Commercial Overprint Society of Great Britain


Vol. 1 No. 10; April 1, 2004


I. & R. Morley

by Bill Waggoner

In his treatise on UK revenue stamps, Booth lists "I. & R. Morley" as one of the companies that utilized overprints on Inland Revenue stamp issues of the 1860s. Who founded that company and what was their business?

The hosiery firm of I. & R. Morley was established by brothers John (1768-1849) and Richard (1775-1855) in Nottingham about 1797. (In the 18th century, the letters I and J were interchangeable.) The Industrial Revolution was underway but had not yet converted Britain's textile manufacturing operations into the centralized, highly-mechanized businesses they would become. Many woven articles, including hosiery, remained the products of "cottage" industries. The Morleys functioned as wholesalers, purchasing from individual weavers and storing the goods in warehouses they maintained in Nottingham and London before delivering them to retail sellers. Business was good.

Business got even better under the direction of Samuel Morley (1809-1886), John's son. By the 1860s, the company was well-known for manufacturing quality knitwear, underwear, stockings, and socks and had become the market leader in British hosiery with half-a-dozen factories in England and plans to expand into overseas markets. In 1873 they built a large, three-story factory in Heanor, a former county market town in Derbyshire. This plant was enlarged in 1912 and a second factory added in 1916. The company employed more than 1,000 workers from Heanor and the surrounding districts. Morley's trade continued to be primarily with independent retailers rather than with the larger chain stores.

Following World War II, however, this marketing policy was too restrictive and their market share fell. In 1965, the company was absorbed into the Courtaulds textile group and the name I. & R. Morley, Limited disappeared.

The University of Nottingham reportedly holds extensive Morley family and business records in their Special Collections Department, but it is not known by me whether or not these include financial data related to their overprinting of fiscal stamps.

Overprint Styles

The following Morley overprint styles have been reported:

The first Morley overprint appears on the 1860-1867 Inland Revenue Issues (Barefoot 2, 20, and 23): Barefoot 27
The second Morley overprint style appears on SG. 172:
The third Morley overprint, which is similar to the second, appears on SG. 219 and 327:
The fourth Morley overprint style appears on SG. 421.
The fifth Morley overprint style appears on SG. 442.
The sixth Morley overprint style appears on SG. 488, 506, 518, and 543.

Thanks to Jeffrey Turnbull, Steve Koning, and Harvey Russell for providing additional information.



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