Tennis and a Teapot - The Morton Family of Berwick

(Updated 18 February 2026 after super‑sleuth Edward Holmes uncovered a previously overlooked Will. This document, belonging to Thomas Morton, a cordwainer who died in Gateshead in 1851, offers the vital piece of the jigsaw that had been hiding in plain sight.)

The Morton name has long been associated with the town of Berwick, appearing frequently in the early Baptism and Marriage Registers from around 1572 to 1700. One of the earliest records identified is the 1583 grant of probate for Thomas Morton, an alderman. His Will names his brothers, William and George, and refers to the Will of their father, Thomas Morton, dated 1561. Although unproven, this potentially points to a family line reaching back to the Elizabethan period, when Berwick’s famous walls and fortifications were constructed—landmarks whose enduring appeal continues to draw visitors today.

Aerial View of Berwick upon Tweed

​“Thomas MORTON, alderman, of towne of Barwick [Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland]; also spelt Mortone
Date of probate: 14 June 1583
See DPRI/2/6 ff.22v-23: probate, June 1583. Also see Surtees Society vol.38, p70-72: [additional information drawn from this source]. [Proved, 14 June 1583.]copy will, 16 January 1582 (DPR/I/1/1583/M5/1-2)inventory, actual total £27 4s 10d, 1561 (DPR/I/1/1583/M5/3-4)inventory of the goods etc. in William Morton's house bequeathed to him and his brother [?George Morton] by the last will of Thomas Morton their father, dated 1561 [?recte 1581]”

The History of Parliament Online http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/, contains the following information about his son, also called Thomas:

Alderman, Berwick, mayor 1574, 1581, 1588, 1592

“The Mortons appear as merchants at Berwick in the mid-fifteenth century. Morton himself, as mayor, led a campaign for the extension of the civil authorities’ power, at the expense of the military officials, under the governor of Berwick, Lord Hunsdon. During his last term as mayor, when he was also MP for Berwick, he presented a list of complaints to the Queen, charging Hunsdon and his subordinates with infringements of his authority and the town’s ancient privileges. Though he claimed to be in terror of the governor’s ‘indignation’, this did not cause him to moderate his criticisms either of Lord Hunsdon, whom he condemned as an absentee official, or his subordinates, whom he accused of corruption, inefficiency and nepotism.

Morton continued, as alderman, to support the next mayor in the struggle with the governor, but he is less in evidence after his final term of office in 1593. He last appears in the records four years later, when his aunt, Phyllis Clavering, appointed him executor of her will.

The Berwick guild book shows payments to Morton as MP in 1584, when he and his colleague had 7s. 6d. a day between them ‘from the time of their setting forth from the town to their returning again’, and in 1593 when he was paid, but his colleague, an official, was not. He is not mentioned by name in the journals of the House of Commons, but he may have attended two committees concerning salted fish and the town of Berwick, to which the Members for Berwick were appointed on 11 Mar. and 14 Mar. 1589”.
​
Surtees Soc. xxxviii. 70, 71; J. Scott, Hist. Berwick, 286-7, 456-61, 479; Bronnen tot de Geschiedenis van den Handel met Engeland, Schotland en Ierland, ed. Smit, ii (R.G.P.91), p. 1317, n. 2; Raine, North Durham, 254; D’Ewes, 445, 446; Border Pprs. i. 433-9 et passim.

Tennis and a Teapot

After such a fabulous summer of tennis, with several thrilling performances from British female players, I was inspired to revisit my earlier research into Agnes “Agatha” Morton—a pioneering tennis player of a bygone era who earned her place in the Wimbledon Hall of Fame. With her Morton roots firmly anchored in Berwick‑upon‑Tweed, and with the Berwick 900 “Our Families Project” continuing to explore the town’s heritage through its people, I set out to see what more I could uncover—with the unexpected help of a silver tea service.

