Ebenezer Cobb Morley

Football

Morley founded Barnes Football Club in 1862, and served as its captain until 1867. The Barnes club played its first recorded game, a 2–0 victory, against Richmond F.C., on 29 November 1862. A match the following month against Blackheath FC went less happily: the Blackheath club played a rugby-style game, necessitating the adoption of compromise rules. "Very weak" play by Barnes resulted in a loss by two goals to nothing, with Morley narrowly escaping being "garrotted". In 1863, Morley wrote to Bell's Life newspaper proposing a governing body for the sport, with the power to set common rules. This led to the first meeting of the FA at Freemasons' Tavern, on 26 October 1863. At this meeting, Morley was elected the first secretary of the association.

Creation of the FA's 1863 Laws

At this time, some football clubs followed the example of Rugby School by allowing the ball to be carried in the hands, with players allowed to "hack" (kick in the shins) opponents who were carrying the ball. Other clubs forbade both practices. During the meetings to draw up the FA laws, there was an acrimonious division between the "hacking" and "non-hacking" clubs. An FA meeting of 17 November 1863 discussed this question, with the "hacking" clubs predominating. A further meeting was scheduled in order to finalise ("settle") the laws, based on the draft created by Morley in his role as secretary. At this crucial 24 November meeting, the "hackers" were again in a narrow…

Morley worked as a solicitor, handling such matters as mortgages and wills.

Morley was born at 10 Garden Square, Princess Street in Hull to the Reverend Ebenezer Morley, a nonconformist minister, and his wife Hannah (née Cobb). He lived in the city until he was 22. Morley qualified as a lawyer in 1854. In 1858 he moved to the London suburb of Barnes to practise as a solicitor in the capital.

Morley's wife, Frances, died of pneumonia in 1911. Morley himself succumbed to the same condition in 1924. He was buried in Barnes Cemetery, a now abandoned graveyard on Barnes Common, Barnes. He had no children.