Editing William Morris (section)

=== Youth: 1834–1852 ===
Morris was born at Elm House in [[Walthamstow]], [[Essex]], on 24 March 1834.{{sfnm|1a1=Vallance|1y=1897|1p=2|2a1=Mackail|2y=1901|2pp=1–2|3a1=Thompson|3y=1955|3pp=1–2|4a1=MacCarthy|4y=1994|4pp=1–2|5a1=Rodgers|5y=1996|5p=20}} Raised into a wealthy middle-class family, he was named after his father, a financier who worked as a partner in the Sanderson & Co. firm, bill brokers in the [[City of London]].{{sfnm|1a1=Mackail|1y=1901|1pp=2–3|2a1=MacCarthy|2y=1994|2pp=1–2, 7}} His mother was Emma Morris (née Shelton), who descended from a wealthy bourgeois family from [[Worcester, England|Worcester]].{{sfnm|1a1=Mackail|1y=1901|1p=3|2a1=MacCarthy|2y=1994|2pp=1–2, 10}} Morris was the third of his parents' surviving children; their first child, Charles, had been born in 1827 but died four days later. Charles had been followed by the birth of two girls, Emma in 1829 and Henrietta in 1833, before William's birth. These children were followed by the birth of siblings Stanley in 1837, Rendall in 1839, Arthur in 1840, [[Isabella Gilmore|Isabella]] in 1842, Edgar in 1844, and Alice in 1846.{{sfnm|1a1=Mackail|1y=1901|1p=4|2a1=MacCarthy|2y=1994|2p=2|3a1=Rodgers|3y=1996|3p=20}} The Morris family were followers of the [[Evangelicalism|evangelical]] [[Protestantism|Protestant]] form of Christianity, and William was [[baptism|baptised]] four months after his birth at [[St Mary's Church, Walthamstow]].{{sfnm|1a1=Mackail|1y=1901|1p=10|2a1=Thompson|2y=1955|2p=2|3a1=MacCarthy|3y=1994|3p=11}}

[[File:William Morris Gallery-001 crop.JPG|thumb|upright=1.35|Water House, Morris's childhood home; renovated in 2012, it now houses The [[William Morris Gallery]].]]

As a child, Morris was kept largely housebound at Elm House by his mother; there, he spent much time reading, favouring the novels of [[Walter Scott]].{{sfn|MacCarthy|1994|pp=5–6}} Aged 6, Morris moved with his family to the [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] [[Italianate architecture|Italianate]] mansion at [[Woodford Hall]], [[Woodford, London|Woodford, Essex]], which was surrounded by 50 acres of land adjacent to [[Epping Forest]].{{sfnm|1a1=Mackail|1y=1901|1p=5|2a1=MacCarthy|2y=1994|2pp=6–7|3a1=Rodgers|3y=1996|3p=20}} He took an interest in fishing with his brothers as well as gardening in the Hall's grounds,{{sfn|MacCarthy|1994|pp=8–9}} and spent much time exploring the Forest, where he was fascinated both by the Iron Age earthworks at [[Loughton Camp]] and [[Ambresbury Banks]] and by the Early Modern [[Epping Forest#Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge|Hunting Lodge]] at [[Chingford]].{{sfnm|1a1=Vallance|1y=1897|1pp=2–3|2a1=Mackail|2y=1901|2p=11|3a1=MacCarthy|3y=1994|3pp=14–17|4a1=Rodgers|4y=1996|4pp=21–22}} He also took rides through the Essex countryside on his pony,{{sfnm|1a1=Mackail|1y=1901|1pp=6–7|2a1=MacCarthy|2y=1994|2p=13|3a1=Rodgers|3y=1996|3p=20}} and visited the various churches and cathedrals throughout the country, marveling at their architecture.{{sfnm|1a1=Mackail|1y=1901|1p=10|2a1=Thompson|2y=1955|2pp=4–5|3a1=MacCarthy|3y=1994|3pp=17–18}} His father took him on visits outside of the county, for instance to [[Canterbury Cathedral]], the Chiswick Horticultural Gardens, and to the [[Isle of Wight]], where he adored [[Blackgang Chine]].{{sfn|MacCarthy|1994|p=9, 18}} Aged 9, he was then sent to Misses Arundale's Academy for Young Gentlemen, a nearby preparatory school; although initially riding there by pony each day, he later began boarding, intensely disliking the experience.{{sfnm|1a1=Mackail|1y=1901|1p=11|2a1=MacCarthy|2y=1994|2pp=20–21}}

In 1847, Morris's father died unexpectedly. From this point, the family relied upon continued income from the copper mines at [[Devon Great Consols]], and sold Woodford Hall to move into the smaller [[William Morris Gallery|Water House]].{{sfnm|1a1=Mackail|1y=1901|1pp=11, 14, 18|2a1=Thompson|2y=1955|2p=22|3a1=MacCarthy|3y=1994|3pp=26–27|4a1=Rodgers|4y=1996|4p=22}} In February 1848 Morris began his studies at [[Marlborough College]] in [[Marlborough, Wiltshire]], where he gained a reputation as an eccentric nicknamed "Crab". He despised his time there, being bullied, bored, and homesick.{{sfnm|1a1=Mackail|1y=1901|1pp=15–16|2a1=Thompson|2y=1955|2pp=3–5|3a1=MacCarthy|3y=1994|3pp=29–34|4a1=Rodgers|4y=1996|4p=22}} He did use the opportunity to visit many of the prehistoric sites of Wiltshire, such as [[Avebury]] and [[Silbury Hill]], which fascinated him.{{sfnm|1a1=Mackail|1y=1901|1p=16|2a1=Thompson|2y=1955|2p=5|3a1=MacCarthy|3y=1994|3pp=37–40|4a1=Rodgers|4y=1996|4p=22}} The school was [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] in faith and in March 1849 Morris was confirmed by the [[Bishop of Salisbury]] in the college chapel, developing an enthusiastic attraction towards the [[Anglo-Catholic movement]] and its [[Romanticism|Romanticist]] aesthetic.{{sfnm|1a1=Mackail|1y=1901|1p=17|2a1=Thompson|2y=1955|2pp=23–24|3a1=MacCarthy|3y=1994|3pp=43–44}} At Christmas 1851, Morris was removed from the school and returned to Water House, where he was privately tutored by the Reverend Frederick B. Guy, Assistant Master at the nearby [[Forest School, Walthamstow|Forest School]].{{sfnm|1a1=MacCarthy|1y=1994|1pp=48–50|2a1=Rodgers|2y=1996|2p=23}}