Morritt was the son of an elderly gentleman farmer, William, and his young gypsy housekeeper whom he had married at the age of 51.

[citation needed] As a teenager Charles worked as a packer in a woollen warehouse in Leeds.

[citation needed] Aged 18, Morritt gave a two-hour show at the Public Hall in Selby.

[citation needed] In 1928, Morritt appeared at Halifax court charged with obtaining money by false pretences over his "Man in a Trance" trick.

The magicians P. T. Selbit and Will Goldston helped to fund Morritt's defence and he was eventually acquitted.