Robert Morris (writer)

Robert Morris (February 1703 – 12 November 1754) was an English writer, architectural theorist, and surveyor. Active during the first half of the eighteenth century, he is best known for his contributions to the Palladian revival through a series of influential treatises and pattern books, including Lectures on Architecture (1734–1736), Rural Architecture (1750), and The Architectural Remembrancer (1751). His published designs helped popularise classical architectural principles in Britain and colonial America, where his influence can be traced in several prominent buildings, particularly in Virginia. Although few executed works can be confidently attributed to him, he was involved in both design and surveying for various projects, including work at Inveraray Castle, Richmond Park, and Culverthorpe Hall.

In addition to his architectural writings, Morris anonymously published philosophical and satirical tracts, and was an early advocate of vegetarianism and animal rights. His 1746 essay A Reasonable Plea for the Animal Creation argued for the moral consideration of animals and has been recognised as a significant early text in the history of animal ethics.

Robert Morris was born in February 1703 in Twickenham, the son of Thomas Morris, a joiner.^[1]

Morris received his architectural education while working under his kinsman, Roger Morris, who held the post of "carpenter and principal engineer to the Board of Ordnance" and died on 31 January 1749.^[2]

Moore first came to public attention with the publication of An Essay in Defence of Ancient Architecture (1728), in which he contrasted modern baroque buildings—such as those in Twickenham, where he was then living—with classical models, particularly as interpreted by Andrea Palladio. While he expressed admiration for architects including Christopher Wren and James Gibbs, he criticised many of his contemporaries as being "lost in a Circle of Follies", though he acknowledged notable exceptions such as Lord Burlington, Henry Herbert, 10th Earl of Pembroke, and Sir Andrew Fountaine.^[1]

His most significant theoretical contribution was the two-volume Lectures on Architecture (1734–1736), a series of fourteen lectures presented to a now-untraced "Society established for the Improvement of Arts and Sciences". In this work, he argued that a building's design should respond to its setting—for example, that a flat, open landscape suited the simplicity of the Doric order—and introduced a modular system of seven ideal geometric proportions, analogous to musical notes.^[1] These ideas were further developed in two anonymously published works: An Essay on Harmony (1739) and The Art of Architecture, a Poem (1742). Although his writings attracted limited attention in his own time, and volume one of the Lectures was not reissued until 1759, they are now regarded as among the most substantial architectural theories published in Britain during the eighteenth century.^[1]

Morris also produced two pattern books: Rural Architecture (1750) and The Architectural Remembrancer (1751), in which he advocated for what he described as the "purity and simplicity of the art of designing". Both works were reissued in 1755 under new titles by Robert Sayer, and again in 1757 with additional unused designs originally created for The Modern Builder's Assistant.^[1]

Professionally, Morris worked as a surveyor. His commissions included overseeing work at Culverthorpe Hall, Lincolnshire, for Sir Michael Newton in the early 1730s; assessing a model of the Mansion House, London for the City of London in 1740; surveying brickwork for the banker George Middleton in Twickenham in 1743; and measuring plasterwork at Sir William Beauchamp Proctor's house in Bruton Street, London, in 1753 or 1754. He also produced unexecuted designs for the Octagon Chapel in Norwich (1753–1754), and may have drawn plans for the south front of Culverthorpe Hall, although these are more confidently attributed to Roger Morris.^[1]

The earliest executed work attributed to Robert Morris is the Gothic-style Inveraray Castle, begun in 1745 and completed in 1761. Roger Morris is thought to have contributed to the initial design, with Robert supervising construction after his death. The central tower was destroyed by fire in 1877 and rebuilt in 1880. Robert Morris also collaborated with S. Wright on the central portion of the lodge in Richmond Park for George II, although the design has also been attributed to Henry Herbert, 10th Earl of Pembroke.^[2]

Around 1750, Morris remodelled a house at Hammersmith for G. Bubb Dodington, later known as Brandenburgh House, which was demolished in 1822. He was also responsible for the construction of Coomb Bank in Kent and Wimbledon House in Surrey, likely in collaboration with Lord Burlington. Wimbledon House was destroyed by fire in 1785; its ancillary buildings were used as a residence until a new house by Henry Holland was completed in 1801. Around the same period, Morris and Burlington also designed Kirby Hall in Yorkshire, with interior work carried out by John Carr of York. The plans were reportedly based on ideas provided by the owner, S. Thompson. In 1736, Morris also constructed a Palladian-style bridge at Wilton House in Wiltshire.^[2]

In addition to his architectural output, Morris anonymously authored several literary and professional works, including An Enquiry into Virtue (1740), Yes, They Are (1740), Have at You All (1740), and Rupert to Maria: An Heroic Epistle (1748). He may also have written the political play Fatal Necessity; or Liberty Regain'd (1742, Dublin), as well as two pamphlets for surveyors in 1752: The Qualifications and Duty of a Surveyor and a Second Letter on the same subject.^[1]

Morris was an early advocate of animal rights and vegetarianism. He authored the essay A Reasonable Plea for the Animal Creation (1746). Carol J. Adams considers it a valuable addition to vegetarian history.^[3] In 2005, the academic journal Organization & Environment re-published the essay.^[4]

By 1740, Morris was residing on Hyde Park Street, near Grosvenor Square in London, and remained there until at least 1751. He died on 12 November 1754. His will instructed that his books and drawings be sold to support his children: Thomas, Mary, James, and Hannah.^[1]

• An Essay in Defence of Ancient Architecture (London: D. Browne; W. Bickerton; J. Pote; J. Walthoe, 1728)
• Lectures on Architecture (London: J. Brindley, 1734–1736)
• An Essay on Harmony. As it Relates Chiefly to Situation and Building (London: T. Cooper, 1739)
• The Art of Architecture, a Poem. In Imitation of Horace's 'Art of Poetry' (London: R. Dodsley, 1742; also attributed to John Gwynn)
• A Reasonable Plea for the Animal Creation (London: M. Cooper; 1746)
• The Qualifications and Duty of a Surveyor (London: W. Owen, 1752)
• A Second Letter on the Qualifications and Duty of a Surveyor (1752)

• Rural Architecture (London: self-published, 1750); retitled Select Architecture in later editions
• The Architectural Remembrancer (London: self-published, 1751); retitled Architecture Improved in later editions
• Select Architecture: Being Regular Designs of Plans and Elevations Well Suited to Both Town and Country (London: self-published, 1757; expanded edition)

• An Enquiry After Virtue: In a Letter to a Friend (1740)
• Yes, They Are (London, 1740)
• Have at You All (1740)
• Rupert to Maria: An Heroic Epistle (1748)
• Fatal Necessity; or Liberty Regain'd (Dublin, 1742; attributed)

• Vegetarianism in the Romantic Era

Attribution

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Porter, Bertha (1894). "Morris, Robert". In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 39. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

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