 By the early 1890s , Morris was increasingly ill and living largely as an invalid ; aside from his gout , he also exhibited signs of epilepsy . In August 1891 , he took his daughter Jenny on a tour of Northern France to visit the Medieval churches and cathedrals . Back in England , he spent an increasing amount of time at Kelmscott Manor . Seeking treatment from the prominent doctor William Broadbent , he was prescribed a holiday in the coastal town of Folkestone . In December 1894 he was devastated upon learning of his mother 's death ; she had been 90 years old . In July 1896 , he went on a cruise to Norway with construction engineer John Carruthers , during which he visited Vadsö and Trondheim ; during the trip his physical condition deteriorated and he began experiencing hallucinations . Returning to Kelmscott House , he became a complete invalid , being visited by friends and family , before dying of tuberculosis on the morning of 4 October 1896 . Obituaries appearing throughout the national press reflected that , at the time , Morris was widely recognised primarily as a poet . Mainstream press obituaries trivialised or dismissed his involvement in socialism , although the socialist press focused largely on this aspect of his career . His funeral was held on 6 October , during which his corpse was carried from Hammersmith to Paddington rail station , where it was transported to Oxford , and from there to Kelmscott , where it was buried in the churchyard of St. George 's Church . 
