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David Olifard
- Preferred Name: David Olifard[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
- Alternate Name: oliphant
- Gender: M
- http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: Justiciar of Scotland in Edinburgh, , Midlothian, Scotland at LATI: N5.95 LONG: E3.2
- Death: 1170 in Kelso, Roxburghshire, Scotland at LATI: N5.5833 LONG: E2.4333 with note: Smailholm Tower, Kelso, Roxburgh, Scotland
- Occupation: the first recorded Justiciar (of the Lothians), governing the southern half of Scotland south of the rivers Forth and Clyde (excluding Galloway) with note: Wikiwand: David Olifard
- Occupation: justicary in lothians at LATI: N33.3833 LONG: E6.4333
- Residence: fathers land1124 in lilleford northampton
- FSID: LC4Z-8S4
- Residence: crailing roxburghshire
- Occupation: Justiciar of Scotland
- Birth: ABT 1115 in Lilford cum Wigsthorpe, Northamptonshire, England at LATI: N2.4419 LONG: E0.4789 with note: GEDCOM data
- Notes:
=== 1141 ===
granted lands roxburshire by king david I
=== bothwell barony ===
for saving david I
=== saved david I ===
of scotia life
=== !DTH: Genealogy by Edwin Banty Oliphant. ===
!DTH: Genealogy by Edwin Banty Oliphant. David died between 1190 and 1200. NOTE: David was a godson of King David The First of Scotland. He became his Secretary the defeat of the forces of Matilda at Winchester. He was the earliest judge of record in Scotland. NOTE: The Olifard family is of Norman origin. David and Stevens were members of the invasion by William I, the Conqueror, and came to England about the time of the Norman conquest. They settled in Northamptonshire, then soon found their way to Scotland. The name Olifard means Eliphant. !HISTORY: The Clans and Tartans of Scotland by Robert Bain, in possession of Dorrie Macmillan. "David De Olifard, who accompanied King David I from Winchester in 1141, is said to be the progenitor of the house of Oliphant".
=== saved David I ===
life
=== David Olifard, godson and namesake of Da ===
David Olifard, godson and namesake of David I of Scotland, was serving in King Stephen's army at the time of the disastrous defeat of the Empress Matilda before Winchester, and thus was able to save his godfather from being taken prisoner. 'Shortly afterwards he appears at the Cour of King David in Scotland;' he witnesses the royal grant of Lesmahago to the monks of Kelso in 1144. Later he is a frequent witness to royal and other Scottish chaters, including at least twenty-five charters of Malcolm IV, and forty-three of William the Lion, in twelve of which he is styled Justiciarius; an important office of state of which he is the earliest known holder. He possessed the lands of Crailing and Smailholm in Roxburghshire, from each plough of which he granted a threave of wheat yearly fot the house of the Holy Tirnity of Soltre. To the Abbey of Dryburgh he gave first two oxgates in Smailholm, as appears from a Papal confirmation dated 24 November 1162. Afterwards this was augmented to a ploughgate with pasture for three hundred sheep; his charter to this effect is preserved, and was confirmed by the Pope 29 July 1164. He also gave to Jedburgh Abbey a tenth of the mill of Crailing, which gift was confirmed by William the Lion before 1170. He held lands in East Lothian, as proved by his having quitclaimed Hertesheved and Spot to Melrose Abbey. He continues to appear in record till 1170; after that year he is not again mentioned, so is presumed to have the died. [The Scots Peerage VI:524-525]
=== bothwell barony ===
also
Preferred Parents:
Father: William Olifard Sheriff of Mearns I, b. ABT 1090 in Lilford cum Wigsthorpe, Northamptonshire, England d. AFT 1147
Mother: Muriel , b. ABT 1095 in England
Family 1: Joan de Cadella or Calder of Calder Olifard, b. 1109 in Smailholm Tower, Kelso, Roxburgh, Scotland d. in Scotland
- m. 1129 in Kelso, Roxburghshire, Scotland
- Deolifard Oliphant, b. 1142 in Duffus, Morayshire, Scotland d. 1203 in Duffus, Morayshire, Scotland
- Walter Olifard - Justiciar of Lothian, b. 1147 in Roxburghshire, Scotland d. 1222 in Scotland, United Kingdom
- David Olifard, b. 1138 in Crailing, Roxburghshire, Scotland d. ABT 1198
- Agnes Oliphant, b. 1169 in Duffus, Morayshire, Scotland, United Kingdom
Sources:
- Title: Geni: David Olifard, in Roxburghshire and East Lothian, Kt.?
Publication: Name: http://www.geni.com/people/David-Olifard-in-Roxburghshire-and-East-Lothian-Kt/6000000018037356331;
Note: David Olifard, in Roxburghshire and East Lothian, Kt.?
Birthdate: circa 1115
Birthplace: Lilford, (now Northamptonshire), England
Death: after 1170
Crailing, Roxburghshire (now Scottish Borders), Scotland
Immediate Family:
Son of William Olifard, of Lilford and Muriel Olifard
Husband of Joan Olifard, of Calder
Father of N.N. Olifard; Philip / Phillip Olifard; Fulco / Fulke Olifard; David Oliphant and Walter Olifard, Kt.?
