Sir Walter Olifard the elder, was
Justiciar (of the Lothians),
[The Red Book of Perthshire, by Gordon MacGregor Page 649][Liber Sancte Marie de Melros: munimenta vetustiora Monasterii Cisterciensis de Melros by Melrose Abbey, Cosmo Innes. Published 1837 Page 181 (charter 19]
/ref> governing the southern half of Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
(c.1178–c.1188) south of the rivers Forth
Forth or FORTH may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''forth'' magazine, an Internet magazine
* ''Forth'' (album), by The Verve, 2008
* ''Forth'', a 2011 album by Proto-Kaw
* Radio Forth, a group of independent local radio stations in Scotla ...
and Clyde Clyde may refer to:
People
* Clyde (given name)
* Clyde (surname)
Places
For townships see also Clyde Township
Australia
* Clyde, New South Wales
* Clyde, Victoria
* Clyde River, New South Wales
Canada
* Clyde, Alberta
* Clyde, Ontario, a tow ...
(excluding Galloway
Galloway ( ; sco, Gallowa; la, Gallovidia) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway.
A native or i ...
).
Personal life
Sir Walter Olifard was the eldest son of Sir David Olifard In a charter in the Melrose Abbey collection both father and son are witnesses and their relationship is given. He married Christian, daughter of Ferchar, Earl of Strathearn
Ferteth of Strathearn (''fl.'' 1160), sometimes referred to as Ferchar or Ferquhard, is the second known earl or mormaer of Strathearn, a region in central Scotland.
Ferteth was the son of his predecessor Malise I, Earl of Strathearn, Malise I, a ...
in 1173. By his wife he had two sons Sir Walter Olifard (also Justiciar of the Lothians - the third generation of the family to be so) and David Olifard.
He appears to have died around 1222.[The Oliphants in Scotland]
Land holdings
Olifard received as a dowry with his bride, the lands and parish of Strageath
Strageath is a Roman camp near the River Earn in eastern Scotland. Strageath was one of a chain of camps that the Romans used in their march northward. Other notable camps in this chain are Ardoch, Battledykes, Stracathro, Raedykes and Normandyk ...
(now known as Blackford), near Crieff
Crieff (; gd, Craoibh, meaning "tree") is a Scottish market town in Perth and Kinross on the A85 road between Perth and Crianlarich, and the A822 between Greenloaning and Aberfeldy. The A822 joins the A823 to Dunfermline. Crieff has become ...
. Ten years later these lands were exchanged (excambed) with Olifard's brother-in-law Gilbert, 2nd Earl of Strathearn for the estate of Aberdalgie
Aberdalgie (Gaelic: ''Obar Dheilgidh'', 'Confluence of the Thorn-Stream') is a small village in the Scottish council area of Perth and Kinross. It is southwest of Perth, and lies between the B9112 road, to the north, and the River Earn, to the ...
, just south of 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 ...
.
Olifard inherited Bothwell
Bothwell is a conservation village in the South Lanarkshire council area of Scotland. It lies on the north bank of the River Clyde, adjacent to Uddingston and Hamilton, east-south-east of Glasgow city centre.
Description and history
An ancie ...
, Smailholm
Smailholm ( sco, Smailhowm) is a small village in the historic county of Roxburghshire in south-east Scotland. It is at
and straddles the B6397 Gordon to Kelso road. The village is almost equidistant from both, standing northwest of the abbey ...
and Crailing
Crailing is a village on the A698, in Teviotdale, 4m east of Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the historic county of Roxburghshire.
Places nearby include Ancrum, Crailinghall, Eckford, Hownam, Kelso, Nisbet, Roxburghshire, ...
from his father. Olifard also inherited the Parish of Cambuslang
Cambuslang ( sco, Cammuslang, from gd, Camas Lang) is a town on the south-eastern outskirts of Greater Glasgow, Scotland. With approximately 30,000 residents, it is the 27th largest town in Scotland by population, although, never having had a ...
in the Barony of Drumsergard – whose castle ruins can be discerned to the south-east of Hallside - can be traced back to the time of King Alexander II of Scotland (1214–49) when it belonged to Walter Olifard. Cambuslang joined the lands of Bothwell
Bothwell is a conservation village in the South Lanarkshire council area of Scotland. It lies on the north bank of the River Clyde, adjacent to Uddingston and Hamilton, east-south-east of Glasgow city centre.
