George Morley (MP) facts for kids

George Morley (born 1664, died 1711) was an English politician who later became a British politician. He was a member of the Tory political group. Morley served as a MP (Member of Parliament) for the area of Hindon three different times. An MP is a person elected to represent a group of people in a national parliament.

Early Life and Education

George Morley was the son of Francis Morley, who was also an MP. When George was 17, in 1682, he started studying at Christ Church, Oxford, which is a famous college at Oxford University.

A year later, in 1683, he began studying law at Lincoln's Inn, and then at the Inner Temple in 1688. These were important places where people learned to become lawyers. He might have also earned a special degree called a DCL in 1706, which is a high degree in law.

Meeting a Russian Tsar

In 1698, a very important visitor came to England: Peter the Great, the Tsar (or emperor) of Russia. During his visit, George Morley hosted a special event for him. Morley held a masquerade party and a supper at his rooms in the Inner Temple. This shows he was a person of some importance, able to entertain such a high-ranking guest.

Political Career and Elections

George Morley tried to become an MP for Hindon several times. Elections back then could be quite complicated!

First Attempts to Become an MP

In the 1698 election, Morley ran for Parliament but lost. Sir James Howe and Reynolds Calthorpe were elected instead. Morley tried to challenge the result, but it didn't work.

In January 1701, Howe and Calthorpe were elected again. However, Morley challenged the election results successfully. He showed that Calthorpe had used unfair practices, and so Calthorpe lost his seat.

Becoming an MP

Later in November 1701, Sir James Howe did not run for election. This time, George Morley and Reynolds Calthorpe were both elected without anyone running against them.

In the 1702 election, Morley and Howe were elected. But there were arguments about unfair practices from both sides. Morley was found to have broken election rules, and his election was cancelled on November 27, 1702.

After his election was cancelled, a special election was held in November 1704 for his seat. Morley ran again but was defeated by Thomas Jervoise.

Later Elections

Morley and Calthorpe were elected together again in the 1705 election. Morley did not run in the 1708 election.

In the 1710 election, things were a bit confusing because two sets of results came in for the same seats. Both Morley and Calthorpe were declared elected, along with Edmund Lambert. However, Calthorpe decided to step aside. George Morley remained an MP until he passed away in May 1711.