Son of Albert Morton and Mary Sophia Morland, who were married in 1883. A.P. Morton’s father died at the young age of 32. A.P. Morton attended the British School and then St. Bartholomew’s School, but he left school aged 14 and went out to work soon undertaking an apprenticeship at Griffin’s butchers. Aged 21 with the help of a friend he set up his own Pork Butcher’s Shop , settling at 17 Market Place where he traded for 44 years until he sold the shop in 1950 to Reading Co-operative Society.

He played an active role in town life. He was a Town Councillor in 1926 for one term and then later rejoined the council in 1945. In 1953 he raised the issue of the lack of pavements on the west side of Newtown Road. He was also treasurer of the Newbury Relief Fund , on the committee of the London Trustee Savings Bank and the Speen Hostel house committee. No-one seems to remember the latter organisation.

He was very involved with Newbury Baptist Church, instrumental with the move from Northbrook Street to St Mary’s Hill and enabling with great generosity the building of the Brigades’ hall (now called the Morton Hall). In later life he was honoured as a Deacon Emeritus of the church.

He built a ‘villa’, now 25 Priory Road , and later 30, Priory Road as a retirement home for himself and his wife Evelyn Emily Morton, who pre-deceased him in 1966, aged 81.

Further reading

Brazier, D.H. (2003) A History of the Newbury Baptists

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