It is unknown whether there is a familial connection between the families featured below and the three generations of Thomas Morton mentioned above, but, as the recipient of the tea service, John Morton of Berwick upon Tweed, also endeavoured to make a difference within his community, the possibility is worth mentioning.  The following account, however, focuses on what IS known and confirmed about Agatha’s immediate Morton ancestors and other relatives, which I hope will prove useful to others researching the same family. 

First and foremost, an error correction. Contrary to popular opinion widely reported in online family trees, Agatha’s grandfather was NOT Charles Rutherford Morton, but in fact John Morton, a butcher and a former Alderman of Berwick upon Tweed.  (A further point before continuing is that this Charles is actually Charles Robson Morton, not Rutherford, as often quoted.)  Agatha’s grandmother was Hannah Hoffman, the granddaughter of Elizabeth Smith of Norham (1727 – 1797) and James Taylor of Horncliffe (1731 – 1813), her spouse.  

Agatha was born in Halstead, Essex, on the 6th March 1872, and whilst christened Agnes Mary Morton, was known as "Agatha" to her friends and family. Her father was Robert Rutherford Morton, a solicitor, born 1840 in Berwick-upon-Tweed, and her mother was Jessie Mary Sinclair, who married in Halstead in 1869.  Agatha was the eldest daughter of seven children, three boys and four girls.

Throughout her tennis career, Agnes was coached by her father, Robert. She first came to prominence in 1902 when she won the All England Ladies’ Doubles final with her partner, Charlotte Sterry. She went on to be runner‑up in the Ladies’ Singles at Wimbledon in both 1907 and 1908, although at that time the women’s events did not yet carry full championship status. This recognition finally came in 1913, and the following year Agnes, partnering the American Elizabeth Ryan, secured the Ladies’ Doubles title on the eve of the First World War. Agnes also enjoyed considerable success on the international circuit, competing in numerous tournaments in Germany and France, and she placed fourth in the 1908 London Summer Olympics. Her father’s photograph album, bequeathed to her in his Will, reveals that she was also an enthusiastic cyclist and had travelled with him on cycling holidays through France and Belgium. She married later in life, becoming Lady Agnes Stewart upon her marriage to Sir Hugh Houghton Stewart, bart., at the age of 53. She died on 5 April 1952, aged 80, at Holland Park, London. In her Will, her final wishes were that:

“My body be cremated in the Crematorium in Golders Green in the County of London and my ashes scattered in the Garden of Remembrance and that no tablet or other memorial be erected and I also desire that neither of my sisters attend the cremation and that in the event that I shall die in Ireland I desire that I shall be buried there under a plain grass mound if there is no Crematorium in the vicinity…and that the certificate of an experienced doctor shall be obtained that I am dead”.

Agnes made bequests to, amongst others, an unmarried sister Lillian Morton, her sister-in-law, Mrs Violet Morton,  her niece, Mrs June Nott, wife of Donald Nott, Miss Angelina Nott Harden and her other unmarried sister, Nora Morton of Perth.  Her brothers had all predeceased her, the eldest, Gerard Sinclair Morton, in 1941, Reginald Charles Morton died unmarried in Newcastle in 1934, and Bertram, the youngest, a Bimbashi (Major) in the Egyptian Army, formerly an inspector of mines in the Far East, was killed in 1917 during WW1.

There is no mention of her sister Kathleen, other than the reference to her former husband, Basil St John Reyner, who was appointed to oversee Agnes’s funeral arrangements. Sadly, Basil had also predeceased Agnes, having died at his home in London in 1950.

Robert Rutherford Morton

Agatha's father, Robert Rutherford Morton, was born on the 26th August 1840 and baptised at Shaws Lane Protestant Relief Congregation, Berwick upon Tweed to parents John Morton and Hannah Hoffman, who were also married in Berwick in February 1826.

