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, Canada. 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 ...

). In 1543 he was sent to England as a hostage for his father. After the marriage of

Mary Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

Darnley Darnley is an area in south-west Glasgow, Scotland, on the A727 just west of Arden (the areas are separated by the M77 motorway although a footbridge connects them). Other nearby neighbourhoods are Priesthill to the north, Southpark Village ...

, 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 the third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. He was accused of the murder of Mary's second husband, Henry Stuart, Lord ...

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 Earl of Bothwell's acquittal on 12 April 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 The Battle of Langside was fought on 13 May 1568 between forces loyal to Mary, Queen of Scots, and forces acting in the name of her infant son James VI. Mary’s short period of personal rule ended in 1567 in recrimination, intrigue, and disast ...

. 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; 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 () 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 created for François de Bourbo ...

, the

Earl of Huntly Marquess of Huntly 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 marquessate in Scotland, and the second-oldest in the British Isles; only the English ma ...

and

Earl of Argyll Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...

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

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

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 George Sinclair (died 1582) was a Scottish nobleman, the 4th Earl of Caithness and chief of the Clan Sinclair, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands. Early life He was the son of John Sinclair, 3rd Earl of Caithness and Elizabeth, daughter ...

, 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 on 12 October and 22 November. After the death of the

Regent Moray James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (c. 1531 – 23 January 1570) was a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V of Scotland. At times a supporter of his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots, he was the regent of Scot ...

in January 1570, Oliphant met the leaders of the queen's party at

Linlithgow Linlithgow ( ; ; ) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It was historically West Lothian's county town, reflected in the county's historical name of Linlithgowshire. An ancient town, it lies in the Central Belt on a historic route between Edi ...

, 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 James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton (c. 1516 – 2 June 1581) was a Scottish nobleman. He played a leading role in the murders of Queen Mary's confidant, David Rizzio, and king consort murder of Lord Darnley, Henry Darnley. He was the last of th ...

's succession as regent to

James VI James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

; but he had attended a meeting of the privy council at

Leith Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith. The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...

in May 1572, while Regent Mar 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 historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an Intrusive rock, intrusive Crag and tail, crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill ge ...

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 Doune Castle is a medieval stronghold near the village of Doune, in the Stirling (council area), Stirling council area of central Scotland and the historic county of Perthshire. The castle is sited on a wooded bend where the Ardoch Burn flows i ...

Menteith Menteith or Monteith () is a district of south Perthshire, Scotland, roughly comprises the territory between the River Teith, Teith and the River Forth, Forth. Historically, the area between Callander and Dunblane was known in English by the si ...

. 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 ...

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.

Personal life

By Lady Margaret Hay, second daughter of George Hay, 7th Earl of Erroll. 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 William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton (c. 1540 – 1606) was the son of Robert Douglas of Lochleven and Margaret Erskine, a former mistress of James V of Scotland. Career Connections William Douglas's half-brother from his mother's liaison with t ...

of Lochleven. He was involved in the

raid of Ruthven The Raid of Ruthven, the kidnapping of King James VI of Scotland, was a political conspiracy in Scotland which took place on 23 August 1582."Ruthven, William", by T. F. Henderson, in ''Dictionary of National Biography'', Volume 50 (Smith, Elder, ...

, 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. In January 1601,

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

heard a rumour they were prisoners and wrote to

Mehmed III Mehmed III (, ''Meḥmed-i sālis''; ; 26 May 1566 – 22 December 1603) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1595 until his death in 1603. Mehmed was known for ordering the execution of his brothers and leading the army in the Long Turkish ...

for their release.A. R. Braunmuller, ''A seventeenth-century letter-book : a facsimile edition of Folger MS. V.a. 321'' (University of Delaware, 1983), pp. 185–86. * John Oliphant of Newlands. * Elizabeth Oliphant, who married to William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus, 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 (; ; ) is a Shires of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Scotland. There are two towns, being Wick, Caithness, Wick, which was the county town, and Thurso. The count ...

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

Wick Wick most often refers to: * Capillary action ("wicking") ** Candle wick, the cord used in a candle or oil lamp ** Solder wick, a copper-braided wire used to desolder electronic contacts Wick or WICK may also refer to: Places and placenames ...

Descendants

Through his eldest son

Laurence Laurence is in modern use as an English masculine and a French feminine given name. The modern English masculine name is a variant of Lawrence and originates from a French form of the Latin ''Laurentius'', a name meaning "man from Laurentum" ...

, he was a grandfather of Laurence Oliphant, 5th Lord Oliphant (1583–1631) and Anne Oliphant, who married John Lindsay, 8th Lord Lindsay, eldest son an heir of James Lindsay, 7th Lord Lindsay and Lady Eupheme Leslie (a daughter of Andrew Leslie, 5th Earl of Rothes). 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 Nobility from Perth and Kinross Lords of Parliament (pre-1707)