Lord Oliphant
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Lord Oliphant is the name of a title of peerage in Scotland.
The date of this creation, as shown is wrong. Laurence, 1st Lord Oliphant, was styled as such in 1455. At the moment he is officially attributed with being the first Lord Oliphant, however, there are references to John Oliphant, brother germain to Lord Oliphant, witness in 1394-5 (RMS V,964) and in other contemporary records there are references to two brothers in 1408, being the brothers of Lord Oliphant. Clearly, the title is much older than previously thought.
However, since both of the two principal seats of the chiefly line of Oliphants were destroyed by fire by the burgesses of Perth in mid 1461, all earlier records at those properties were destroyed. As a result, many years later, when a commission was set up to establish the precedence of the peers of Scotland, they were unaware of the earlier references to Lord Oliphant. What is singular about the earliest record (1455) of Laurence being styled as Lord Oliphant, is the fact that it was one month after he reached his majority and before he had had a chance to distinguish himself, suggesting that it was a continuation of an earlier honour. This would concur with the references dated 1394-5 and 1408. There may be others yet. The generation of the John, brother germain etc., is Laurence's great grandfather. This would suggest that there were three Lords Oliphant prior to Laurence, 1st Lord Oliphant.
That there is no mention of a Lord Oliphant in the interim can be explained. John died in 1413, leaving a minor (Sir William Oliphant )as his heir. Within a short period of reaching his majority, William was despatched to the Tower of London as a hostage for the release of king James I of Scotland. There is no mention of him after 1426, whilst in custody, suggesting that he might have died whilst still incarcerated. He like his father before him, he left an under-aged son (Sir John Oliphant) as his heir. Sir John, like his father and grandfather, met an untimely end, in 1445, fighting for his kinsmen the Ogilvies of Auchterhouse, against the Lindsays in Arbroath. He left a minor as an heir, Laurence Oliphant. It was he, Laurence, immediately on reaching his majority, who is styled as Lord Oliphant in 1455. History has recorded him as the first peer of that name. It would seem that he is either the fourth or fifth peer.
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