Morley Harps facts for kids
The Morley family is famous for making, fixing, and selling harps in the United Kingdom. They have been doing this since 1817! A harp expert named John Marson says they are the oldest family business in the harp world.
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The Start of the Morley Harp Business
George Morley (1790–1852) started the family's harp business. He opened his shop in London in 1817. Here, he made, tuned, and repaired harps.
In 1820, George's brother, Charles Morley (1796–1858), joined him. They worked together to build their business. A very old pedal harp from around 1810, now in the Henry Ford Museum, is thought to be one of George Morley's creations.
Later, in the 1860s, two young family members learned the trade. Charles's son, Robert (1840–1916), and George's son, Joseph George (1847–1921), both trained with a famous harp maker in Paris called Érard.
Joseph George Morley: A Leading Harp Maker
Joseph George Morley (1847–1922) took over the family business from his father. He became one of Britain's most important harp makers.
When Érard's London shop closed in 1890, Joseph George bought their remaining harps and business. He opened his own shop and workshops in South Kensington, London. In 1893, he also bought the business of Philip Holcombe, another harp maker.
Joseph George Morley designed a special harp called The Morley Orchestral Twentieth Century Harp. It had 48 strings and was known as The Largest Pedal Harp in the World. He also wrote three books about harps: Strings, Stringing and Tuning, Harp History (1913), and Harp Playing (1918).
John Sebastian Morley and the Family Legacy
John Sebastian Morley (1897–1988) inherited the business from his father, Joseph George. He ran Morleys with his wife, Elizabeth (Betty) Morley. Betty was a famous harpist and teacher.
Many world-famous harpists visited Morleys. It was a place where they could do business and share news. After the First World War, fewer new pedal harps were needed. So, John Sebastian focused on repairing harps. He also started making smaller, Irish-style harps.
John Sebastian Morley helped create the United Kingdom Harp Association. He was its first president.
The Morley Harps Today
In 1968, John Sebastian Morley retired. His business became part of Robert Morley and Co Ltd. This company was run by Robert Morley's family, John (born 1932) and Clive (1936–2015).
In 1987, Clive Morley started his own harp business. He moved it to Filkins, Gloucestershire, and called it Clive Morley Harps. Since 2006, Clive's son, Ben Morley (born 1970), has been running the company. The Morley family continues their long tradition of working with harps.
