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Septs of Clan Oliphant
A sept is a tribe, family, or clan, which has sprung from, is dependant on, or is allied to a parent clan.  A clan normally gains septs with branches off of the parent clan, usually accompanied by a change in name (eg. Many MacDonalds of Glencoe changed their name to MacIan, after the progenitor of their branch, Ian Og (Young Ian) MacDonald, thus the MacIans are considered a sept of the MacDonalds,) or smaller Clans and families paying homage to a larger Clan chief, in turn for protection.  Although the Chief's of Clan Oliphant were often quite powerful, because of the Oliphant Clan's relatively small size, it was not a great power in itself (such as the plentiful MacDonalds or Douglasses.)  Because of this fact and the fact that the majority of the Clan congregated in Perthshire alone, the Oliphant Clan is recorded by most sources as having no septs.

Often, the Oliphant Clan is listed as a sept of another Clan (most usually Sutherland), rather than as a distinct clan with septs of its own. However, the Oliphant Clan theoretically carries numerous septs: Barclay of Strowie, Blair of Balthayock, Bruce of Copillindy/Cultmalundie, Ferny of the Ilk, Fotheringham of Prowie, Gorthy of that Ilk, Kinloch of Kinloch, Mercer of Innerpefry, Moray of Abercairney, Ogilvie of Inchmartin,  Rattray of that Ilk, Rollo of Duncrub, Rollok of Fyndone, Stewart of Fothergill and Thane of Dunning *20 although only one of these, Kinloch, specifically recognizes herself as such today. Of the Kinloch connection, the Kinloch Clan (family motto "yet higher",) is very small in its own right and linked to the Oliphants of Bachilton, a branch off the 2nd Lord, who made a wrongful claim as 12th Lord after returning from the West Indies with money.

With the exception of the Kinlochs, all above (including the chiefs of Clans Ferny, Gorthy, Rattray and Rollo) signed bonds of manrent to the Clan Oliphant's Chief *19 (recorded in the Gask Charter Chest,)  as all of these Clans lived in a close proximity to each other (in Perthshire), ]probably seeking protection from the Lords Oliphant.  Although only the Kinlochs consider themselves a sept today, all of the other families mentioned above could concieveably consider themselves a sept of Clan Oliphant.  Those of Scottish descent with the names Gorthy, Ferny, Rattray and Rollo, along with the few who can trace their ancestry back to the other specific branches of much larger Clans (Ogivlie's of Inchmartin, Stewart of Fothergill, etc.,) are more than welcome to wear the Oliphant tartan and to name themselves as a sept of Clan Oliphant.














T
he two clans who would most protest to being associated as a sept of Clan Oliphant, even with the concesion of it being merely a theoretical septdom, are the Rattrays and the Rollo's (two Clans in their own right.)  This seems to be because the bond was signed to the 1st Lord Oliphant, and later Lords Oliphant lost most of their land and power, thus weakening their authority.  There is also a factor of "accepted practice" that is necessary for a sept to be considered as such, and not only a signed bond of manrent.  It seems that soon after these bonds were signed, the respective Chiefs were able to support the clan again and no longer needed the patronage of the Lords Oliphant.   It is not known whether the Rollos or the Rattrays were at the time considered a sept, in theory or in practice.  It should be noted, that most of these bonds of manrent were signed to the first Lord Oliphant specifically, who's "importance is best shown by the numerous bonds of manrent granted to him by his neighbours" *18

                               
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