The Oliphant Clan are connected with the Oliver family. The Oliphants are incorrectly placed as a sept of the Olivers by some sources, due to the fact that during the 12th and 13th centuries, the two names seemed to be often confused with each other in the Lowland counties. This confusion of identity became a problem shortly after the Olifards were granted lands in Northamptonshire and later Roxburghshire, when the two families were found in a close proximity to one another. The Olifard/Oliphant name was unfamiliar in the Lowlands and was often exchanged with the name Oliver. The Olivers claim descent from the Olifards of Smailholm and Crailing but contend that the name was Oliver. It must be assumed that they were unaware of the other lands owned by the Olifards in the Mearns and at Alberdalgie which would suggest the Oliphant name the senior of the two. Nonetheless, the Oliphant name has been clumped under the more plentiful Olivers from this small chance of confusion nearly 900 years ago, completely without warrant.
Also, more recently, there have been cases where Olivers were found in lands such as Caithness and their name has been mistaken for the more familiar Oliphant. However, these seem to be the only connection between the two families, making the assumption that the Oliphants are a sept of the Olivers completely untrue. |
