Sir William Oliphant (died 1329) was a Scottish Knight and leader during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
William fought at the Battle of Dunbar in 1296, where the Scots, under their king John Balliol, were defeated by the invading English. Following the battle he was captured and taken to Devizes in England where he was imprisoned. He was eventually released, and returned to Scotland where he was appointed to the position of Constable of Stirling Castle. Sir William led the 30-strong garrison which defended Stirling Castle during the siege of 1304, when the castle was attacked by the forces of Edward I of England. He and his garrison eventually surrendered to the English. He was captured once again, this time being imprisoned in the Tower of London.
He was once again released, and was appointed Governor of Perth by Edward II of England. Perth was subsequently captured by King Robert the Bruce and Sir William was exiled to the Western Isles. By 1313 he had returned, and served under Bruce in the ongoing Wars of Independence. He was subsequently rewarded with lands at Gallery and also Newtyle in Angus, and Gask in Perthshire. He was also given the lands of Muirhouse near Edinburgh in compensation for lands taken by John Balliol in Kincardineshire.
Sir William Oliphant was one of the signatories to the Declaration of Arbroath on 6th April, 1320 and his seal is still visible.
Sir William's tomb is in Aberdalgie Churchyard, in Perthshire, within the site of the original church.[1] The effigy of Sir William, covering the tomb was moved into the present church in 1907. It is made from "Tournai marble" (named after its place of origin, Tournai in Belgium). It is the finest example of its kind in Scotland. The design of the armour on the effigy of Sir William is said to date from circa 1365, some 36 years after his death. That his heir waited so long to have the effigy commissioned is curious. Sir William's son Sir Walter Oliphant of Aberdalgie married Elizabeth, the youngest daughter of King Robert the Bruce. It is the belief in the family that the tomb had been embellished by Sir William's son to house the remains of his own royal wife, Elizabeth. Their descendent was created Lord Oliphant in 1455.