Laurence Oliphant (1691–1767) was a Scottish landowner and Jacobite army officer. He participated in two Jacobite uprisings, but later made his peace with the British government.

Biography

Oliphant was the son of James Oliphant and Janet (née Murray). He belonged to a branch of

Clan Oliphant Clan Oliphant is a Scottish Highland, Highland Scottish clan. History Origins of the clan Although this remains the subject of ongoing research the earliest member of this Clan known to date is Roger Olifard, who witnessed a foundation charter ...

settled at

Findo Gask Findo Gask is a small village in Perth and Kinross in Scotland, just off the main A9 road. It is in Strathearn. There are nearby remains associated with the Roman Road to the south and the Roman Frontier on the Gask Ridge. The area was assoc ...

Perthshire Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. Oliphant was sent by his father to join the

Earl of Mar There are currently two earldoms of Mar in the Peerage of Scotland, and the title has been created seven times. The first creation of the earldom is currently held by Margaret of Mar, 31st Countess of Mar, who is also clan chief of Clan Mar. Th ...

in the

Jacobite rising of 1715 The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( ; or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Francis Edward Stuart, James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland and Kingdom of Scotland ...

, and he was present among Jacobite forces at the

Battle of Sheriffmuir The Battle of Sheriffmuir (, ) was an engagement in 1715 at the height of the Jacobite rising of 1715, Jacobite rising in Scotland. The battlefield has been included in the Inventory of Historic Battlefields in Scotland and protected by Histor ...

. He was subsequently an adjutant to the garrison of

Scone Palace Scone Palace is a Category A- listed historic house near the village of Scone and the city of Perth, Scotland. Ancestral seat of Earls of Mansfield, built in red sandstone with a castellated roof, it is an example of the Gothic Revival style ...

during the brief stay of

James Francis Edward Stuart James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 16881 January 1766), nicknamed the Old Pretender by Whigs (British political party), Whigs or the King over the Water by Jacobitism, Jacobites, was the House of Stuart claimant to the thrones of Ki ...

, the Old Pretender, in January 1716. In 1732, he succeeded his father as

Laird Laird () is a Scottish word for minor lord (or landlord) and is a designation that applies to an owner of a large, long-established Scotland, Scottish estate. In the traditional Scottish order of precedence, a laird ranked below a Baronage of ...

of Gask. During the

Jacobite rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745 was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took place during the War of the Austrian Succession, when the bulk of t ...

, Oliphant rallied to the Jacobite cause a second time and joined

Charles Edward Stuart Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (31 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, making him the grandson of James VII and II, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, ...

Blair Castle Blair Castle (in Scottish Gaelic: ''Caisteil Bhlàir'') stands in its grounds near the village of Blair Atholl in Perthshire in Scotland. It is the ancestral home of the Clan Murray, and was historically the seat of their clan chief, chief, the ...

in early September 1745. His tenants, however, refused to take up arms alongside their laird. Oliphant served as Governor of

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 ...

during the Jacobite advance to

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

and he and his son were present at the battles of

Falkirk Falkirk ( ; ; ) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a resident population of 32,422 at the ...

and Culloden in 1746. Oliphant and his son were among the Jacobites who regrouped at

Ruthven Barracks Ruthven Barracks (), near Ruthven, Badenoch, Ruthven in Badenoch, Scotland, are the best preserved of the four barracks built in 1719 after the 1715 Jacobitism, Jacobite rising. Set on an old castle mound, the complex comprises two large three-st ...

after the defeat at Culloden. After the remnant of the Jacobite army dispersed, they went into hiding in the

Angus Glens The Five Glens of Angus are the five Highland glens located in the western portion of the Angus region of Scotland. The five glens are, from west to east: Glen Isla Drained by the River Isla. Glen Prosen Drained by the Prosen Water. Glen C ...

for seven months before taking ship from

Arbroath Arbroath () or Aberbrothock ( ) is a former royal burgh and the largest town in the Subdivisions of Scotland, council area of Angus, Scotland, Angus, Scotland, with a population of 23,902. It lies on the North Sea coast, some east-northeast of ...

for

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

on 5 November 1746, and from there to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. From there they travelled to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

where they lived mostly at Corbeil, near

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

. He and his son were

attainted In English criminal law, attainder was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditary titles, but ...

under the

Attainder of Earl of Kellie and Others Act 1745 In English criminal law, attainder was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditary titles, but t ...

, but in 1753 Oliphant's friends purchased the Gask estate from the government and presented it back to him. In May 1751, he petitioned the Old Pretender to be formally recognised as

Lord Oliphant Lord Oliphant was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created twice and de facto under Peerage Law a third time. The first creation is in abeyance of the law, the second extinct and the third creation is dormant. The title was certainly ...

in the

Peerage of Scotland The Peerage of Scotland (; ) is one of the five divisions of peerages in the United Kingdom and for those peers created by the King of Scots before 1707. Following that year's Treaty of Union 1707, Treaty of Union, the Kingdom of Scots and the ...

. On 14 July 1760 Oliphant was created Lord Oliphant in the

Jacobite peerage The Jacobite peerage includes those peerages created by James II and VII, and the subsequent Jacobite pretenders, after James's deposition from the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland following the Glorious Revolution of 1688. These creati ...

by the Old Pretender. Having obtained permission from the British government, Oliphant returned to Scotland in 1763 and spent the last years of his life quietly on his Gask estate. He died in 1767.Barbour, Freeland (2019, ''The White Rose of Gask: The Life and Songs of Carolina Oliphant Lady Nairn'', Birlinn, pp. 23 & 26

Family and descendants

In 1723 Oliphant married Amelia Murray (1698–1774), a daughter of William Murray, second Lord Nairne. Oliphant was succeeded as laird and in his Jacobite title by his eldest son, Laurence, who remained loyal to the

House of Stuart The House of Stuart, originally spelled Stewart, also known as the Stuart dynasty, was a dynasty, royal house of Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland and later Kingdom of Great Britain, Great ...

until his death in 1792. His descendants include

Carolina, Baroness Nairne Carolina Nairne, Lady Nairne (née Oliphant; 16 August 1766 – 26 October 1845), also known as Baroness Nairne, was a Scottish songwriter. Many of her songs, such as, " Will ye no' come back again?", " Charlie is my Darling" , " The Rowan ...

and from his sister Lilias, who married Laurence Oliphant (5th) of Condie are descended Laurence Oliphant the author, MP and diplomat and Thomas Oliphant, musician and author of "Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oliphant, Laurence Jacobite military personnel of the Jacobite rising of 1745 People of the Jacobite rising of 1715 1691 births 1767 deaths Scottish Jacobites Lords of Parliament in the Jacobite peerage Oliphant family Lairds