Laurence Oliphant, 4th Lord Oliphant (1529–1593) was a Scottish nobleman.

Early life

He was the eldest son of

Laurence Oliphant, 3rd Lord Oliphant Laurence Oliphant, 3rd Lord Oliphant (died 1566) was a Scottish nobleman. Life He was the son of Colin, Master of Oliphant (killed at the battle of Flodden in 1513), by Lady Elizabeth Keith, second daughter of William Keith, 3rd Earl Marischal. ...

and the former Margaret Sandilands. Among his sibling was Peter Oliphant (ancestor of the Oliphants of Langton), Catherine Oliphant (wife of Sir Alexander Oliphant of Kellie, and George Dundas of Dundas), Margaret Oliphant (wife of William Murray of Abercaimy, and James Clephane of Carslogie), Jean Oliphant (wife of William Moncreiffe of Moncreiffe), and Lilias Oliphant (wife of Robert Lundie of

Balgonie Balgonie is a town in southeast Saskatchewan. Situated at the intersection of Highways 10, 46, and the Trans-Canada Highway, the town is part of the White Butte region and neighbours Pilot Butte, White City, and McLean. As well, it is locat ...

). In 1543 he was sent to England as a hostage for his father. After the marriage of Mary Queen of Scots to Darnley, while Master of Oliphant, he sat as an extraordinary member of the privy council in August 1565. In 1565 certain persons accused of serious crimes took over his house of Berrydale, which they garrisoned and held; but on 13 April 1566 they were ordered by the council to give it up to him within 24 hours under pain of being treated as rebels, i.e. being hang, drawn and quartered upon capture. He succeeded his father on 26 March of the same year, and was served heir on 2 May.

Career

Oliphant sat on the assize for the trial of

James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell James Hepburn, 1st Duke of Orkney and 4th Earl of Bothwell ( – 14 April 1578), better known simply as Lord Bothwell, was a prominent Scottish nobleman. He was known for his marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots, as her third and final husband ...

for the murder of Darnley, signed the

Ainslie Tavern Bond The Ainslie Tavern Bond (also known as the "Ainslie Band", or the "Ainslie Tavern Band") was a document signed on about 20 April 1567 by a number of Scottish bishops and nobles. The bond approved the James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, Earl of ...

for Bothwell's marriage to the queen, and was one of the nine temporal lords present at the marriage. At the same time as John Hamilton he was admitted a member of the privy council. He joined the association on behalf of Mary at Hamilton on 8 May 1568, and fought for her at the battle of Langside. On this account he was charged to appear before the regent and lords of the privy council, and, failing to do so, was on 2 August 1568 denounced a rebel and

put to the horn Letters of horning ''(Scots law)'': a document (i.e., letters) issued by civil authorities that publicly denounce a person as an outlaw. The document was issued against persons who had not paid their debts. Historically, the documents would be a ...

; but on 5 April 1569 he signed a "band for the king", and on 16 June again appeared as a member of the privy council. Oliphant was one of sixteen persons appointed by Queen Mary, at Bolton Castle on 6 March 1569 to act as advisers, with the

Duke of Châtellerault Duke of Châtellerault (french: duc de Châtellerault) is a French noble title that has been created several times, originally in the Peerage of France in 1515. It takes its name from Châtellerault, in the Vienne region. The first title was cre ...

, the

Earl of Huntly Marquess of Huntly (traditionally spelled Marquis in Scotland; Scottish Gaelic: ''Coileach Strath Bhalgaidh'') is a title in the Peerage of Scotland that was created on 17 April 1599 for George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly. It is the oldest existing ...

and

Earl of Argyll Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

, in the difficult circumstances of the Scottish kingdom. He attended the convention at

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

on 31 July of the same year, and voted against the queen's divorce from Bothwell. Oliphant and his servants were attacked on 18 July at the instance of George Sinclair, 4th Earl of Caithness, and were besieged for eight days in Old Wick or "Auldwick" castle by the Master of Caithness. Oliphant's complaint against the Master of Caithness was deliberated by the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

on 12 October and 22 November. After the death of the Regent Moray in January 1570, Oliphant met the leaders of the queen's party at Linlithgow, where they had a conference with the French ambassador. Henry Killigrew, in a letter to Lord Burghley in 1573, mentioned that Oliphant had joined the anti-Marian party after James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton's succession as regent to James VI; but he had attended a meeting of the privy council at

