James Irving "Jigger" Morehouse (6 April 1864 – 2 November 1914) was an Australian rules footballer who played with VFA clubs Prahran, St Kilda, Richmond and Carlton. He then moved to Western Australia and played with the Fremantle club from 1894-97. Upon his return to Victoria he joined St Kilda in the newly established Victorian Football League (VFL).In the press of the day, Morehouse's family name is often mistakenly given as "Moorhouse"; also, given that players were commonly only identified by their family names, care must be taken when reading press reports of his time at Prahran and at Carlton to distinguish Jim Morehouse (e.g., Blueseum profile) from his brother Artie (e.g., Blueseum profile). Morehouse was commonly known by the nickname 'Jigger'.
Family The son of William Morehouse (1829–1904),Deaths: Morehouse, The Argus, (Thursday, 29 December 1904), p.1. and Harriet Morehouse (1830–1897), née Merrick,Deaths: Morehouse, The Age, (Monday, 5 July 1897), p.1. James Irving Morehouse was born in Melbourne on 6 April 1864.
James Irvine "Jigger" Morehouse along with his brother Arthur William "Artie" Morehouse lived in Moss Street, Prahran. In 1885 the pair played football with Hawksburn; James was elected to the club committee.
Football Morehouse played for Hawksburn in 1885 and at the club's 6th Annual Meeting was elected to the committee. On 20 March 1886, members of Hawksburn, South Yarra and Southern Cross Football Clubs held a meeting at Prahran Court House and formed the Prahran Football Club with the view to apply for membership of the senior footballing body, the Victorian Football Association. James and his brother Arthur joined the new club and played the 1886 and 1887 seasons. When Prahran was absorbed by St Kilda after the 1887 season, the brothers became St Kilda players. In 1890 the brothers played with Richmond and then the following year they joined Carlton.
Before moving to Carlton in the VFA, Morehouse played for several years with Prahran—as did his brother, Arthur William Morehouse (1866–1931),Deaths: Morehouse, The Age, (Saturday, 3 October 1931), p.5. who, in addition to playing with Prahran in 1886 and 1887, also played with St Kilda (1888-1889), Richmond (1890), and Carlton (1891) in the VFA.Richmond Football Club: VFA Players, tigerlandarchive.org.
Death He died of pleurisy at the Wagga Wagga Hospital on 2 November 1914.Obituary: Mr. James Morehouse, The (Wagga Wagga) Daily Advertiser, (Wednesday, 4 November 1914), p.2.; Mr. James Morehouse, The Wagga Wagga Express, (Thursday, 5 November 1914), p.2.Deaths: Morehouse, The Age, (Saturday, 7 November 1914), p.5: note that his middle name is mistakenly given as "Erving", rather than "Irving".
References
External links
Blueseum: James "Jigger" Morehouse