Description and history
An ancie ...
, which Olifard also owned by right of his father.
In 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 ...
Olifard also inherited Lilford in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
from his uncle or from his grandparents, from whom Olifard also inherited Oakington
Oakington is a small rural Anglo-Saxon village north-west of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire in England, and belongs to the administrative district of South Cambridgeshire. Since 1985 the village has formed part of the parish of Oakington and Westw ...
in Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
and in the same county, he also inherited the manor of Over
Over may refer to:
Places
*Over, Cambridgeshire, England
*Over, Cheshire, England
*Over, South Gloucestershire, England
* Over, Tewkesbury, near Gloucester, England
** Over Bridge
*Over, Seevetal, Germany
Music
Albums
* ''Over'' (album), by Pe ...
(part of which later became the manor of Gavelock) His father did not own any lands in England as they had been stripped from him (David Olifard), for his loyalty to King David 1 of Scotland after 1141.
Career
In 1174, King William of Scotland was captured by the English at Alnwick
Alnwick ( ) is a market town in Northumberland, England, of which it is the traditional county town. The population at the 2011 Census was 8,116.
The town is on the south bank of the River Aln, south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish bor ...
and sent to Falaise
Falaise may refer to:
Places
* Falaise, Ardennes, France
* Falaise, Calvados, France
** The Falaise pocket was the site of a battle in the Second World War
* La Falaise, in the Yvelines ''département'', France
* The Falaise escarpment in Quebe ...
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 ...
, where he was imprisoned. Twenty one Scottish nobles, including Walter Olifard, were sent to negotiate a treaty for their monarch's release. The terms of King William's release included him becoming a liegeman to King Henry of England and the Scots nobles present became hostages until the castles of Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
, Stirling
Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
, Roxburgh
Roxburgh () is a civil parish and formerly a royal burgh, in the historic county of Roxburghshire in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was an important trading burgh in High Medieval to early modern Scotland. In the Middle Ages it had at leas ...
, Berwick and Jedburgh
Jedburgh (; gd, Deadard; sco, Jeddart or ) is a town and former royal burgh in the Scottish Borders and the traditional county town of the historic county of Roxburghshire, the name of which was randomly chosen for Operation Jedburgh in su ...
were surrendered to England. The attending nobles all had to swear allegiance to King Henry before he was released, Olifard had to hand over his own son as a hostage as a guarantee for his own good behaviour.
Olifard distinguished himself as Justiciar of Lothian
The Justiciar of Lothian (in Norman-Latin, ''Justiciarus Laudonie'') was an important legal office in the High Medieval Kingdom of Scotland.
The Justiciars of Lothian were responsible for the administration of royal justice in the province of ...
under Alexander II. Nobody in Scotland at that time, was more trusted in public councils or in private affairs, or more worthy of trust, than Walter.[Caledonia, Or an Account, Historical and Topographic, of North ..., Volume 1 By George Chalmers. Pages 515 and 51]
/ref>
He was one of the most frequent witnesses to the charters of Alexander II. As can be seen in the Melrose Charters.
Walter Olifard granted the church of Smailholm
Smailholm ( sco, Smailhowm) is a small village in the historic county of Roxburghshire in south-east Scotland. It is at
and straddles the B6397 Gordon to Kelso road. The village is almost equidistant from both, standing northwest of the abbey ...
, with its pertinents, to the monks of Coldingham
Coldingham ( sco, Cowjum) is a village and parish in Scottish Borders, on Scotland's southeast coastline, north of Eyemouth.
Parish
The parish lies in the east of the Lammermuir district. It is the second-largest civil parish by area in Berwic ...
. Chart. Coldingham
Coldingham ( sco, Cowjum) is a village and parish in Scottish Borders, on Scotland's southeast coastline, north of Eyemouth.
Parish
The parish lies in the east of the Lammermuir district. It is the second-largest civil parish by area in Berwic ...
, 18; and he confirmed a grant of Claribald de Olifard of Esseby to the same monks of two fishings in the Tweed.
Walter Olifard appears in Northants Pipe Roll 26 HenryII (1179-1180).[Pipe Roll .... 29, p85.]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olifard, Walter
1100s births
1222 deaths
Oliphant family