Sir William Oliphant of Aberdalgie & Dupplin

Surname has also been reported to be Olifard and Olyfaunt.

Date of birth has also been (erroneously?) reported to be:

• 1248
• circa 1316

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From Wikipedia:

William fought at the Battle of Dunbar in 1296, where the Scots, under their king John Balliol, were defeated by the invading English. Following the battle he was captured and taken to Devizes in England where he was imprisoned. He was eventually released, and returned to Scotland where he was appointed to the position of Constable of Stirling Castle. Sir William led the 30-strong garrison which defended Stirling Castle during the siege of 1304, when the castle was attacked by the forces of Edward I of England. He and his garrison eventually surrendered to the English. He was captured once again, this time being imprisoned in the Tower of London.

He was once again released, and was appointed Governor of Perth by Edward II of England. Perth was subsequently captured by King Robert the Bruce and Sir William was exiled to the Western Isles. By 1313 he had returned, and served under Bruce in the ongoing Wars of Independence. He was subsequently rewarded with land at Gallery in Angus, and Gask and Newtyle in Perthshire. He was also given the lands of Muirhouse near Edinburgh in compensation for lands taken by John Balliol in Kincardineshire.

Sir William's tomb is in Aberdalgie Church, in Perthshire.[1] His son Sir Walter Oliphant of Gask and of Aberdalgie married Elizabeth, the youngest daughter of King Robert the Bruce, and their descendent was created Lord Oliphant in 1455

notes

• A. There is confusion between two Sir William Oliphants, both cousins, who fought together "and it is not possible to discriminate between their respective actions with certainty." See Scots Peerage, VI, 531.
• B. In the list of defenders his cousin is called Domini Williellmus Olyfard [lord William Oliphant] while he is listed secondly as Willielmus de Dupplyn, milites [William of Dupplin, knight]. See John Donald Carrick, Life of Sir William Wallace of Elderslie, Volume 2 (Edinburgh: Constable & Co., 1830), p. 13
• C. This is the first modern use of the name found in any records and he may have adopted this spelling to distinguish himself from his cousin or his father, both named William. See Scots Peerage, VI, 533 n. 9.
• D. The seal, three crescents, Gules, is the earliest known example of the Oliphant arms and dates from the declaration.

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From Stirnet's "Oliphant1" page: "Both of these cousins Sir William <this being one of them> were active in the Scots Wars of Independence but were obliged at different times to work for the King of England. One ended up having been captured by Robert the Bruce and sent in chains to the Western Isles (where he probably died about 1313) whilst the other <this Sir William> (who was one of the signatories to the Declaration of Arbroath) died 05.02.1329-30 and was buried at Aberdalgie. The latter <presumably this> Sir William was succeeded by ... <Walter Oliphant of Aberdalgie.>"

lord of Aberdalgie and Dupplin

Date of death has also been erroneously reported to be:

• February 5, 1330
• circa 1378

sources

1. The East Neuk of Fife: its history and antiquities (Google eBook). Walter Wood. D. Douglas, 1887 - Fife (Scotland) - 586 pages. Pp 258-259

links

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Oliphant,_Lord_of_Aberdalgie
• http://www.clanoliphant.com/middleagehistory