Jeremy Morse

Early life and education

Morse was born in Kensington, London, in 1928, the only son (he had a younger sister) of Francis John Morse, of Lenwade House, Norwich, and his wife, Kinbarra, daughter of barrister Edward Armfield-Marrow. Francis John Morse, the second son of Sir George Henry Morse, a brewer and Lord Mayor of Norwich from 1922 to 1923, was from a junior branch of the landed gentry Morse family of Lound, Suffolk. The family were Quakers.

Morse was educated at West Downs School and Winchester College. He went on to attend New College, Oxford, after completing two years of national service with the 60th Rifles in Mandatory Palestine.

Career

A career banker, Morse began with Williams and Glyn's Bank and went on to be chairman of Lloyds Bank between 1977 and 1993; assuming the role at age 48, he was the youngest head of a clearing bank. He was also the first Chairman of the International Monetary Fund's Committee of Twenty (C20). In the 1975 New Year Honours, he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) "for services to the reform of the international monetary system".

He had a keen interest in cryptic crosswords and was a skilful writer of clues. He had puzzles published under the pseudonym "Esrom" (his surname in reverse).

In addition to crosswords, Morse had an interest in other types of word puzzles, and was a frequent contributor to Word Ways: The Journal of Recreational Linguistics. He was also a chess writer and wrote a book called Chess Problems: Tasks and Records.

Colin Dexter's fictional detective, Inspector Morse, was named after him.

In 2006 Morse was awarded the title of World Federation for Chess Composition Honorary Master.

He was an honorary fellow of New College, Oxford, and of All Souls College, Oxford.

Personal life

In 1955, Morse married Belinda Marianne Mills, the daughter of Lt-Colonel Robert Breynton Yarnton Mills, OBE, MC, of the landed gentry Mills family of Sudgrove; they had three sons and two daughters (one of whom died from leukaemia at the age of four).

Morse died from complications of jaw cancer at Royal Trinity Hospice in London on 4 February 2016, at the age of 87.

References

References

1. "Bristol University – News – 2004: Chancellor".
2. (23 May 2003). "UK – England – Bristol/Somerset – New university chancellor nominated".
3. "ComposersNamesInVariousAlphabetsM PCCC website".
4. Barber, Michael. (2020). "Morse, Sir (Christopher) Jeremy (1928–2016), banker".
5. Burke's Landed Gentry, 18th edition, vol. 1, ed. Peter Townend, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 1965, p. 511
6. "Sir Jeremy Morse received Ad Portas". Winchester College.
7. Burke's Landed Gentry, 18th edition, vol. 1, ed. Peter Townend, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 1965, p. 511
8. (16 May 2005). "Central Bank Cooperation at the Bank for International Settlements, 1930–1973". Cambridge University Press.
9. {{London Gazette. (31 December 1974)
10. [http://www.listenercrossword.com/PDF/Dinners/dinner93.pdf "Listener" Crossword Setters Dinner 1993]
11. (4 February 2016). "Sir Jeremy Morse, banker – obituary". The Daily Telegraph.
12. "Emeritus, Honorary and Wykeham Fellows".
13. "List of Honorary Fellows of All Souls".
14. Burke's Landed Gentry, 18th edition, vol. 1, ed. Peter Townend, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 1965, p. 511