Humphry Morice (Governor of the Bank of England)

Because of the early death of his mother, the young Humphry was raised at Werrington, the seat of his uncle Sir William Morice, 1st Baronet.

Morice's mercantile business was extensive: he was one of four creditors for £18,000 of another merchant gone bankrupt in 1707, and he owned over £4,000 of Bank of England stock in 1710, making him eligible to become a director of the institution.

Morice did, in fact, become a director in 1716, and continued to hold that office, He was also involved with the launch of the South Sea Company, acting as a commissioner for subscriptions in 1711.

The next year, the Whydah Gally was navigating the Windward Passage between Cuba and Hispaniola when she was attacked and captured by pirates led by "Black Sam" Bellamy, who made the ship his flagship.

[6] Humphry's cousin Sir Nicholas had succeeded to the Werrington estate baronetcy in 1690,[7] and with it a very strong electoral interest the boroughs of Launceston and Newport.

[4] Unlike the Tory Nicholas, Humphry leaned towards the Whigs, and voted in 1714 against the expulsion of Sir Richard Steele from Parliament for advocating the Hanoverian succession in a pamphlet.

Humphry "appeared in a most splendid manner at court" to celebrate the birthday of the new Prince of Wales in late 1714, considerably irritating his cousin.

Meanwhile, Morice's wife had died in 1720, and on 5 June 1722, he married Catherine, daughter of Peter Paggen of Wandsworth, Surrey, and widow of William Hale.