Corbyn Morris facts for kids
Corbyn Morris (born August 14, 1710 – died December 24, 1779) was an important English government official. He also wrote many books about money and how countries make money.
Contents
Corbyn Morris's Life and Work
Early Career in Government
Corbyn Morris worked for the government as a commissioner of customs. This meant he helped manage taxes collected on goods coming into or leaving the country. He was good at solving problems and bringing people together.
In 1751, he was sent to Scotland to look into how customs were being collected. He also investigated the problem of smuggling, which is illegally bringing goods into a country. Morris made sure that tobacco was weighed correctly. He also stopped French wines from being brought into Scotland illegally. This helped English merchants who had complained about unfair trade. He proudly stated that his work helped Scotland collect much more money from customs.
Focus on Public Information
Morris was also interested in collecting important information about people. He gathered facts about births and deaths in London. In 1753, he helped create a plan for a new law. This law would have made it easier to record births and collect facts about the population. He worked with Samuel Squire on this idea. The Duke of Newcastle, a powerful leader, even introduced the plan in the House of Lords.
Because of his important work, Corbyn Morris became a Fellow of the Royal Society on May 19, 1757. This is a special group for top scientists and thinkers.
Later Government Roles
Morris continued to seek important jobs in the English government. On March 15, 1763, he was again made a commissioner of the customs. He kept working hard for the country.
Corbyn Morris passed away on December 24, 1779. He was buried in Wimbledon on January 1, 1780. He had married a woman named Mrs. Wright on September 15, 1758.
Corbyn Morris's Writings
Corbyn Morris wrote many papers and books. One of his early writings was about having a permanent army. He believed that a country's power depended on its money and economy. He used ideas from mercantilism, which was a popular economic theory at the time. This theory focused on a country's wealth, especially its gold and silver.
He also wrote about politics. For example, he suggested ways to improve the Scottish highlands. He also gave ideas for a treaty with Spain. He thought Spain should follow a similar trade agreement to the Methuen Treaty with Portugal.
Here are some of the books Corbyn Morris published:
- An Essay towards fixing the True Standards of Wit, Humour, Raillery, Satire, and Ridicule, &c. (1744) - This book explored different types of humor and wit.
- An Essay towards illustrating the Science of Insurance (1747) - This book tried to explain how insurance works using math.
- Observations on the past Growth and present State of the City of London (1751) - This book looked at how London had grown. It included tables of births and deaths in the city over many years.
