Clan Morrison

Clan Morrison
MacGhille Mhoire
Motto	Teaghlach Phabbay (Pabbay family)
Profile
Region	Scottish Lowlands and Scottish Highlands
District	Aberdeenshire (mainland Morrisons) Outer Hebrides (Morrisons of Harris and Lewis)
Plant badge	Driftweed
Chief
Ian Morrison
of Ruchdi
Historic seat	Bognie Castle (mainland Morrisons) Dùn Èistean (Morrisons of Lewis)
Septs of Clan Morrison Breive, Brieve, Gillamor, Gillemoire, Gillemor, Gillemore, Gillemur, Gillemure, Gilmer, Gilmoir, Gilmor, Gilmore, Gilmour, Gilmoure, Gilmur, Gilmure, Gylmor, MacBreive, MacBrieve, MacGilmor, McLemore, MacIllimhier, Morison, Morrieson, Morrison, Murieson, Murison, Murrison.
Allied clans Clan Mackenzie Clan Mackay
Rival clans Macaulay family of Lewis Clan MacLeod of Lewis

Clan Morrison is a Scottish clan. There are numerous Scottish clans, both Highland and Lowland, which use the surname Morison or Morrison. In 1965, the Lord Lyon King of Arms decided to recognise one man as chief of all Morrisons, whether their clans were related or not.

The surname Morrison is derived from the patronymic form of the personal name Morris. This personal name is a variant of Maurice, and was quite popular in the Middle Ages. The mainland Morrisons descend from a Norman named Maurice. The senior line of the mainland Morrisons were the Morrisons of Bognie Castle in Aberdeenshire. Many of the mainland and lowland Morrisons derived their name this way. The Morrisons of Perth and Lennox derive their surname in this way.

Within the north-east of Scotland, the Morisons of Bognie, in Aberdeenshire, are the principal 'Morrison' family. They are thought to be unrelated to the west coast (and Hebridean) Morrisons. The first laird of Bognie was Alexander, whose son married Christian Urquhart, Viscountess Frendraught. The current representative of the family is Alexander Gordon Morison of Bogie, 13th Baron of Bognie. Until the last century, this family was the principal armigerous 'Morrison' family. The family first gained the Bognie estate in the first part of the 17th century.

The coats of arms of the Morisons of Dersay (or Darcie), in Fife; and the Morisons of Bognie; and the Morisons of Prestongrange utilise Moor's heads. This is a pun on the surname; an example of canting arms. According to the 19th-century historian William C. Mackenzie, it is uncertain whether or not these Morisons have any connection with the Lewis Morisons. Mackenzie noted that in the beginning of the 17th century, a son of the laird of Darcie went to Lewis to negotiate for the release of the Fife adventurers who had been held hostage.