He was born 1539, the eldest son of William Morice of Chipping Ongar by Anne Isaac of Kent, and educated at the Middle Temple.^[1] His mother was Mother of the Maids in the household of Elizabeth I from January 1559 until 1560/1.^[2]

He was chosen as the Member of Parliament for Wareham in 1563. Later he was elected to serve for Colchester, Essex, for the parliaments of 1584, 1586, 1589, and 1593.^[1]

He married Elizabeth, the daughter of George Medley of Tilty Abbey in Essex, and a first cousin of Lady Jane Grey; they had four sons, including his heir John, and three daughters.^[1]

• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Morice, James (1539–1597), lawyer by Christopher W. Brooks.
• History of Parliament MORICE, James (1539-97), of Chipping Ongar, Essex