Philip Morant

He was educated at John Roysse's Free School in Abingdon (now Abingdon School)^[2] and Pembroke College, Oxford,^[3] eventually taking his master's degree at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge in 1729.

Ordained in 1722, he began his association with the county of Essex with a curacy at Great Waltham near Chelmsford in 1722.^[4] He was the Chaplain of the English Episcopal Church in Amsterdam from 1732 to 1734. In 1737 he became both the Rector of St Mary-at-the-Walls, Colchester as well as Rector of Aldham in Essex.^[5] During his time in Colchester, Morant wrote The History and Antiquities of Colchester, published in 1748; and his county history, The History and Antiquities of the County of Essex, published in two volumes between 1763 and 1768. He also conducted a number of excavations of Roman sites in and around the town. He married Anne Stebbing in 1739 and they had a daughter, Anna Maria. In 1755, Philip Morant was elected to the Fellowship of the Society of Antiquaries of London.

After the death of his wife, he moved to his son-in-law's house in Battersea and was employed in the House of Lords, although he retained the living of both his parishes. He died in 1770 and is buried at Aldham.^[6]

There is a contemporary memorial to Morant and a window of 1855 in his memory in the new church at Aldham (the memorial was moved in 1854). There is also a wooden plaque at St Mary-at-the-Walls, Colchester, dated 1966.

His silhouette appears on the village sign at Aldham.

The Morant Club was formed in Colchester in 1909 to investigate local archaeology, but was dissolved in 1925.^[7]

In 1965, The Norman Way Secondary School in Prettygate, Colchester was renamed Philip Morant School and College in his honour.

• List of Old Abingdonians