Robert Rutherford son of John Morton, Butcher,
Berwick & Hannah Hoffman his wife. Born 26 August

Robert was the youngest of six children born to this marriage:

• James Hoffman Morton, born 5.11.1826 in Berwick upon Tweed, Northumberland, England
• Thomas Morton, born 15.7.1829 in Berwick upon Tweed, Northumberland, England
• Agnes Hoffman Morton, born 4.11.1832 in Berwick upon Tweed
• John Morton, born 14.6.1835 in Berwick upon Tweed
• Andrew Holmes Morton, born 22.9.1837 in Berwick upon Tweed

From his father John Morton’s Will, originally written in 1874, the absence of any reference to sons Thomas and John suggests that both had died before the Will was made. The inscription on the family’s memorial headstone further indicates that his daughter Agnes passed away in 1869.

Morton Headstone in Berwick Civic Cemetery

Further evidence shows that by the time of his own death in 1885, John had already been predeceased by his wife Hannah in 1881; his son James, who was killed instantly by a falling tree in Queensland, Australia, in 1876; and Andrew Holmes, who died at the hands of the Zulus at the famous Battle of Isandlwana in South Africa in 1879.

24th Regiment of Foot at Isandlwana

This left only one surviving child—his youngest son, Robert Rutherford, Agatha’s father—as custodian of the tea service so fondly referred to and specifically singled out in his final wishes.

“I give and bequeath the service of Plate consisting of Four Silver Articles presented to me in or about the year One thousand eight hundred and sixty eight to my said wife for her life.  And from and after her decease I give and bequeath the same articles to my said son Robert Rutherford Morton absolutely.  But I request (without meaning to constitute a Trust in this behalf) that my said son will in the case of his death without leaving issue so in his lifetime dispose of the said articles that the same may remain in the possession of  some one of my lineal descendants resident in England or Scotland.”

This final statement suggests John was aware he had two grandchildren living overseas, those born in Australia to his son James and his wife Annie McDonald.
​
Robert Rutherford Morton died at Star Stile, Halstead in 1917, and remained true to his father’s wishes.  In clause 5 of his own Will, written the previous year, he conveys guardianship of the tea service to his eldest son, Gerard Sinclair Morton, and Agnes' older brother.

“I give to Gerard Sinclair Morton the portrait of Samuel Francis his great-great-grandfather and the silver teapot and its stand, the sugar basin, tongs and cream pot, all of which belonged to my Father and were presented to him when he was Alderman of the Borough of Berwick-upon-Tweed.”

Gerard passed away in 1941, leaving a widow Violet (nee Candy) and a daughter, June, by now Mrs Donald Nott.   The trail of the silver tea service has now gone cold, but why was it so important?

John Morton 1801 - 1885,
​Butcher and Alderman of Berwick upon Tweed

In 1868, the tea service was presented to Alderman John Morton by the Mayor, in recognition and thanks for his “exertions on behalf of Berwick Soup Kitchen”.

​The Soup Kitchen had been long been a source of relief to the poor of Berwick in times of severe weather or hardship.  When John finally resigned from the Committee in 1880 he was referred to as its “presiding genius”.  He was also one of the Guardians of the Poor and sat on the Workhouse Finance Committee from at least 1856-59, hardly missing a meeting.  A Town Councillor for 30 years at his retirement in November 1880, of which he had served 15 as an Alderman, he was vocal on many issues such as the appointment of a Medical Officer, the paving of the streets, the Berwick Academy and the ongoing costs of the Gaol.
 
But who was he?

In the 1841 census, John’s family were living in Western Lane at the home of his wife Hannah’s parents, John and Agnes Hoffman (née Taylor). (A “P” beside John Hoffman’s name likely indicates that he was a military pensioner, while the “F” confirms he was born in foreign parts.) However, John himself is not listed with the household—and this is where matters initially become a little more complicated.

White’s Directory of 1827 listed John Morton trading as a butcher from premises in Western Lane.  Then a probate bond dated 1848 for an Alexander Morton, Hatter of Berwick upon Tweed, would appear to name John as a brother, along with George Morton, Furrier, Charles Morton, Hatter and spinster sisters Euphemia and Jane.  The document was signed by all three brothers in educated hands.  So far so good.

