.......the second son of Morley wool merchant Joseph Dixon Asquith and Emily (nee Willans), was born at Croft House, Morley on 12 th September 1852 and educated at the Moravian boarding school at Fulneck. He then proceeded to the City of London School and won an open scholarship for classics at Oxford. Called to the bar in 1876 he quickly secured a steady practice but then entered politics and was elected Liberal M.P. for East Fife in 1886, a seat he held until 1924. He was appointed Home Secretary by Mr. Gladstone and then he held the office of Chancellor of the Exchequer in Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman’s administration, becoming Prime Minister himself from 1908 to 1916, through the difficult war years.

The Right Honorable H.H. Asquith Q.C., M.P. visited Morley to officially open the Town Hall on Wednesday 16 th October 1895 and he returned to his home town on Thursday 24 th July 1913 when he accepted the Honour of the Freedom of the Borough of Morley.

The Right Honourable the Earl of Oxford and Asquith K.G. died on 15 th February 1928 and on the following Monday a memorial service was held at Morley’s Rehoboth Congregational Church, the service being timed to begin simultaneously with the Earl’s burial at Sutton Courtney.

The Asquiths were ardent Congregationalists and their social life revolved around the Rehoboth Chapel on Dawson Hill. The Chapel has now gone but the overgrown churchyard is still there containing the Asquith family grave.

Messrs Ainley and Asquith shared common ground in that they each had the name Henry, they had the same initials H.H.A., they both appreciated the good life including a fondness for good wine and, of course they came from Morley.