He was born at Gowanbank in Darvel in Ayrshire on 23 March 1867 the second son of Alexander Morton (1844–1923) and his wife, Jane (Jeannie) Wiseman.
[2] Morton aimed to make 'fast dyes' that would not fade in sunlight , even if that meant sacrificing the variety of colours available to the consumer.
He sent out sample test cards of dyed fabric (sample in Science Museum Collections [3]) to his brother-in-law, Patrick Fagan, who was working for the British colonial civil service in India, with instructions to leave the fabric exposed to direct sunlight for weeks and even months at a time.
[4] In 1915 he commissioned Sir Robert Lorimer (who was also a major client and probable friend) to build new weaving sheds for Morton Sundour in Carlisle.
The Science Museum, London has a collection of samples, notebooks, photographs and letters linked to James Morton.