The first problem occurs on the second page of the same probate document when John, rather than described a Butcher, is referred to as a Hatter, along with his brother Charles

The second issue arises from an entry in the 1841 census for Howden in Yorkshire, where a John and Charles Morton, born in Berwick upon Tweed and both Hat Makers, are listed within the same household.  What were their relationships to the remaining members of the household?

Mary Morton, aged 30 Born Berwick
John Morton, aged 9 Born Berwick
Robert Morton, aged 12 Born Berwick
Ellen Morton, aged 3 Born Howden, Yorkshire.
 
A search for baptisms of the two children born in Berwick returned the following results.  Robert, baptised 1828, the son of John Morton, Hatter and his wife Mary, and John Gibson Morton, baptised 1831, to the same couple. The statutory birth record for the third child, Ellen, registered at Howden, Yorkshire confirms her father as John Morton, Hatter and her mother as Mary Morton nee Gibson.  

The 1841 census, while invaluable to family historians, is also notoriously frustrating in its lack of relationship details.  It does not clarify whether John is a brother, cousin, or otherwise connected to the Charles listed in the same household.  What can be stated with certainty is that John is around fifteen years older than Charles, and that all members of the household—except three‑year‑old Ellen—were born in Berwick‑upon‑Tweed.  Although the whereabouts of Agatha’s grandfather in 1841 remain unknown, the baptisms noted above, together with the civil birth registration, later census returns, and the newly discovered Will of Thomas Morton cordwainer in Newcastle upon Tyne, provide sufficient evidence to confirm that John Morton the butcher and John Morton the hat maker, despite being of similar ages, were two distinct individuals.

John and Charles Morton, Hatters

John and Charles Morton, the hatters, are, I believe, the brothers named in the administration of probate of Alexander Morton in 1848, whose Mother’s name was Helen.  Helen Morton died in 1852, and her death certificate states she was the widow of Robert Morton, a shoemaker.  It was signed by her son Charles, of Western Lane, providing evidence of his return to Berwick from Yorkshire.

According to the 1851 Census, Charles, still working as a Hatter, was living in Western Lane with a wife Jane and a six-year-old son named Robert.  By 1861, although still living in Western Lane with wife Jane and 16-year-old son Robert, Charles was now a Letter Carrier working for the Post Office.  In 1867, he made headlines in the local newspapers when found guilty at Newcastle Assizes of an unusual crime.​

Sentenced to 5 years 'penal servitude, Charles appears to have secured an early release.  Although calling himself Charles Martin, in the 1871 census, he was living with his two spinster sisters, Euphemia and Jane, at 94 Pilgrim Street, Newcastle, where he had reverted to his previous occupation as a Hatter.  He is recorded as a widower with no immediate sign of his son Robert.  By 1881, Charles had returned to Berwick, where he was working as a Hatter from premises at 92 Marygate.  Again recorded as a widower, he was living with a 14-year-old son called Charles Robson Morton.  ​A bit more digging established Charles Robson Morton was born in Berwick on 18th March 1867, the same year as his father's conviction.  

In 1871, young Charles, very possibly to avoid negative attention, was living with his mother, Mary Ann, under her former surname Thompkins, in Woolmarket, Berwick.    

Clearly, there is still more of the Morton family’s story to uncover. For now, however, I believe that the families of John Morton the hatter and John Morton the butcher and alderman are connected. Their occupations and shared ties to Western Lane seem too aligned to be mere coincidence. This is especially compelling now that the parentage of John Morton, the butcher and alderman, has been confirmed as Thomas Morton, a cordwainer (shoemaker) who died at Gateshead in 1858. I am indebted to Edward Holmes for his diligent detective work and for bringing this new information to my attention.

In the continuing spirit of the “Berwick 900, Our Families Project”, if you have any information regarding the Morton family of Berwick, including the whereabouts of the infamous tea service, please get in touch.