Brother of William Olifard; Thomas Olifard, of Barton and Robert / Osbert Olifard
Occupation: Justiciar of Lothian
Managed by: Private User
Last Updated: November 6, 2016
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Immediate Family
Joan Olifard, of Calder
wife
N.N. Olifard
daughter
Philip / Phillip Olifard
son
Fulco / Fulke Olifard
son
David Oliphant
son
Walter Olifard, Kt.?
son
Muriel Olifard
mother
William Olifard, of Lilford
father
William Olifard
brother
Thomas Olifard, of Barton
brother
Robert / Osbert Olifard
brother
About David Olifard, in Roxburghshire and East Lothian, Kt.?
Date and place of birth have also been (erroneously?) reported to be:
circa 1138 in Crailing, Roxburghshire (now Scottish Borders), Scotland
circa 1162 at Smailholm Tower in Kelso, Roxburghshire, Scotland
The progenitor of the Olifard family was "David Holyfard", godson of King David I of Scotland and in 1141 his protector; who was also in possession of Lilleford in Northamptonshire, showing the Northamptonshire family connection to Scotland.
David was a son of William Olifard, mentioned in the pipe rolls of Cambridgeshire (1158), Northamptonshire (1163) and Huntingdonshire (1168 and 1169). He saved his godfather from capture during the Battle of Winchester in 1141. David held the lands of Crailing and Smailholm, both in Roxburghshire, and served as the Justiciar of Lothian. He is not mentioned in records after 1170 and is supposed to have died shortly thereafter.
In 1141 he saved his godfather, King David I of Scotland, from capture at Empress Matilda's defeat at siege of Winchester, and soon thereafter he and several generations of his descendants were Justiciars of the Lothians.
David Olifard's son Sir Walter Olifard, the second Justiciar, in 1173 married Christian, the daughter of Ferchar, Earl of Strathearn; her dowry was the lands of Strageath.
This David allegedly begat other male issue, among whom might be Walter, Philip and Fulco. There appears to be no record of this David having begotten any female issue.
Date of death also been erroneously reported to be:1170.
sources
J.H. Round, Feudal England (London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co., 1895), p. 223
The Scots Peerage, Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland, Vol. VI, Ed. James Balfour Paul (Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1909), p. 524535
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Oliphant
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Olifard
- Title: Legacy NFS Source: David Oliphant -
Author: History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, John Burke {1834-1838}, Page number: I:493
Note: Source Media Type: Book
Page: Migrated from user-supplied source citation: urn:familysearch:source:2736741117
- Title: Legacy NFS Source: David Oliphant -
Author: Dictionary of National Biography, George Smith, Oxford Press, Vols 1-21 (Orignially published 1885-90),Ed by Sir Leslie S, Page number: V:569
Note: Source Media Type: Book
Page: Migrated from user-supplied source citation: urn:familysearch:source:2736742373
- Title: Legacy NFS Source: David Oliphant -
Author: The Scots Peerage; Sir James Balfour Paul {1904-1914, 2000 rev} with Addenda et Corrigenda {2000}, Page number: VI:524-525
Note: Source Media Type: Book
Page: Migrated from user-supplied source citation: urn:familysearch:source:2736741135
- Title: Wikiwand: David Olifard
Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/David_Olifard;
Note: Sir David Olifard (c.1113/1117 – c. 1170) was the first recorded Justiciar (of the Lothians), governing the southern half of Scotland south of the rivers Forth and Clyde (excluding Galloway). Olifard was godson to King David I of Scotland, whose life he saved at the Rout of Winchester in 1141. Olifard is the first known chief of Clan Oliphant today.
Personal life
The Olifards held their lands in England from the Earls of Northampton and Huntingdon. In 1113, King David I of Scotland married Maud, Countess of Huntingdon, widow of Simon de St. Liz. Thus King David held the earldoms during the lifetime of his wife. David Olifard was godson of his namesake, the current earl, King David I of Scotland. Olifard must therefore have been born after 1113 (and before 1117 – see below).
Olifard's wife is unknown but there is a clue: Olifard granted to the monks of Jedburgh the "tenths" of the mill of Crailing and Berengerias de Engein granted the same monks a mark of silver from the mill of Crailing. Both these grants were confirmed by David I. Whether Berengerius was a father-in-law or brother-in-law to Olifard, we do not know. To have an interest in the mill of Crailing, which Olifard owned, coupled with the fact that Berengerius also made his donation to the same monks to whom Olifard made his donation, suggests that the two men were related. Members of the de Engain family held estates in Huntingdonshire and Northamptonshire.
Olifard had four sons: Sir Walter Olifard, who became Justiciar of the Lothians; William, who was ancestor of the Oliphants in Perthshire; Philip and Fulco.
The Olifard's land ownings in England
The Olifards were tenants in demesne at Lilford. In 1086 it was held by a Walter (no surname given). The first mention of the name Olifard in connection with Lilford is William Olifard (circa 1130, who is probably Olifard's father. This William may have been the son of the afore mentioned Walter) "William Olifardus reddit conjuncture de x mercis argenti for placito terre de Lillingstan." There is no record connecting David Olifard with Lilford although his heirs held the lands following after William Olifard, his brother. Olifard's mother was quoted as Muriel.
