Sir Terence Charles Stuart Morrison-Scott (24 October 1908 – 25 November 1991) was a British

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and d ...

who was Director of the

Science Museum A science museum is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in ...

and the

British Museum (Natural History) The Natural History Museum in London is a museum that exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history. It is one of three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the others being the Science Museum an ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

.Cranbrook
Scott, Sir Terence Charles Stuart Morrison– (1908–1991)
''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

''.

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, September2004. Morrison-Scott was born in Paris and educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

, Christ Church, Oxford, and the

Royal College of Science The Royal College of Science was a higher education institution located in South Kensington; it was a constituent college of Imperial College London from 1907 until it was wholly absorbed by Imperial in 2002. Still to this day, graduates from th ...

. He rowed at Eton and

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, winning the Silver Sculls at Oxford. He graduated from the RCS in 1935 with a

first class degree The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variati ...

and then worked briefly as an assistant master at Eton (1935–36). Morrison-Scott was appointed as an Assistant Keeper (2nd class) in Department of Zoology at the British Museum (Natural History) on 1 October 1936.

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Archive Catalogue,

Natural History Museum A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more. ...

, London, UK. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he was a member of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and commanded a flotilla of tank landing craft during D-Day in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, earning the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

(DCS). He was promoted to Assistant Keeper (1st class) in 1943. He became the Head of the Mammal Section in 1945 and Principal Scientific Officer in 1948. From 1956–1960, he was Director of the Science Museum. Then from 1960 he was Director of the British Museum (Natural History) until his retirement on 30 November 1968. He was Honorary Treasurer of the

Zoological Society of London The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained the London Zoo, and since 1931 Whipsnade Park. History On 29 ...

(1950–76). He was a Trustee of the Imperial War Museum (1956–60), He was a governor of the

Imperial College of Science and Technology Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

(1956–72) and was elected a Fellow in 1963. He was a Council member of the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

(1968–83) and a member of the Standing Commission on Museums and Galleries (1973–76). He was a Fellow of the Museums Association and was knighted for his services.

Marriage

Terence Morrison-Scott married Rita Layton in 1935. Lady Morrison-Scott died at age 103 in 2008.Obituary for Rita, Lady Morrison-Scott
legacy.com. Accessed 13 July 2022.

Publications

''Checklist of Palaearctic and Indian mammals'' 1758 to 1946
/ by J.R. Ellerman and T.C.S. Morrison-Scott. London: BM (NH), 1951.
''Checklist of Palaearctic and Indian mammals'' 1758 to 1946
/ by J.R. Ellerman and T.C.S. Morrison-Scott. London: BM (NH), 1966. * ''A list of British mammals'' yT.C.S. Morrison-Scott Published London, Printed by order of the trustees of the British Museum, 1952. * ''Southern African mammals'', 1758–1951: a reclassification, by J. R. Ellerman, T. C. S. Morrison-Scott, and R. W. Hayman, 1909–1973 Published London: Printed by order of the trustees of the British Museum, 1953.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrison-Scott, Terence 1908 births 1991 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Alumni of Imperial College London English male rowers 20th-century British zoologists Directors of the Science Museum, London Directors of the Natural History Museum, London People associated with Imperial College London Knights Bachelor Fellows of the Museums Association British expatriates in France