The Making of a Scottish Chief
Shakes and the Morrisons of Ruchdi
Published on 6. April 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
140 pages
978-1-958407-43-1 (ISBN)
Description
Is every Scottish name a clan-and who decides?How does one become a clan chief?What is the role of a clan chief today? Author Andrew Morrison-the current Viscount Dunrossil-is well-qualified to answer these and other questions about the history of Scottish clans and chiefs throughout the world. He is the Vice Convenor (vice chairman) of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs, and serves on the Advisory Board of the Council of Scottish Clans and Associations in the USA.Dunrossil reveals how his own clan, the Morrisons, found a chief again after a gap of some 350 years-as his grandfather was preparing to retire from his role as Speaker in the British Parliament.Scotland may be a small country, yet fifty million people around the world claim Scottish descent-more than 30 million of them in North America.The Making of a Scottish Chief is a must-have for anyone with even a hint of Scotland in their ancestry-it is insightful, informative and laced with wonderful anecdotes reflecting a rich and fascinating history.
More details
Person
Andrew Morrison, the 3rd Viscount Dunrossil, was born in London in 1953 and lived in Speaker's House in the Palace of Westminster with his parents as a baby and from 1956-8. After spending most of his early years in Australia, Bangladesh and South Africa, he attended Eton and Oxford, where he studied the Classics. He moved to the US in 1981, working for a British bank, and has lived in San Antonio, Texas, since 1989.Andrew is a former Chairman of the American Financial Services Association. He is currently Vice Chairman (vice convenor) of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs, and a former Chairman of the Society of Scottish Armigers, whose President is the Lord Lyon. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Council of Scottish Clans and Associations and is a Director and Patron of Scottish Heritage USA. In addition, he is an Honorary Patron of the American-Scottish Foundation. He has been an honored guest and keynote speaker at various Scottish Games, Tartan Day ceremonies and festivals in the US and Canada, as well as for the Scottish North American Community Council, and was the 2024 recipient of the National Tartan Day Award in the United States. He is a Chieftain of Clan Morrison.In 2024 he was appointed by the Scottish Government to its Scottish Connections Advisory Panel. In addition, he has spent over 20 years as the Honorary Consul for the UK in San Antonio, in which capacity his most recent task was to organize a virtual Tour of Scotland through its whiskies for the World Affairs Council.