Origins of the clan Although this remains the subject of ongoing research, the earliest member of this Clan known to date is Roger Olifard, who witnessed a foundation charter to the Clunic priory of St. Andrew's, Northampton, by
Earl Simon. The Charter was dated between 1093 and 1100 and Roger himself made a grant of 3 shillings yearly to this priory. One theory claims that Oliphants were of
French origin who by the twelfth century held lands around
Northamptonshire in
England. Also in the
Pipe Roll, 31 Hen. I is mention of a William Olifard of Northamptonshire as well as a Hugh Olifard of
Huntingdonshire. Maybe the
progenitor of the Olifard family was
"David Holyfard", godson of King
David I of Scotland and in 1141 his protector; who was also in possession of Lilford (Lilleford) in Northamptonshire, showing the Northamptonshire family connection to Scotland. David held the lands of
Crailing and
Smailholm, both in
Roxburghshire, and served as the
Justiciar of Lothian.
Wars of Scottish Independence The Oliphant name appears on the
Ragman Rolls of 1296 submitting to
Edward I of England. He was released and appointed Constable of
Stirling Castle. In 1304
Stirling was the final stronghold remaining in Scots hands. King
Edward I of England laid siege to the castle for three months before they surrendered. Sir William was again captured and sent to the
Tower of London. He was later released and appointed Governor of
Perth by King
Edward II of England. He returned to Scotland where he was second in command of Stirling Castle under his cousin, Sir William Oliphant. He was captured once again, this time being imprisoned at
Wallingford Castle. Sir William was released at least by 1313 and served the Bruce in the continued struggle to defeat the English. He was one of the signatories to the Declaration of Arbroath on 6 April 1320 and his seal is still visible. He was subsequently rewarded with land at Gallery in
Angus, Gask and
Newtyle both in
Perthshire. He was also given the lands of
Muirhouse near Edinburgh in compensation for lands taken by King
John de Balliol in
Kincardineshire. Sir Walter Oliphant, Lord of Aberdalgie and son of Sir William, married
Princess Elizabeth, the youngest daughter of King
Robert the Bruce. By 1364 Sir Walter held lands of Kellie and, those of Gask Aberdalgie and Dupplin in free barony. Sir John Oliphant, Lord of Aberdalgie, was son of Sir Walter and succeeded his father. He had a charter from King Robert II for all of his father's lands held from the crown on 10 December 1388. Sir John had four brothers: Firstly, Sir Walter, 1st of Kellie, to whom his father conveyed the lands of Kellie and Pitkeirrie, both in the sheriffdom of Fife, which was confirmed by Robert II. on 20 October 1379; Secondly, Malcolm Oliphant, who had a charter from his brother, Sir John Oliphant, for the lands of Hazelhead dated 13 January 1412 and as these lands reverted to the senior line in future years, it is evident that he either d. without issue or else any issue had extinguished; Thirdly, William Oliphant who, in spite of their being second cousin to the King, was executed with his younger brother Arthur at Perth in 1413/1414 for complicity in the murder of Patrick, Earl of Strathearn, in 1413; Fourthly, Arthur Oliphant.
15th century and clan conflicts Sir William Oliphant, Lord of Aberdalgie succeeded his father in 1417 and was sent to and retained in England as a hostage on the King's release on 28 March 1424. He was released in December 1425 but was dead by 12 August 1428. Sir John Oliphant, Lord of Aberdalgie succeeded his father by 12 August 1428 and was served heir to his grandfather, Sir John Oliphant, in the lands of Cranshaws in 1441. In 1445, Sir John Oliphant was killed at the
Battle of Arbroath, supporting the
Clan Ogilvy in a clan battle against the
Clan Lindsay. Sir Laurence Oliphant of Aberdalgie was Sir John's son who succeeded his father in 1445 and upon coming of age was created a Lord of Parliament in 1458 by
James II of Scotland. and his great-grandson was captured at the
Battle of Solway Moss in 1542.
