Henry Morley (15 September 1822 – 14 May 1894) was an English academic who was one of the earliestprofessors of English literature in Great Britain. Morley wrote a popular book containing biographies of famous English writers.
The son ofapothecary Henry Morley, the younger Morley was born inHatton Garden, London. He was educated at aMoravian Church school inNeuwied, Germany at the age of ten, from 1833 to 1835, then he attended a preparatory school in Stockwell and enteredKing's College London in 1838 for medical studies.[1] Morley graduated in 1843 and became part of theWorshipful Society of Apothecaries, a professional organization, that same year.
Morley worked as a physician in partnership with another doctor inMadeley, Shropshire, but it turned into a financial failure because of the dishonesty of his partner who was unlicensed.[1] In 1848, he established a school inManchester and started writing in his spare time. Morley wrote some satirical articles that were published and gained the attention ofCharles Dickens.
At Dickens' invitation, Morley moved to London in 1850 to become an editor of and a contributor to Dickens' publication,Household Words. When that publication dissolved, Morley worked for its successor,All the Year Round. From 1859 to 1864, Morley also edited and wrote forThe Examiner.
From 1865 to 1889, Morley served as Professor of English Literature atUniversity College London, his students including the Indian writerRabindranath Tagore. Noted for his knowledge of English literature, Morley was considered to be an engaging and warm teacher. He also delivered popular lectures on literature in different parts of Great Britain. He was awarded an honorary LLD degree by the University of Edinburgh in 1879.[1] Henry Morley was a strong supporter of degrees for women.[2] He supported in particularAnnie Leigh Browne when she opened in 1882 a residence for women students at Byng Place, renamedCollege Hall in 1886.[2]
From 1882 to 1889, Morley was principal ofUniversity Hall, a research library inBloomsbury, London.[3]
Morley's biography was written in 1898 by Henry Shaen Solly, his son-in-law and former student.[2]
Morley died on 14 May 1894 inCarisbrooke on theIsle of Wight and is buried at Carisbrooke Cemetery.[1]
Morley was the editor of two book series.Morley's Universal Library,[4] drawing on the concept of auniversal library, was published from 1883 byGeorge Routledge.Cassell's National Library was published from 1886, totalling 209 weekly editions.
Morley was the author of biographies onBernard Palissy,Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa,Gerolamo Cardano andClément Marot. He also wrote introductions to two books written byJohn Locke—the 1884 edition of "Two Treatises of Government" and the 1889 edition of "A Letter Concerning Toleration".
Morley's principal work, however, wasEnglish Writers (10 volumes 1864-94), coming down toWilliam Shakespeare. HisFirst Sketch of English Literature—the study for the larger work—had reached at his death a circulation of 34,000 copies.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Cousin, John William (1910).A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature. London: J. M. Dent & Sons – viaWikisource.
