Laurence Oliphant, 1st Lord Oliphant

Laurence Oliphant, 1st Lord Oliphant (c. 1434 – 1498) was a Scottish peer.^[1][2][3]

Origins of the Title

Laurence Oliphant was first styled as Lord Oliphant in July 1455, one month after he came of age. There are mentions of Lords Oliphant some 50 to 60 years before. There is reference in the Great Seal of Scotland (Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum) to John Oliphant, brother germain to Lord Oliphant, on 2 February 1394-5.^[4] It was recorded by the monks of Pluscarden that in 1408, two brothers of Lord Oliphant,^[5] William and Arthur, had assisted in the murder of Sir Patrick Graham, Earl of Strathearn. These two brothers were hung, drawn and quartered.^[6] Walter Bower, the continuator of John of Fordun's chronicling is also said to have made reference to the same incident circa 1408.^[7]

There is no further mention of Lords Oliphant for over forty five years until Laurence (his father died young in a feud between the Ogilvies and the Lindsays at Arbroath and Laurence's grandfather spent most of his adult life (twenty years) imprisoned in England, mainly in the Tower of London). Laurence's grandfather either died in captivity or within a year of his release.^[8] Thus, if the peerage did date from the earlier period, then these two antecedents (Laurence's father and grandfather) had little opportunity to use the title. By 1400 only five Lordships had ever been created in Scotland, the last of these was in 1398. Either the references to Lords Oliphant in 1394-5 and in 1408 were errors, or the institution of Lords in Scotland was so rare that they were not properly regularised. In the following century (between 1429 and 1500) at least forty six Lordships were known to have been created and it is in this period that the Lordship of Oliphant is first recognised. It is worth noting that at the time of the earlier dates (1394 and 1408), the senior line of Oliphants were nephews of King David II of Scotland (who describes the mother of these Oliphants as "beloved sister" in numerous charters) and first cousins of King Robert II of Scotland. That the Oliphants should be made Lords at this early date (if indeed they were) would not be so surprising. It would be more surprising if the Great Seal of Scotland (which is regularly cited as evidence in court cases) was wrong.

On 10 March 1640 King Charles 1 referred to the Oliphant honours as "the designation of Oliphant, Aberdalgie and Dupplin".^[9] In other words, by 1640, the full name of the title is Lord Oliphant, Aberdalgie and Dupplin. Whether this was regarded as one title or three separate titles is not yet known.

Early life

Laurence Oliphant was the eldest son and heir of Sir John Oliphant of Aberdalgie and Isobel, daughter of Sir Walter Ogilvie of Auchterhouse, Hereditary Sheriff of Angus. Born around 1438, his father was killed fighting in a feud between his Ogilvie brother-in-law and the Lindsays on 23 January 1445 when Laurence was seven or eight years old. He had brothers James Oliphant, 1st of Ardchailzie; John Oliphant and sisters Christian who married Alexander Blair of Balthayock; Elizabeth married James Herring of Tullibole and Lethendy and Margaret who married Sir Henry Wardlaw of Torrie.^[3] In 1450, King James II granted "the ward and marriage" of Laurence to Sir David Hay of Yester.^[8]

References