Death
The circumstances surrounding Morgan's death are not entirely clear. The Elizabethan sources were certain that he was punished for his antipathy toward the Protestant faith, in particular his condemnation of Lady Jane Grey. Foxe reports:
Touching the condemnation of this lady Iane, here is to be noted, that the Iudge morgan who gaue the sentence of condemnation against her, shortly after hee had condemned her, fell mad, and in hys rauing cryed out continually to haue the Lady Iane taken away from him, and so ended hys lyfe.
The story was repeated, almost verbatim, in Holinshed's Chronicles and became the accepted explanation of his sudden fall from power and influence. In fact, Morgan was removed from office in October 1555, which was almost two years after the trial of Jane Grey. There is no evidence he ever wavered in his Catholic militancy: his second will, made some time after he became chief justice of the common pleas, still demanded a Catholic burial. Probably Morgan was suspended because of a condition that was believed to affect his judgement or ability to practise as a judge, but the idea that he was driven mad by remorse is likely to be largely invention. It is certain, however, that Morgan and his wife were detained around this time by John Philip, his brother. In November, the Privy Council ordered the younger Morgan to release his brother and sister-in-law, remarking that he had already been ordered to do so previously, although it is not clear whether he ever complied. In his own will, dated 8 August 1557, John Philip makes clear that he and Richard had been involved in property deals together and that Richard's wife was refusing to release to him land that Richard had paid for and he was offering to redeem. This probably has something to do with his detention of the couple. There is little doubt that the brothers had always been on good terms to this point.
Richard Morgan died most likely in late May 1556 and was buried on 2 June at St Magnus-the-Martyr, his local parish church in the City of London. The funeral was recorded by Henry Machyn, a London merchant tailor whose diary gives detailed accounts of funerals because he frequently supplied the cloth and fittings.
The ij day of June was bered at sant Magnus at London bryge ser Recherd Morgayn knyght, a juge and on of the preve consell unto the nobull quen Mare, with a harold of armes bayryng ys cott armur, and with a standard and a penon of armes and elmett, sword, and targatt; and iiij dosen of skochyons, and ij whytt branchys and xij torchys and iiij gret tapurs, and xxiiij pore men in mantyll ffrysse gownes, and mony in blake; and master chansseler of London dyd pryche.
Morgan's last will provided for his younger sons, John and Polydore, to share the lease of Grosmont, which Morgan held from the duchy of Lancaster. Thomas, his heir, was to receive all his other leases of lands in Monmouthshire, including his share of the family home at Ynysgynwraidd/Skenfrith. His wife was given use of the London house, although the reversion was to Polydore. His books were divided among his sons. He ordered a ring of fine gold to be made for Anne, the wife of John Philip Morgan. This reiterated his first will, which said it was for kindness shown him during an illness – possibly an earlier bout of the complaint that finally overwhelmed him.