17th century court case and civil war When the 5th Lord Oliphant died leaving a daughter but no son, the daughter's husband, a Douglas and brother of the Earl of Angus, claimed the Oliphant peerage in the female line. In court,
Charles I of England created a new title of Lord Mordington for the daughter and husband, with the precedency of Lord Oliphant and created a new Lord Oliphant title on the nearest male cousin, Patrick Oliphant. thus to all three creations of
Lord Oliphant including to those of the second creation of 2 June 1633, Lord Aberdalgy and Lord Duplin created before 1460, as well as to the subsequent
Jacobite peerage, created by Prince
Charles Edward Stuart on 14 July 1760 in Rome for
Laurence Oliphant.
Clan Chieftains These include: •
OLIPHANT OF BACHILTON, OLIPHANT OF CULTEUCHAR & OLIPHANT OF CARPOW: These three are "in process" of being claimed although David Olyphant of Bachilton is an armigerous "one feather" Chieftain of Bachilton. Bachilton is an early offshoot branch and is most closely linked to the Oliphants of Culteuchar, large landowners in Fife. •
OLIPHANT OF CONDIE: The Clan Chief is Chieftain also of Condie. Scions of this branch include a Rear-Admiral; his brother an Ambassador (
Sir Lancelot Oliphant author of "Ambassador in Bonds";) a Chairman of the
Honourable East India Company (
Lieutenant-Colonel James Oliphant) who was also appointed by Queen Victoria as equerry and guardian to
Maharajah Duleep Singh; a Chief Justice of Ceylon (
Sir Anthony Oliphant) who, when coffee rust hit that crop, first created and planted a tea estate in the highlands from tea bushes in his garden, which gave rise to the country's tea industry today; two Generals (
Sir Laurence James Oliphant); two Scottish MPs and
Thomas Oliphant (musician and artist) (1799–1873) who wrote the chorale for the wedding of Edward Albert, Prince of Wales, and Princess Alexandra of Denmark (later
Edward VII and his consort
Queen Alexandra), and also wrote his own interpretation as the first English words to the Christmas carol "Deck the Hall(s) with Boughs of Holly" amateur composer, long time Secretary, then President, of the
Madrigal Society and author, inter alia, of
A Brief Account of the Madrigal Society, from Its Institution in 1741, up to the Present Period (1835), and
La Musa Madrigalesca (1837). Other examples of his compositions appeared in the
English Hymnal. •
OLIPHANT OF ROSSIE: John Oliphant of Rossie is Chieftain of this branch which produced Robert Oliphant a
Postmaster General for Scotland 1764-1795 who appeared in
Charles Lees' renowned 1847 painting "The Golfers" and, more recently, the late
Betty Oliphant, co-founder of
Canada's National Ballet School; •
OLIPHANT OF GASK: Laurence Kington Blair Oliphant of Ardblair and Gask is Chieftain of the Gask branch and great-grandson of
Philip Oliphant Kington. This branch produced Scotland's greatest lady poet,
Carolina Oliphant, Lady Nairne. Later descendants through the female line, going by the name of Kington-Blair-Oliphant or Blair-Oliphant, include an Air Vice-Marshal and
Richard Blair-Oliphant and one other composer in film and television. Laurence's seat is at Ardblair Castle, a Clan Blair seat inherited by the Gask Oliphants by marriage to a Robertson of Struan. Ardblair contains not only the majority of the Gask Oliphant artifacts and portraits but also the Lords Oliphants' charters and known possessions, so remains hugely important to Clan Oliphant. With his surname including that of Blair, Laurence is also a Chieftain of that Clan, as BLAIR of ARDBLAIR and thereby is Chieftain of the nearby Blairgowrie Games; •
OLIPHANT OF KELLIE: This branch that owned
Kellie Castle for 250 years is currently without a chieftain but, produced
Margaret Oliphant, the author. • OLIPHANT OF TATE: This branch that had possession of Silver Castle for more than 150 years but has relocated to Rhode Island and has no notable members.
Other branches Other branches of Clan Oliphant exist but as of today they still await rightful claimants for their chieftainly arms and the right to wear one or two eagle's feathers. These have produced a US General, the renowned Australian scientist Sir
Mark Oliphant who was involved in the
Manhattan Project, his nephew the influential cartoonist,
Pat Oliphant and the
Globe journalist,
Thomas Oliphant. ==Tartan==