The Heirs of Kellie

1896

Short Fiction

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In A Widow's Tale      or second source:   1 volume   


The Story

Mistress Jean Oliphant is the young sister of Sir Walter Oliphant of Kellie, in Fife. He is old and ailing, and he must decide who shall be the next heir of Kellie. If he fails to name a successor, the next-of-kin will succeed. In Scotland, where either sex can succeed to lands and titles (if the estate is not entailed on an heir-male), his next-of-kin is his sister Jean - though he scoffs at the idea of naming her successor. Her cousin Peter is another candidate on whom he does not look favourably. When he dies leaving the estate to an Oliphant who is not of Kellie, Lady Jean, as her supporters now call her, decides to fight for her "rights". Perhaps that bonnie lad, her cousin Peter, will assist.


Biographical and other notes

Margaret Oliphant was a direct descendant of the Oliphant lairds of Kellie. This was a true story of the late sixteenth century, insofar as she knew the facts of the family legend. To learn more of the actual facts about Lady Jean and Kellie Castle, see Section 5 of The Family Tree of Margaret Oliphant.


British publishing information

Periodical:   Blackwood's Magazine   Mar 1896

First edition:   William Blackwood and Sons (collected in A Widow's Tale) 1898


Series and Themes

Historical Fiction
Inheritance, wills, or legitimacy issues
The ancient kingdom of Fife
Two true stories of Kellie Castle


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