Jeremy Nigel Morris (born 22 January 1960) is a British historian, Church of England priest and academic.
[1] His doctoral thesis, on the impact of urban expansion on the development of Victorian and Edwardian organised religion within the parish and borough of Croydon,[4] was published as a book in 1992.
His first book – based on his doctoral thesis – was Religion and Urban Change: Croydon 1840–1914 (1992), and he continues to write on arguments about secularization.
He is a former member and deputy chair of the Faith and Order Commission of the Church of England and continues to serve on a number of ecumenical bodies.
[5] In 2019, Morris was brought into controversy over past abuse cases whilst working at Trinity Hall, an educational institution where young students reside on site.
"[12][13] This was two years after Morris was quoted in The Guardian and Varsity as recognising the "seriousness and the formal nature" of the complaint.
[14][15] Human rights barrister Charlotte Proudman said, "The college has given fellows a licence to abuse their power with impunity.
[17] Two weeks later, The Daily Telegraph reported Morris' announcement that a sexual harasser had resigned from his post.
I think I rather minimised the matter, assuming most people would go for the 'he's just being light-hearted' line and it wasn't worth making a fuss.
But looking back, it's significant I remember distinctly each occasion, and the very fact that I didn't want it to happen and that it was a repeated pattern puts it in a different light today.
[20] The college commissioned an independent inquiry led by Gemma White QC which recommended Trinity Hall consider disciplinary action against Morris in relation to his handling of one allegation.
I am also grateful for Gemma White's acknowledgement of the positive contributions she received from people I have supported over the years, including those who presented as survivors of sexual violence.