William Richard Morfill was born in 1834 in Maidstone to a musician family with Huguenot roots. He was educated at the local grammar school, then at Tonbridge School, and entered Corpus Christi College at Oxford University. Later, he transferred to Oriel College, winning a classical scholarship. Although he had the opportunity for classical moderation, his ambitions to become a classics teacher were thwarted by health issues, and he graduated without honors. Remaining in Oxford, Morfill worked as a private tutor and married Charlotte Maria Lee in 1860.

Morfill's interest in Slavic languages arose from a gifted Russian grammar from one of his school teachers. At that time, these languages were not part of the university curriculum, so he studied them independently, traveling through Russia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Georgia, and other countries. Morfill compiled dictionaries and wrote books on grammar, political, and cultural history. His home at 4 Clarendon Villas, now 42 Park Town, became an unofficial faculty and cultural center for scholars, where he held academic meetings on Sundays.

In 1873 and 1883, Morfill was invited to give lectures in Ilchester, and in 1889, Oxford University recognized his contributions by appointing him as an expert in the Russian language. In 1900, at the age of 66, he became the first professor of Russian and Slavic languages in British universities. In 1903, Morfill was elected a member of the British Academy, and in 1908 he received an honorary doctorate from Charles University in Prague. In 1904, Russian became a subject at Oxford. Through his initiative and perseverance, Morfill became a pioneer in Slavic studies.

Professor Morfill passed away on November 9, 1909, and was buried at the Cemetery of the Holy Sepulchre alongside his wife, who died in 1881.

The memorial plaque was installed on November 1, 2009, at the house located at 42 Park Town, Oxford, by Dr. Gerald Stone, an honorary fellow of Hertford College and a former lecturer in Slavic languages. The ceremony was attended by Morfill's great-great-nephews, Richard Morfill Parker and Michael Hanks.