Leith Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by '' Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

in May 1572, while

Regent Mar John Erskine, 6th Earl of Mar (died 28 October 1572) was a Scottish aristocrat and politician. He was the custodian of the infant James VI of Scotland and Regent of Scotland. Erskine was a son of John Erskine, 5th Lord Erskine and Lady Margaret C ...

was still alive. After the retirement of Morton from the regency, Oliphant attended the meeting of the parliament in

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland, both historically and architecturally. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological ...

on 16 July 1578, presided over by the king. In November 1580 he was charged to answer before the council for an attack on Lord Ruthven, and on 7 December caution money was set that he would on the 9th enter into ward in Doune Castle in Menteith. Subsequently, disputes between him and the Earl of Caithness often came to the privy council. There is evidence that the 4th Lord Oliphant added two floors to the east tower of

Kellie Castle Kellie Castle is a castle just outside Arncroach and below the dominant hill in the area, Kellie Law. it is about 4 kilometres north of Pittenweem in the East Neuk of Fife, Scotland. Early history The earliest records of Kellie go back to 115 ...

in Fife in 1573. The south elevation bears the initials of his second wife, Margaret Hay. He built the castle of Newtyle or Hatton in 1575.Joseph Anderson, ''The Oliphants in Scotland'' (Edinburgh, 1879), p. lx.

Personal life

By Lady Margaret Hay, second daughter of

George Hay, 7th Earl of Erroll George Hay, 7th Earl of Erroll ( – 30 January 1573) was a Scottish nobleman and politician. Biography Hay was the grandson of William Hay, 3rd Earl of Erroll; George's father Thomas was killed alongside his older brother, William Hay, 4th Ea ...

. Together, they were the parents of two sons and three daughters, including:: * Laurence Oliphant, Master of Oliphant (d. ), who married Lady Christian Douglas, a daughter of William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton of Lochleven. He was involved in the raid of Ruthven, and for this reason was in March 1584 exiled, along with his brother-in-law, Robert Douglas. They set sail for the continent, but never reached it. * John Oliphant of Newlands. * Elizabeth Oliphant, who married to

William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus (15543 March 1611) was a Scottish nobleman. He was the son of William Douglas, 9th Earl of Angus (1533–1591). He was a direct descendant of King James I through his paternal grandmother, Agnes Keith, a d ...

, in 1585. * Jean Oliphant, who married Alexander Bruce of Cultmalindie. * Margaret Oliphant, who married Sir James Johnstone of Westerhall. Lord Oliphant died at

Caithness Caithness ( gd, Gallaibh ; sco, Caitnes; non, Katanes) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Caithness has a land boundary with the historic county of Sutherland to the west and is otherwise bounded by ...

on 16 January 1593, and was buried in the church of Wick.

Descendants

Through his eldest son

Laurence Laurence is an English and French given name (usually female in French and usually male in English). The English masculine name is a variant of Lawrence and it originates from a French form of the Latin ''Laurentius'', a name meaning "man from ...

, he was a grandfather of

Laurence Oliphant, 5th Lord Oliphant Laurence is an English and French given name (usually female in French and usually male in English). The English masculine name is a variant of Lawrence and it originates from a French form of the Latin ''Laurentius'', a name meaning "man from ...

(1583–1631) and Anne Oliphant, who married

John Lindsay, 8th Lord Lindsay John Lindsay, 8th Lord Lindsay PC (died 5 November 1609), was a Scottish landowner. Early life He was the eldest son of James Lindsay, 7th Lord Lindsay and Lady Eupheme Leslie. His younger brother was Robert Lindsay, a Scottish Ecclesiastical H ...

, eldest son an heir of

James Lindsay, 7th Lord Lindsay James Lindsay, 7th Lord Lindsay PC (1554 – 5 November 1601), Scottish landowner who was a gentleman of King James's bedchamber. Early life James Lindsay was the only son of Patrick Lindsay, 6th Lord Lindsay and Euphemia Douglas. His only sist ...

and Lady Eupheme Leslie (a daughter of

Andrew Leslie, 5th Earl of Rothes Andrew Leslie, 5th Earl of Rothes (before 1541–1611) was a Scottish nobleman. Early life He was the son of George Leslie, 4th Earl of Rothes, and his third wife Agnes Somerville, daughter of Sir John Somerville of Cambusnethan and Elizabe ...

). Their daughter, Hon. Anne Lindsay, married Alexander Falconer, 1st Lord Falconer of Halkerton.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Oliphant, Laurence Oliphant, 4th Lord 1529 births 1593 deaths Lords of Parliament (pre-1707)