Editing William Morris (section)

=== The Kelmscott Press and Morris's final years: 1889–1896{{anchor|The Kelmscott Press}} ===
[[File:Frederick Hollyer Burne-Jones and Morris 1890.jpg|upright=0.8|thumb|Morris (right) with [[Edward Burne-Jones|Burne-Jones]], 1890]]

The work of Morris & Co. continued during Morris's final years, producing an array of stained glass windows designed by Burne-Jones and the six narrative tapestry panels depicting the quest for the [[Holy Grail]] for [[Stanmore Hall]], [[Shropshire]].{{Sfn|MacCarthy|1994|pp=646–647}} Morris's influence on Britain's artistic community became increasingly apparent as the [[Art Workers' Guild]] was founded in 1884, although at the time he was too preoccupied with his socialist activism to pay it any attention. Although the proposal faced some opposition, Morris was elected to the Guild in 1888, and to the position of master in 1892.{{sfnm|1a1=Mackail|1y=1899|1pp=198–199|2a1=MacCarthy|2y=1994|2pp=592–595, 598}} Morris similarly did not offer initial support for the [[Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society]], but changed his opinion after the success of their first exhibit, held in [[Regent Street]] in October 1888. Giving lectures on tapestries for the group, in 1892 he was elected president.{{sfnm|1a1=Mackail|1y=1899|1pp=199–203, 212, 225|2a1=MacCarthy|2y=1994|2pp=596–598}} At this time, Morris re-focused his attentions on preservation campaigning; those causes he championed including the structures of [[University Church of St Mary the Virgin|St Mary's Church]] in Oxford, [[Blythburgh Priory|Blythburgh Church]] in Suffolk, [[Peterborough Cathedral]], and [[Rouen Cathedral]].{{sfnm|1a1=Mackail|1y=1899|1pp=269–270, 285–286, 313, 315–316|2a1=MacCarthy|2y=1994|2pp=598, 653}}

Although his socialist activism had decreased, he remained involved with the Hammersmith Socialist Society, and in October 1891 oversaw the creation of a short-lived newsletter, the ''Hammersmith Socialist Record''.{{sfn|MacCarthy|1994|p=640}} Coming to oppose factionalism within the socialist movement, he sought to rebuild his relationship with the SDF, appearing as a guest lecturer at some of their events and supporting SDF candidate [[George Lansbury]] when he stood in the [[Wandsworth]] by-election of February 1894.{{sfn|MacCarthy|1994|p=645}} In 1893 the Hammersmith Socialist Society co-founded the Joint Committee of Socialist Bodies with representatives of the SDF and Fabian Society; Morris helped draw up its "Manifesto of English Socialists".{{sfnm|1a1=Mackail|1y=1899|1pp=288–289|2a1=MacCarthy|2y=1994|2pp=645–646}} He offered support for leftist activists on trial, including a number of [[Insurrectionary anarchism|militant anarchists]] whose violent tactics he nevertheless denounced.{{sfn|MacCarthy|1994|pp=641–642}} He also began using the term "[[communism]]" for the first time, stating that "Communism is in fact the completion of Socialism: when that ceases to be militant and becomes triumphant, it will be communism."{{sfn|MacCarthy|1994|pp=642–643}} In December 1895 he gave his final open-air talk at Stepniak's funeral, where he spoke alongside the socialist [[Eleanor Marx]], trade unionist [[Keir Hardie]], and anarchist [[Errico Malatesta]].{{sfn|MacCarthy|1994|pp=655–656}} Liberated from internal factional struggles, he retracted his anti-parliamentary position and worked for socialist unity, giving his last public lecture in January 1896 on the subject of "One Socialist Party."<ref name="EB1911" />

