Morley / Morelege / Morelei / Moreleia / Morelige / Morlege

Lewis (1835) writes: "A chapel is now being erected by the commissioners appointed under the late act for building additional churches. Morley, previously to the Conquest, had a parochial church, which sub- sequently became dependent on that of Batley; but in the time of Charles I. it was conveyed by the Earl of Sussex to trustees of the Presbyterian church, and was never afterwards restored to the establishment: it retains much of its ancient appearance, and now belongs to the Independents". The National Gazetteer of 1868 notes: "The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Ripon, value £300, in the patronage of the Vicar of Batley. The church, dedicated to St. Peter, is situated at Four-Lane-Ends, and was erected in 1830 at a cost of £2,593, partly by a grant from the Parliamentary Commissioners. It is a stone structure, with a spired tower containing one bell. [...] The ancient parochial church was let on lease by Saville Earl of Sussex, to the Presbyterian party in the reign of Charles I. for 500 years, and is still in possession of their trustees as an Independent meeting-house." Smith (1886) cites the entry for 'Moreleia', in which it is stated, "Ibi est Ecclesia", and further adds: "Another passage in Domesday Book relating to Morley is thus rendered:-- According to the verdict of the men of Morlege (Morley) Wapentake, concerning the Church of St. Mary, which is in Morley Wood, the King has a Moiety of the three Festivals of St. Mary's, which belongs to Wakefield. Ilbert and the Priests who serve the Church have all the rest." Unfortunately appears not to elaborate on the 11th-century church, and jumps to "the then newly-erected church, dedicated to St. Peter, the first stone of which was laid with great rejoicings on the 29th day of June, 1829. [...] The church, externally or internally, was not of an attractive character, but steps were taken in 1885 to remedy some of the defects, and the church was re-opened on Sept. 14th, 1885, by the Lord Bishop of Ripon [...] Mrs. Clarke (daughter of the late Vicar of Morley) has presented a new Caen stone font." [NB: we have no information on the font from the Domesday church here -- the three present churches in Morley, St. Mary in the Wood's, St. Paul's and St. Peter's are modern].