Elizabeth Morton

Richard Morton of Millborne St. Andrew married Elizabeth, “dau, of Richard Turberville of Bere Regis, by the sister and heir of Sir John Beauchamp of Hatch, relict of Roger Seymour.” NOTE: There is no way the identification of his mother's parents can be correct, as Richard Turberville of Bere Regis died in 1362. It is possible that she belonged to another branch of the family - the Turbervilles were very numerous about this time.]

From LIFE OF JOHN MORTON. CHAPTER I. HIS EARLY LIFE.

The house in which John Morton was born is still standing, and is situated on the Milborne Styleham side of the river which divides the hamlet from Milborne S. Andrew in the county of Dorset. Until recently this portion of the village was ecclesiastically united to Bere, but supported its own poor and roads by the usual rates. It is unfortunate that the Parish Registers of Bere Regis were burnt in 1788, and no exact record remains of the date of his birth and baptism. Most probably he was born about the year 1420.

His father, Richard Morton, of Milborne S. Andrew, married Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Turburville and Cecilia Beauchamp. John was the eldest of five sons, the youngest of whom, Sir Rowland Morton, also distinguished himself. Rapin says that he was of mean parentage,1 but this is a palpable error, for his ancestors were owners of land from the close of the thirteenth century in Nottinghamshire, and Sir Thomas Morton, of Morton, was Sheriff of Nottingham and Derby in 1364, and Lieutenant of Nottingham Castle in 1374. A man who had risen as rapidly in the king's favour as John Morton did, was sure to make many enemies; and one of the favourite ways of detracting from a man's greatness is to vilify his ancestors. His grandfather was the first possessor of an estate in Dorsetshire, which is held by his lineal descendants to this day,8 and it was upon this estate, in a country house which is still standing, that the future cardinal was born, either in 1420, or, some say, in 1410.

Pedigree of Morton of Milborne S. Andrew < GoogleBooks >

References

1. Information found in "The life of John Morton, archbishop of Canterbury" https://archive.org/stream/lifejohnmortona00woodgoog/lifejohnmorton...
2. Woodhouse, Reginald Illingworth. The Life of John Morton, Archbishop of Canterbury. Page 169. “Pedigree of Morton of Milborne S. Andrew”. < GoogleBooks >
3. Stirnet - ‘Morton01’
4. Stirnet - ‘Morton3’
5. Stirnet - ‘Turberville2’ “Elizabeth Turberville of Bere Regis” is not listed.
6. “THE WILL OF JOHN MORTON, archbishop of Canterbury, c. 1420–1500” by BETTY I. KNOTT < PDF >
7. CARDINAL MORTON’S SKULL by Isolde Martyn. < PDF >