The 'Morrison' Clan History

Chapter 2
The 'Morrison' Clan History
From Web-site;-
Clan/Family Histories
- Morrison
There are a number of different origins of this Scottish name which is currently the 21st most common surname in Scotland. Firstly, "Maurice" was an early Christian saint (the name came from "Moorish" or swarthy) and was also common in England. It became frequent in Aberdeenshire from the 14th century, possibly from a Maurice from Normandy. In 1591 the hangman in Dundee was named Michael Morris and in 1635 Alexander Morrison obtained the lands of Bognie.
Meanwhile, in the southern Inner Hebrides, mainly Mull, descendants of the O'Muirgheasains from Ireland became established. Ghille Mhuire (servant of the Virgin Mary) survived a shipwreck and has been claimed to be a natural son of King Olav and thus a half brother of Leod, the founder of the Macleod</> clan. Others dismiss this claim and believe that the clan were Gaelic/Irish in origin. Ghille Mhuire married the heiress of the Gows</> and became established in the sound of Harris. The Lords of the Isles appointed a family of Morrisons to hold the position of Brieveship, a kind of hereditary guardian and interpreter of the old Brehon Laws, in the Butt of Lewis (Dun Eistein) on a hereditary basis.
The Morrisons, as they became, were not numerous and tried to live at peace with their more powerful neighbours but nevertheless sometimes became embroiled in fueds with the Macauleys and Macleods and were eventually driven from their lands in the 16th century. In the 20th century the chieftainship was vested in the Morrisons of Ruchdi.
The Morrison tartan is similar to that of their erstwhile neighbours the Mackays</>, but with a red line through it.
The motto of the Morrisons is "Teaghlach Phabbay" ("Pabbay Family" - Pabbay is a small island at the north end of the Sound of Harris, now uninhabited).
From Web-site;-
History
There are three distinct origins of the name Morrison - two Hebridean and one mainland derivation that have all come to be spelt the same way. The Aberdeenshire branch were originally 'sons of Maurice' and seem to have no connection with the Hebridean clan.
In the Hebrides, one branch of the clan claims its descent from the O'Muircheasain bards of Donegal, while the gaelic name 'Mac Ghille Mhuire' gives the origin of the other. Mac Ghille Mhuire translates as 'son of the virgin Mary's servant' who was, according to tradition, washed ashore after a shipwreck. The clan badge of driftwood commemorates this incident.
The Morrison clan claim their descent can be traced to Olaf the Black, King of Man.
For many years, the Morrison chiefs held the hereditary celtic office of judge or "brieve" on the island of Lewis. This, together with their links with the Lords of the Isles, made them a family of great power and influence. However, they were not a numerous clan and tried to maintain the peace with their more aggressive neighbours throughout almost two centuries of unrest in the Isles.
The power of the Morrison clan was broken in the sixteenth century when Hutcheon Morrison confessed on his deathbed to being the natural father of Torquil MacLeod, until then accepted as the son of the MacLeod chief.Torquil was disinherited and allied himself with the MacKenzies and the Morrisons. However, after Torquil's ultimate victory over the MacLeods, he turned on his allies the Morrisons, and drove them from their lands.
The Morrison clan later returned to settle in Ness, but their earlier power had gone forever.