Emily Morrell (1854 – 1938) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English ...

land and brewery owner of the Oxford-based Morrell family.

Life

Morrell was born in 1854. Her grandfather was James Morrell, her father was James Morrell and her mother was Alicia. Her parents owned the

Morrells Brewing Company Morrell's Brewing Company, also known as the Lion Brewery, was the only major brewery in Oxford, England. It operated between 1782 and 1998. Early history Morrell's was founded by Richard Tawney in 1743 as the Lion Brewery. In 1782 he form ...

. Her father had inherited

Headington Hill Hall Headington Hill Hall stands on Headington Hill in the east of Oxford, England. It was built in 1824 for the Morrell family, who remained in residence for 114 years. It became the home to Pergamon Press and to media tycoon Robert Maxwell. It cu ...

which he had hugely extended in 1856 and 1858 resulting in an

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italia ...

mansion designed by architect

John Thomas John Thomas may refer to: Politics United Kingdom * John Thomas (c. 1490–1540/42), British Member of Parliament for Truro * John Thomas (c. 1531–1581/90), British Member of Parliament for Mitchell * John Thomas (British politician) (1897 ...

. left, George Herbert Morrell, her husband 1863 saw the death of her father and her mother Alicia died the following year leaving the brewery, the family's estates including the hall to their ten-year-old daughter Emily. Her inheritance was put under the control of three trustees who managed the lands and businesses on her behalf. The trustees tried to deal with Emily's crush on a distant cousin by sending her away to an aunt and forbidding any communication between the pair. She and her third cousin George Herbert Morrell were eventually married when she was 20. They lived at Headington Hill Hall. One of their parties had 300 guests which included Oscar Wilde who as part of the fancy dress theme turned up dressed as the Prince Regent in 1878. Wilde was said to be so thrilled by the hired outfit that he bought it outright. In 1891 the aunt who had taken her in as a child, Emily Stone, died and she added to Morrell's fortune by leaving her nearly £90,000. She also instructed that a £1000 should be invested and the interest each year was to be used to buy coal for the poor. George Herbert Morrell administered the charity until he died in 1906 when Emily took over. The charity would outlive her and it lasted for 114 years. She and George Herbert Morrell had two sons. Her son, James Morrell (III), took over the brewery in 1926 after he convinced the trustees that he would be more successful than their default decision which was to sell. Morrell died in 1938.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrell, Emily 1854 births 1938 deaths 19th-century British landowners People from Oxford 19th-century British businesswomen British brewers