In December 1888, the [[Chiswick Press]] published Morris's ''[[The House of the Wolfings]]'', a fantasy story set in Iron Age Europe which provides a reconstructed portrait of the lives of Germanic-speaking [[Goths|Gothic tribes]]. It contained both prose and aspects of poetic verse.{{sfnm|1a1=Mackail|1y=1899|1pp=212–213|2a1=MacCarthy|2y=1994|2pp=606–608}} A sequel, ''[[The Roots of the Mountains]]'', followed in 1889.<ref>{{cite book |title=A Bibliography of William Morris |last=LeMire |first=Eugene |year=2006 |publisher=British Library |isbn=978-0-7123-4926-0}}</ref>{{sfnm|1a1=Mackail|1y=1899|1pp=213–214, 218|2a1=MacCarthy|2y=1994|2p=608}} Over the coming years he would publish a string of other poetic works: ''[[The Story of the Glittering Plain]]'' (1890), ''[[The Wood Beyond the World]]'' (1894), ''[[The Well at the World's End]]'' (1896), ''[[The Water of the Wondrous Isles]]'' (1897) and ''[[The Sundering Flood]]'' (1898).{{sfn|MacCarthy|1994|p=633}} He also embarked on a translation of the Anglo-Saxon tale ''[[Beowulf]]''; because he could not fully understand [[Old English]], his poetic translation was based largely on that already produced by [[Alfred John Wyatt]]. On publication, Morris's archaizing ''Beowulf'' was critically panned.{{sfn|MacCarthy|1994|pp=648–649}} Following the death of the sitting [[Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom|Poet Laureate of Great Britain and Ireland]], Alfred, Lord Tennyson, in October 1892, Morris was offered the position but turned it down, disliking its associations with the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|monarchy]] and political establishment; instead the position went to [[Alfred Austin]].{{sfnm|1a1=Mackail|1y=1899|1pp=287–288|2a1=MacCarthy|2y=1994|2pp=631–633}}

[[File:KelmscottPressColophone.jpg|thumb|left|Morris's design for the Kelmscott Press [[trademark]]]]
{{Main|Kelmscott Press}}

In January 1891, Morris founded the [[Kelmscott Press]], a [[private press]] which would go on to publish the celebrated ''Kelmscott Chaucer''. By the early 1890s, Morris was increasingly ill and living largely as an invalid; aside from his [[gout]], he also exhibited signs of [[epilepsy]].{{sfn|MacCarthy|1994|p=624}} In August 1891, he took his daughter Jenny on a tour of Northern France to visit the medieval churches and cathedrals.{{sfn|MacCarthy|1994|pp=626–627}} Back in England, he spent an increasing amount of time at Kelmscott Manor.{{sfn|MacCarthy|1994|p=627}} Seeking treatment from the prominent doctor [[William Broadbent]], he was prescribed a holiday in the coastal town of [[Folkestone]].{{sfnm|1a1=Mackail|1y=1899|1p=329|2a1=MacCarthy|2y=1994|2pp=658–662}} In December 1894 he was devastated upon learning of his 90-year-old mother's death.{{sfnm|1a1=Mackail|1y=1899|1p=300|2a1=MacCarthy|2y=1994|2p=652}}

In July 1896, Morris went on a cruise to Norway with construction engineer [[John Carruthers (engineer)|John Carruthers]], during which he visited [[Vadsø (town)|Vadsø]] and [[Trondheim (city)|Trondheim]]; during the trip his physical condition deteriorated and he began experiencing hallucinations.{{sfnm|1a1=Mackail|1y=1899|1p=330|2a1=MacCarthy|2y=1994|2pp=664–666}} Returning to Kelmscott House, he became a complete invalid, being visited by friends and family, before dying of [[tuberculosis]] on the morning of 3 October 1896.{{sfnm|1a1=Mackail|1y=1899|1pp=331, 335|2a1=MacCarthy|2y=1994|2pp=667–670|3a1=Rodgers|3y=1996|3pp=10, 15}} Obituaries appearing throughout the national press reflected that at the time, Morris was widely recognised primarily as a poet. Mainstream press obituaries trivialised or dismissed his involvement in socialism, although the socialist press focused largely on this aspect of his career.{{sfn|MacCarthy|1994|p=671}} His funeral was held on 6 October, during which his corpse was carried from Hammersmith to [[Paddington rail station]], where it was transported to Oxford, and from there to Kelmscott, where it was buried in the churchyard of St George's Church.{{sfnm|1a1=Mackail|1y=1899|1pp=347–349|2a1=MacCarthy|2y=1994|2pp=673–676|3a1=Rodgers|3y=1996|3pp=10–15}}