Isle of Lewis

Isle of Lewis

The Location of Dun Eistein and the Ancestral Homeland of the Clan Morrison

By Doug Criner and Sarah Morrison Criner

Map of Western Isles

Part of the Outer Hebrides, Lewis lies about 60 miles off the western coast of Scotland. Lewis is the northernmost yellow island.

Lewis is a sparsely populated island that is part of the United Kingdom. It is of particular interest to descendents of the Clan Morrison, which, legend has it, sprung up on Lewis in about the 13th Century when Norsemen were shipwrecked on the island's northern tip, the Butt of Lewis. Indeed, modern-day Stornoway, the island's largest town, is replete with business establishments and personages bearing the name "Morrison." Of course, many Morrisons left the island for the Scottish mainland and on to Ireland. The Morrison remnants now residing on Lewis, as far as I could tell, do not display the usual, telltale signs of inbreeding--big ears, bad teeth, and exaggerated, Dickens-character facial features. (That was a joke. Sorry.)

The most historic place for the Clan Morrison is Dun Eistein (sometimes spelled "Dun Eistaen"), Gaelic for "Hugh's Castle," a stronghold and small fort which, legend has it, the Morrisons established on a tiny island, or rocky stack, just off the northern tip of Lewis. ("Hugh" was an early given name used by the Morrison Clan, and even today, "Hugh Morrison" is a common name, including Sarah's father, brother, and nephew.)

Although Lewis is a relatively small island, finding Dun Eistein is not easy. Many Morrison descendents seeking Dun Eistein on their own may suppose it to be the rocky, windswept point at the very tip of Lewis, where a lighthouse is now. While this may (or may not) be the place where the shipwrecked Norsemen came ashore, supposedly clinging to a piece of driftwood, it is not the location of Dun Eistein. Dun Eistein is located several miles east of the lighthouse, and is inaccessible by public road. Only recently has a steel pedestrian bridge been erected over the deep, rocky chasm separating the Lewis mainland from Dun Eistein.

During a visit to Lewis in September 2003, we were able to find Dun Eistein with the help of a local, Donald Morrison, and our taxi driver, Jim Black.

As it turns out, Dun Eistein can be reached only by trekking a mile or so through a farmer's pasture. The visit is well worth it for the spectacular view and scenery alone, plus the historical interest to persons interested in the Morrison heritage.

We spent but one full day in Lewis, arriving in Stornoway via a small cruise ship, M/S Song of Flower (alas, since sold and out of service). The usual trip to Lewis would be via ferry from the Scottish mainland. After spending the morning walking around Stornoway, an interesting harbor town with a small museum, we spent about 5½ hours on the car trip to Dun Eistein and intermediate sites in the countryside. Although essentially treeless except in town, Lewis is picturesque, with much of the countryside given to raising sheep.

Attached to the south of Lewis, but with its own name, is the Isle of Harris, the original source of Harris tweeds, those baggy, indestructible sport coats with leather elbow patches popularized by stereotypical college professors. We did not have time to visit Harris. I have been told by a Mr. Kiah Harris that the Isle of Harris is not the unique ancestral homeland of people named Harris, but instead the name "Harris" refers to crofters (farmers) who made their living in Scotland, the Hebrides, etc.

Information provided on the pages linked to the left will enable future visitors to Lewis to retrace our steps and perhaps go beyond.

Reference Websites

North American sections of Clan Morrison: http://www.clanmorrison.net/ http://www.clanmorrison.org/

Dun Eistein bridge: http://www.rootshebrides.com/morrison/

Archeological studies of Dun Eistein by Glasgow University: http://www.guard.arts.gla.ac.uk/ (Drill down under "Projects" to find reports of two field studies.)

It would appear, from a cursory web search, American Morrisons are more captivated by their ancestry and heritage than their Scottish cousins. Perhaps we Americans are anxious to believe that we really do have legitimate roots and pedigrees rather than being just crass cross-breeds. However, this purpose may be undermined by the early Morrisons' reputation for rustling of livestock.

Photo 1 - Callanish Standing Stones. This prehistoric arrangement is somewhat akin to Stonehenge, although Callanish actually has more stones (32, arranged in a circular and avenue design). Unlike Stonehenge, which is overrun with tourists and has limited access to the stones, Callanish is somewhat desolate, although it does have a small visitors' center. Callanish is thought to date from about 3000 B.C. There are other, similar stone constructions on Lewis.

Photo 1 - Dun Carloway Broch. A Broch is sort of a combination house and fortress. There is a very small visitors' center that tells the story of members of the Clan Morrison being smoked out of this broch by their adversaries, the Clan MacAulay who accused the Morrisons of rustling. The far side of this broch is open and one may appreciate the scale and construction.

Photo 3 - Black House. This is the only surviving example of the type of house used by crofters (farmers) until only 50 years ago. It is constructed on thick, stone walls and a thatched roof. A peat fire burns continuously inside the house, without which the roof would soon deteriorate.

Photo 4 - Black House interior with peat fire.

Photo 5 - Donald Morrison (left) and Sarah Morrison Criner inside the Black House. Mr. Morrison, a guide and curator at the Black House, can provide detailed directions for visiting Dun Eistein.

Photo 1 - View, looking essentially north from the upper-loop hard road, toward the rough gravel road leading through a pasture to Dun Eistein. Note the small, easy-to-miss, white sign labeled "Dun Eistein." Laundry is hanging out to dry at the very left in the photo, just above the horizon. A farmhouse is directly to the left, outside of this photo.

Photo 2 - Taken from near the end of the gravel farm road, approaching Dun Eistein, looking northeast. The Atlantic Ocean is visible in the background. The green pedestrian bridge over the chasm is the small rectangular shape in the center, just below the horizon. A small pile of rocks on Dun Eistein is just barely visible toward the right, just above the horizon.

Photo 3 - The deep, sheer chasm separating Dun Eistein (to the left) from the Lewis mainland (to the right). Viewed from the east side of the pedestrian bridge. The depth of the chasm is estimated to be about 100 ft. Before the recently built bridge, access to Dun Eistein would have required rock climbing and, depending upon tidal conditions, hopping across the water at the bottom. The isolation would have made Dun Eistein a strong defensive position.

Photo 4 - The top of Dun Eistein comprises a small meadow, perhaps just few acres. This pile of rocks, presumably assembled in recent times from the remains of "Hugh's Castle" (probably not a real castle, just a small stronghold or fortress), is the only visible indication of Dun Eistein's legendary occupation by the Clan Morrison. There are no other plaques or monuments at the site.

Photo 5 - The pedestrian bridge, erected several years ago by the Clan Morrison, looking back from Dun Eistein toward the Lewis mainland. The depth and ruggedness of the chasm spanned by the bridge cannot be appreciated until one is at the precipice on the bridge. Our taxi is parked on the mainland side. The small, square object visible on the horizon, to the left of the bridge, is the water tower that is a useful landmark in finding the gravel road leading to Dun Eistein. The pasture in the background was being used for cattle and sheep.