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 FAMILY OF PHABBAY Clan Crest © Art Pewter Silver Ltd, East Kilbride, Scotland |
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There are three origins for the Morrison clan. Two from the Hebrides and one from Mainland Scotland but all spelt the same. The mainland branch from Aberdeenshire took their name from a chief Maurice, after earlier being known as MacGilmore. There does not seem to be any connection between this branch and the clan from the Hebrides.
The Morrison clan claims descent from Olaf the Black, who was one of the Kings of the Isle of Man. One of the two branches of the Hebridean clan are thought to hail from Donegal, to the O’Muircheasain bards. The other took their Gaelic name from Mac Ghille Mhuire, which translates as ‘Son of the Virgin Mary’s servant’; according to tradition he was washed ashore after being shipwrecked. The clan badge shows driftwood to commemorate this incident. The clan were powerful and influential for a time due to their alliance with the Macdonalds but the clan also held the heredity office of judge on the Island of Lewis. They were not powerful in numbers however and struggled to keep the peace with their more aggressive neighbours during a period of unrest in the isles. However the power of the Morrisons declined after it became known that one of the Morrisons was in fact father of Torquil Macleod, the son of the clan chief. Torquil was disinherited by his father and took against the Macleod clan with the Mackenzies and Morrisons. However, after his victory he then turned on the Morrison clan and drove them off their land. John Morrison, one of the Harris Morrisons was a celebrated poet of the 19th century.The current chiefs, the Morrisons of Ruchdi, descend from the family of Pabbay, which is a small island in the Sound of Harris, between Harris and Uist. Branches of the clan became settled over time in Harris, Skye, the Northwest mainland and Aberdeenshire. |