Oakington in Cambridge was held in 1086 by Roger and, between 1090 and 1108, there was in the county, a Roger Olifard, the first with the Olifard surname on record (either this Roger or the Walter at Lilford is probably David Olifard's grandfather). Oakington was considered a dependency of Lilford and held by David Olifard's brothers and then latterly by his own heirs. The same Roger held the manor of Over, part of which later became the manor of Gavelock. Like Lilford, Over (as was Gavelock) was held by David Olifard's family before it devolved to his heirs.
Sawtry in Huntingdon
David Olifard had a fief of Sawtry from Henry of Scotland (the son of Olifard's godfather, King David I of Scotland) who held it as the Earl of Huntingdon from the crown. To have been given Sawtry must have been something of an honour as "Countess Judith 'especially loved and frequented,' [the manor of Sawtry]" the lands were "freed by William I, as a mark of favour to her, from all dues to the Crown, including murdrum and danegeld." During the civil war between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda, both Henry of Scotland and King David I of Scotland supported the Empress Matilda. This resulted in King Stephen confiscating the earldom in 1138 from Henry of Scotland and giving it to one of his supporters, Simon de Senlis II. This would have been unpopular with Olifard but nevertheless he would have been compelled to follow Simon de Senlis into battle. In 1141 Olifard was fighting on the winning side against Empress Matilda. On seeing that his godfather was in danger of being captured, Olifard abandoned Stephen's army and rescued King David I of Scotland.
Since there is no record of any other Olifards at Sawtry prior to David, it would appear that these lands had been granted to Olifard at the instigation of his godfather. The date of Henry of Scotland's forfeiture of the Earldom of Huntingdon is helpful, since Olifard would most likely have been granted the fiefdom of Sawtry once he had reached his majority. Olifard would have received the lands prior to the forfeiture in 1138 and thus was born no later than 1117 and probably earlier.
Simon de Senlis II, in an act designed to prevent Olifard from ever returning to Sawtry, founded the Cistercian monastery of Sawtry Abbey on Olifard's lands in 1147. William Olifard is a witness to this foundation charter. Sawtry is the only known property to have been held by David Olifard in England.
The nearest public house to the site of the ruins of Sawtry Abbey, in a village called Woodwalton is called "The Elephant and Castle" although nobody knows why. In 1391 Sawtry Abbey was granted a messuage and one carucate of land in Woodwalton. It could be a pun on Olifard and their residence.
In the 12th century when Olifard held Sawtry, it was called "Saltreia" or "Saltreaim."
Arrival in Scotland
When Olifard arrived in Scotland, he did so as a baron of the highest status, being the same level as the most favoured newcomers into Scotland of the Anglo/Norman and Anglo/Flemish nobility.
Career in Scotland
Olifard first appears in a Royal charter in Scotland in 1144. For the next 26 years he features regularly as a witness in Royal charters in King Malcolm IV's reign but does not appear to be of outstanding importance before 1165. From that year until 1170 Olifard features at the most eminent level in the charters of the kings (Malcolm and William I). Thereafter Olifard disappears from record, suggesting that he died in 1170. Although Olifard appears in at least ten charters as "Justiciar", there is no document stating that he is Justiciar of the Lothians. This is also true for every Justiciar of the Lothians another decade after he ceased to be Justiciar, It was not until well into his son's (Sir Walter Olifard) tenure as Justiciar, that the complete style appears. Just as Sir David is the first Justiciar on record, so his son, Sir Walter Olifard is the first Justiciar of the Lothians on record to be styled as "of the Lothians." It should also be noted that at the time of Sir David Olifard, Northumbria and Cumbria were also part of Southern Scotland.
The Hospital of Soutra
The Hospital of Soutra, also known as "Domus de Soltre" was the largest hospital in Scotland. It was founded in 1164 by King Malcolm IV. The name Soltre or Soutra is similar to the name of Olifard's old estate of Sawtry or Saltreia in Huntingdon, so much so that historians have confused the two.
It is perhaps no coincidence that the first charter (signed between 1153 and 1170) after the hospital's foundation is one from David Olifard and that he also granted the hospital one thrave of corn in Autumn from every carucate in his domain. Olifard's seal was appended to this charter, showing three crescents. This is the earliest example of the Oliphant arms recorded.
By 1271, a dispute had arisen between the monks at the Hospital and the inhabitants of Crailing (lands which had been owned by Olifard and his descendants). It was eventually settled in favour of the monks.
Olifard's landownings in Scotland
Soon after Olifard came to Scotland, he received the lands of Smailholm and also Crailing, both in Roxburghshire. In the reign of King Malcolm IV, he was granted the lands between the North and South Calder Waters (rivers), these lands formed the core of the great barony of Bothwell. These lands were given to Olifard by the King in lieu of his lands at Sawtry in Northamptonshire. Olifard lands around Bothwell extended far beyond the Calder Waters and included the barony (and lands) of Drumsergard (which changed its name to Cambuslang in the 17th century).
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