Jeremy Morse
Sir Christopher Jeremy Morse KCMG (10 December 1928 – 4 February 2016) was an English banker, puzzle maker and chess composer who served as Chancellor of the University of Bristol from 1989 to 2003 and as chairman of Lloyds Bank from 1977 to 1993. He was born in London, the son of Francis John Morse, and was educated at West Downs, Winchester College, and New College, Oxford after two years of national service with the 60th Rifles in Mandatory Palestine.
Morse began his banking career at Williams and Glyn’s Bank and rose to become chairman of Lloyds Bank, the youngest head of a clearing bank at the time. He also sat on the Bank of England’s Board as an executive director (1965–1972) and later as a non-executive (1993–1997). He founded the IMF’s Committee of Twenty (C20) and was honoured for his work in international monetary reform.
A keen cryptic crossword setter, Morse wrote clues under the name Esrom (his surname reversed) and contributed to Word Ways: The Journal of Recreational Linguistics. He was also a chess writer and published Chess Problems: Tasks and Records. In 2006, he received the World Federation for Chess Composition Honorary Master. The character Inspector Morse, created by Colin Dexter, was named after him. He was an honorary fellow of New College, Oxford, and of All Souls College, Oxford.
In 1955, Morse married Belinda Marianne Mills, and they had five children. He died in London in 2016 from jaw cancer, at the age of 87.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 17:37 (CET).