John Morton, Lord Chancellor of England and Archbishop of Canterbury.

Born: Circa 1420.

Died: 15 September 1500 at Knole, Kent.

Buried: Our Lady Undercroft of Canterbury Cathedral.

Cardinal John Morton: A Lawyer in the Making…

John Morton was born and raised in Dorset, close to England’s south coast. According to Christopher Harper-Bill, Morton ‘came from a family of middling gentry, who were prominent in the affairs of the county but took little part in national politics.’ Some accounts state that John’s early education was entrusted to the monks of the Benedictine Abbey at Cerne Abbas, also in Dorset. This seems to be based on a seventeenth-century antiquarian account of Anthony Wood. However, Harper-Bill states that Wood does not disclose his source for this assertion and that there is no evidence for an educational establishment at Cerne Abbas Abbey.

However, what is clear is that the young Morton was a talented lad. He furthered his education at Oxford University; again, Wood asserts this was at Balliol College (but with no source for this information provided). By his mid-late 20s, Morton was a Bachelor of Civil Law, later extending his legal training to become a Bachelor of Civil and Canon Law in 1451 and a Doctor of Civil Law in 1452.

Just a few years after attaining his doctorate, as a lawyer acting in the Court of Arches (an ecclesiastical court covering the province of Canterbury), he came to the attention of the then Archbishop, Thomas Bourchier. Bourchier gave him his first royal appointment on 26 September 1456. From this point forward, Morton would be close to the centre of royal affairs, ultimately becoming one of the most powerful men in early Tudor England under the reign of Henry VII. We will return to say more on this in a moment.

During the second half of the fifteenth century, John Morton aligned himself closely with the House of Lancaster. He served Henry VI diligently and was lucky to escape with his life following his capture by Yorkist forces in the wake of the enormous Lancastrian defeat at Towton. While the Earl of Wiltshire, who was arrested alongside him, was summarily beheaded, Morton was shipped south to spend time in the Tower. He later escaped, remaining loyal to the deposed Lancastrian monarchs, even following Margaret of Anjou into exile in France.

Serving Under the Sun in Splendour…

When Margaret returned to England to fight for her deposed husband and the future of the Lanastiran Crown, John Morton was by her side. Of course, Margaret’s ally, Warwick the Kingmaker, was slain at the Battle of Barnet just days before the Lancastrian Queen landed back on English soil. However, Margaret was committed. There was no turning back, and the two warring sides of Lancaster and York met at Tewkesbury on 4 May 1471.

Following the resounding Yorkist victory that followed and the slaughter of prominent Lancastrians, including Prince Edward, the Lancastrian heir, Morton was pardoned and soon reinstated in royal service. As an able and competent lawyer and administrator, it was not long before he began acquiring offices of influence under the new King, Edward IV. These included becoming a Master of Chancery and Master of the Offices of the Rolls (a position responsible for keeping official government records). As such, he was also a prominent judicial official, second only to the Lord Chancellor in the Court of Chancery.

As a skilled lawyer, Morton was in demand. By 1474, he had been selected to serve on vital diplomatic missions overseas, including playing a pivotal role in negotiating the Treaty of Picquigny following Edward’s successful invasion of French territory. Morton was at the centre of drafting the new treaty, which saw the French King contracted to pay vast sums of money to the English Crown for as long as each should live.

While enacting these roles on Edwards’ behalf, Morton accumulated many benefices lost following his attainder of 1461. However, these were all surrendered when Archbishop Bourchier consecrated Morton as Bishop of Ely on 31 January 1479. Subsequently, like many medieval ‘Princes of the Church’, Morton enthusiastically engaged in several notable building projects once enthroned. This included rebuilding the Old Palace Bishop’s Palace at Hatfield in 1480. Of course, within 50 years, Hatfield would be acquired by the Crown and become the much-beloved residence of Anne Boleyn’s daughter, Elizabeth.

However, within three years, Edward IV was dead, and John Morton’s life was turned upside down for a second time…

Traitor Turned Indispensable Statesman

With Edward’s body barely cold, Morton began to organise the coronation of the late King’s eldest son and namesake, the young Prince Edward, now King Edward V. However, as we know, the boy’s uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, seized power, declaring himself the new King as Richard III. John Morton and two other influential men at Edward’s court were arrested: Thomas Rotherham, the Archbishop of York, and William, Lord Hastings. The latter was executed, but the two clergymen were sent to the Tower. For Morton, this was becoming a regular occurrence!

Ultimately, Morton was shipped to Brecon under the Duke of Buckingham’s house arrest, where he influenced his goaler to become embroiled in the ‘Buckingham Conspiracy’ to unseat Richard. When the plot failed, John Morton fled overseas, becoming firmly realigned with the House of Lancaster, whose figurehead and shining hope for the future, Henry Tudor, waited patiently in exile.

We have Morton to thank in no small part for Henry’s survival. Having heard of Richard’s move to negotiate the extradition of Henry Tudor back to England, Morton dispatched a messenger in all haste to warn Tudor of his impending arrest. In the nick of time, Henry fled across the border into France, slipping through Richard’s hands to eventually march onwards to Bosworth.

The new Tudor king could not fail to reward such loyalty. John Morton was immediately recalled from overseas and was likely home to witness the coronation of the new dynasty at Westminster Abbey on 30 October 1485. Within months, he was appointed as Henry’s Lord Chancellor. From then forward, John Morton would be one of the King’s most trusted and faithful advisors, sitting at virtually every recorded council meeting for the rest of his life.

