Thomas de Morley, 4th Baron Morley

Thomas de Morley, 4th Lord Morley KG (c1354 - September 24, 1416) was a baron in the Peerage of England, Lord of Morley, Hingham, Hockering, &c., in Norfolk, "de jure" Lord Marshall, hereditary Marshal of Ireland, and a Privy Councillor. He was summoned to parliament from October 20, 1379 to September 3, 1416.

Thomas Morley was the second but eldest surviving son and heir of Sir William de Morley, 3rd Lord Morley (d. April 30, 1379) by his spouse Lady Cecily (d. November 23, 1386), daughter of Thomas Bardolf, 2nd Lord Bardolf.

In 1375 he was a knight serving in Brittany in the expedition of the Duke of Brittany and Earl of Cambridge. In 1386, upon rumours of an intended invasion, he was, as Lord Morley, the Chief Commissioner ordered to survey Great Yarmouth and make provisions for its defence.

In 1391 Lord Morley received permission to go on crusade in Prussia.

In 1399 he accompanied King Richard on his disastrous journey to Ireland. In July 1415 he set out with the King on the expedition which culminated in the great victory of the Battle of Agincourt, but it does not appear, however, that he fought in the battle. In 1416 he was Captain-General of forces assembled to proceed to France.

Lord Morley died at Calais and his body was returned to England and buried in the Austin Friars Church at Norwich, Norfolk.

Lord Morley married thrice:
* (1) before April 3, 1374, Joan, daughter of Sir Hugh de Hastings, Knt., by Margaret, daughter of Adam de Everingham, 2nd Lord Everingham, by whom Lord Morley had one son, Robert, Knt.,("d.v.p."] She is buried in the Church of the White Friars, Norwich, Norfolk.
* (2) before June 10, 1380, Elizabeth (surname unknown).
* (3) before October 21, 1390 (date of Papal Dispensation), Anne, daughter of Edward le Despencer, 4th Lord Despencer, and widow of Sir Hugh de Hastings, Knt., (d.1386, of Elsing, Norfolk. She died October 30, 1426, and was buried in the Church of the Austin friars, Norwich. By Lord Morley she had no issue.

References

* Burke, Sir Bernard, Ulster King of Arms, "Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited, and Extinct Peerages of the British Empire", London, 1883, p.382.
* "Dictionary of National Biography", Compact Edition, Oxford University Press, 1975.
* Richardson, Douglas, "Plantagenet Ancestry", Baltimore, Md., 2004, pps: 288 and 517. ISBN 0-8063-1750-7