Morley was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. His father, Frank Morley, was a mathematics professor at Haverford College, his mother, Lilian Janet Bird, was a violinist who provided Christopher with much of his later love for literature and poetry."I warn you, " said the funny-looking little man with the red beard, "I?m here to sell this caravan of culture, and by the bones of Swinburne I think your brother's the man to buy it.