John Morton lived until he was 80. In a period of history when the lives of the leaders of society could be short and death brutal he was a survivor. From time to time he allied himself with each side in the War of the Roses although mainly a Lancastrian. He studied at Baliol College, Oxford and in 1446 he appears as one of the vice-chancellors (commissaries) there. He took holy orders and practised law at the Court of the Arches (an ecclesiastical court for the province of Canterbury) in London. His patron, Cardinal Bourchier, obtained preferment for him and he became a privy councillor, Chancellor of the Duchy of Cornwall, master in Chancery, subdeacon of Lincoln (1450), Principal of Peckwater Inn, Oxford (1453), and prebendary of Salisbury and Lincoln (1458). The holding of many ecclesiastical "livings" was a typical way at this time to pay those clerics who took a leading role in the administration of England. It was quite typical for the holder of a "living" never to visit the parish/province and to appoint another cleric as a deputy, at a much lower salary, to do the day to day work.

During the Civil War he joined the Lancastrians, was attainted by the Yorkists and lost all his offices. During the reign of Edward IVhis attainder was reversed on his submission to the King. He was made Master of the Rolls (16 March 1472-3), Archdeacon of Winchester and Chester (1474), and was elected Bishop of Ely on 31 Jan. 1478-9. During the reign of Richard III he was imprisoned but managed to escape to Flanders. Here he played a part in suggesting to Margaret Beaufort that her son Henry should marry Elizabeth of York ,daughter of Edward IV and thus end the War of the Roses. Returning to England when Henry VII became king in 1485 he regained all of his lost status and more. He was much trusted by the king and was, after the King the most powerful person in the government. He was elected Archbishop of Canterbury, 8 Oct. 1486, and in March 1486-7 became Lord Chancellor of England. He was notorious for his ability to raise revenue for the Crown and is famous for "Morton's Fork" (see below). In 1493 Pope Alexander VI created him Cardinal of St. Anastasia. He was made Chancellor of Oxford in 1495. It is possible that he was the author of the "History of Richard III", usually ascribed to Thomas More, who as a boy was a page in his household and who subsequently translated it into English.

What is Morton's Fork?
As Chancellor, John Morton had the job of raising money for Henry VII. To do this he developed the strategy known as Morton's Fork from which there was no escape (in those days in England, forks were not used for eating but were an agricultural implement with two prongs, i.e. pitchfork). He said "If the subject is seen to live frugally, tell him because he is clearly a money saver of great ability he can afford to give generously to the King. If, however, the subject lives a life of great extravagance tell him, he too can afford to give largely, the proof of his opulence being evident in his expenditure."