However, the pinnacle of his career came after Cardinal Bourchier died at Knole on 30 March 1486. Henry VII was instrumental in persuading the monks of Canterbury to elect Morton as the new Archbishop of Canterbury. Morton was subsequently enthroned on 21 January 1487. Further pressure from the King upon Rome eventually saw his long-time friend and advisor made a cardinal on 20 September 1493.

Given Cardinal John Morton’s unswerving loyalty to the Tudor Crown, it is unsurprising that Henry keenly felt the death of his staunchest ally on 15 September 1500. It would be the first in a series of deeply personal losses over the next couple of years that would culminate in the tragic early demise of Henry’s eldest son and heir, Prince Arthur, at Ludlow in April 1502. If you wish to read more about the unusual summer progress that followed later that year, follow this link, including this article, which touches on a rare artefact that likely once belonged to the archbishop.

The Tomb of Cardinal John Morton

Although wealthy and powerful in life, Cardinal John Morton requested no fuss be made of his body after death. According to his will written just a couple of months before he died, his body was buried in a shallow grave under a plain stone slab of Purbeck marble in front of the altar of the Chapel of Our Lady in the Undercroft of Canterbury Cathedral.

Initially, a brass plaque was inlaid upon the slab, presumably depicting an image of the dead cardinal. However, sadly, the grave became a casualty of England’s Civil War when the brass was removed by Parliamentarians and melted down to make munitions. Later, the whole undercroft became a storage space, and by all accounts, the slab was broken, and Morton’s body, wrapped in cere cloth, was exposed.

As is so often the case, subsequently, trophy hunters stole the majority of Morton’s bones, leaving behind only his skull. This was rescued by Ralph Sheldon in 1670 when he opened the grave. According to the Canterbury Historical and Archaeological Society, Ralph:

‘…removed the skull and kept it in a lead-lined box. Upon his death, the box passed to his niece and finally made the journey to Stonyhurst College in Lancashire. In 1991 the college authorities decided to have the skull forensically tested to assist in a decision as to whether or not to return the box and contents to Canterbury Cathedral.  While the results were consistent with what was known of Archbishop Morton, no decision to return the skull was made, and the skull is still in the college’s collection.’

Meanwhile, the monks of Canterbury took into their own hands the building of a fitting monument to the late Archbishop. Although that, too, has been badly damaged over time, it can still be seen close to the original resting place of Cardinal John Morton’s body. The tomb is fitted in between two of the arches of the undercroft; a painted effigy of the archbishop sits atop a chest tomb while the arch above the effigy is festooned with Tudor heraldry and Morton’s own rebus, a barrel or ‘ton’ with the initial ‘MOR’ carved upon it: MOR-TON (see a reel I made for Instagram below, showing more detail of the tomb).

While Morton has undoubtedly had his critics over the centuries, from his contemporaries, who (erroneously, it seems ) blamed him for the King’s excessive tax policies, to Ricardians, who later saw Cardinal John Morton as instrumental in the downfall of the last Yorkist king. However, we will finish with a quote from one of Morton’s fellow Tudors: John Harrington, proctor of the English Cistercians. Harrington was not necessarily Morton’s natural ally, as he seems to have come into contact with the Archbishop defending the exemptions of the order. Nevertheless, he summed up the Cardinal saying:

‘Whatever I have said above of the archbishop of Canterbury, I see in him nothing but the qualities of a good judge; that is, he wishes to extend his jurisdiction. In my opinion, he is a man of great learning and profound wisdom devoted to the service of God, concerned for the public welfare rather than for his own advantage, immersing himself profitably in both religious and secular affairs, and not shrinking from the heat and burden of the day.’

Visitor Information

The cathedral lies in the heart of the old town. If you are driving, you will need to park and walk for 5-10 minutes to reach your destination. The last time I visited, I parked in Pound Lane Car Park, a pay-and-display and convenient for the old city centre.

Apart from visiting the undercroft to see this tomb, don’t forget to visit the tomb of Archbishop William Warham in the Martyrdom of the Cathedral in the north transept, where you can also see the Royal Window (the family of Edward IV).

There is also the grave of Cardinal Reginal Pole. His plain tomb can be found on the north side of the Corona (or Becket’s Crown). Pole was the last prelate to be buried in the cathedral.

Finally, two more Archbishops who served under Henry VII are buried in Canterbury Cathedral: Henry Deane (formerly the Prior of Llantony Secunda Priory in Gloucester) and Morton’s predecessor, Thomas Bourchier.

Canterbury is full of historic medieval and Tudor gems to explore. Check out this blog for some ideas for a day trip from London.

Other Locations Nearby

Sandwich and Sandwich Guildhall Museum (13 miles)
Dover Castle (17 miles)
Deal Castle (18 miles)
Leeds Castle (23 miles)
Sissinghurst Castle Garden (29 miles)
Knole House (49 miles)
Penshurst Place (54 miles)
Hever Castle (57 miles)

Kent is rich in Tudor history – my weekend itinerary for Kent is here.

Sources of Interest:

John Morton (section on monument in Memorial and Fittings Stones in Crypt ) Archbishop of Canterbury (1486–1500), and cardinal (1496), by the Canterbury Historical and Archaeological Society.

An edition of the register of John Morton, Archbishop of Canterbury 1486-1500, by Harper-Bill, Christopher.

The Case of the Missing Head. Blog by Isolde Martin.