The Morris family are originally of Welch origin and of great antiquity, being lineally descended from " Rys, sometimes called Rice Fitzgerald, brother to Rhys Prince of Geventland, which Rys or Rice Fitzgerald was settled in Monmouthshire." "In 1171 Rice united -with Strongbow, Earl of Striquil and Pembroke, his neighbor, and landed at Waterford in Ireland, with two hundred Knights and one thousand archers, having been thereto authorized and encouraged by Henry II,, King of England and subdued the greatest part of that kingdom -- which extensive conquests occasioned the king to interfere and call them back, and gi'v^ng them some indemnification, appropriated their conquests to the English crown."

" For his warlike acliievments Rys, the companion of Strongbow, was for pre-eminence called Jllaur Rys, or Maiir Rice, i e, the great Rys or Rice. The word mawr or maur in Welch signifying great, ai\d his descendants dropping the name of Firzgerald for this, ever after thought it an honor to retain that addition j and thus the name became Mav.T Rj's, or Mauri'ie, and fmally Morris."

About the middle of the fifteenth century a younger brother of the family of this first Maurice, (still settled in Monmouthshire.) who v/as named William, bore a commission in the army, and married a lady of good fortune in Devonsliire where he settled and had several sons.''

"One of the descendants in 1623 -- Sir William Morrice -- as it v/as then corruptly spelt, settled in Cornwall. In the year 1635 the elder branch of the fanuly, the lineal descendants of the first ]Mon-is, still rea Articles of uo^reenit'iit were entered itiro between the two brothers, that If *'itlnT o( them died witlioat i.-i-^Ui.-, tho survivor, or issue of tiie survivor, if any, sUouid taiCL' t!i',- estate.