Caroline Oliphant

ight children of Laurence Oliphant, brother of Carolina Oliphant, Lady Nairne. When not a year old she was removed with the rest of the family to Durham, in which neighbourhood they remained upwards of eight years. At Durham a frequent visitor was Dr. Robertson, her mother's father, who had been in the Dutch service, and who could well remember welcoming to Holland the kinsmen fugitives of Culloden; he lived to hear of Waterloo. In 1816, Caroline, with the rest of the family, went to Marseilles, and afterwards to Hyeres. In 1819 the family went to Italy, and spent a gay winter at Florence and Rome. Next year they sailed to London in a yacht, under the care of Sir James Clark, one of her sisters being in very feeble health. Indeed, within eleven years from 1819 Caroline lost her father, mother, eldest brother, and three of her sisters. In 1821 the family returned to Gask, after an absence of fourteen years. The winter of 1822 was spent by the family at Carqueranne, near Hyeres; they took the keenest interest in the works of Byron and Scott, which were rapidly pouring from the press. An inmate of the house at this time gave his opinion of Caroline's character:-- "It will be hard for her to make a friend; she would be loved if she were well known; but she will repel affection before she can secure it." In 1823 the family returned to Gask, and Caroline began to study Greek. In 1827 she composed her verses on "Recovering from Sickness," having been very ill throughout the winter. On the 26th of May, 1830, she witnessed the marriage of her sister Margaret to Mr. Kington. A month later she had to mourn the death of her sister Christian. Caroline was taken to Leamington for the advice of Dr. Jephson. She returned in September to Clifton, where she was visited by Lady Nairne, who had just lost her husband. Caroline's weakness continued. She suffered from feverishness and restless nights, but bore all with patience. Her eldest sister, aided by a friend whose sorrows had been soothed by her verses, and a faithful maid from Gask, ministered to her comforts. Caroline Oliphant died on the 9th of February, 1831, at the age of 24. She was buried beside her mother in Clifton churchyard.