Clan Dunbar is a

Scottish clan A Scottish clan (from Gaelic , literally 'children', more broadly 'kindred') is a kinship group among the Scottish people. Clans give a sense of shared identity and descent to members, and in modern times have an official structure recognis ...

of the

Scottish Lowlands The Lowlands ( sco, Lallans or ; gd, a' Ghalldachd, , place of the foreigners, ) is a cultural and historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Lowlands and the Highlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lo ...

.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs). Published in 1994. Pages 122 - 123.

History

Origins of the Clan

The chiefs of Clan Dunbar are of ancient Celtic origin. The town and port of

Dunbar Dunbar () is a town on the North Sea coast in East Lothian in the south-east of Scotland, approximately east of Edinburgh and from the English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Dunbar is a former royal burgh, and gave its name to an ec ...

have featured prominently in Scottish history on various occasions. Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria received from

Malcolm III of Scotland Malcolm III ( mga, Máel Coluim mac Donnchada, label= Medieval Gaelic; gd, Maol Chaluim mac Dhonnchaidh; died 13 November 1093) was King of Scotland from 1058 to 1093. He was later nicknamed "Canmore" ("ceann mòr", Gaelic, literally "big hea ...

, the lands of Dunbar as well as other parts of

Lothian Lothian (; sco, Lowden, Loudan, -en, -o(u)n; gd, Lodainn ) is a region of the Scottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills and the Moorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Sco ...

. In 1128 Gospatric's son, Gospatric II, Earl of Lothian, witnessed the foundation of

Holyrood Abbey Holyrood Abbey is a ruined abbey of the Canons Regular in Edinburgh, Scotland. The abbey was founded in 1128 by David I of Scotland. During the 15th century, the abbey guesthouse was developed into a royal residence, and after the Scottish Re ...

. He also accorded the rank of earl and made donations to

Kelso Abbey Kelso Abbey is a ruined Scottish abbey in Kelso, Scotland. It was founded in the 12th century by a community of Tironensian monks first brought to Scotland in the reign of Alexander I. It occupies ground overlooking the confluence of the Tw ...

. In around 1184 Patrick of Dunbar married Ada, daughter of

William the Lion William the Lion, sometimes styled William I and also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough"''Uilleam Garbh''; e.g. Annals of Ulster, s.a. 1214.6; Annals of Loch Cé, s.a. 1213.10. ( 1142 – 4 December 1214), reigned as King of Scots from 11 ...

and was created justiciar of Lothian. Patrick, Earl of Dunbar's daughter received the lands of Home as part of her dowry. This established the line which later became the Earls of Home in the 17th century. The Earl of Dunbar's son, Patrick, went to the

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...

and died at the Siege of Damietta in 1248.

Wars of Scottish Independence

One of the competitors for the Scottish Crown in 1291 was Patrick ''Black Beard'', Earl of Dunbar who claimed it through his royal grandmother, Ada. Patrick's wife was a Comyn who held Dunbar Castle for John Balliol, although she was forced to surrender it in April 1296. Patrick, Earl of Dunbar sheltered

Edward II of England Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to ...

after his escape from the

Battle of Bannockburn The Battle of Bannockburn ( gd, Blàr Allt nam Bànag or ) fought on June 23–24, 1314, was a victory of the army of King of Scots Robert the Bruce over the army of King Edward II of England in the First War of Scottish Independence. It was ...

in 1314. Historians have said that if Dunbar had seized Edward then Edward may have been forced to make peace with

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventuall ...

, preventing further bloodshed. However despite Dunbar's apparent treachery he made peace with his cousin, King Robert, and was present at the Parliament at Ayr in 1315. Dunbar was later appointed governor of Berwick where he was besieged by

Edward III of England Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...

. Dunbar surrendered to the English but renounced any allegiance to the English king and as a result his castle was besieged by the

Earl of Salisbury Earl of Salisbury is a title that has been created several times in English and British history. It has a complex history, and is now a subsidiary title to the marquessate of Salisbury. Background The title was first created for Patrick de S ...

. The castle was under the command of Dunbar's wife,

Black Agnes Agnes Randolph, Countess of Dunbar and March ( 1312 – 1369), known as Black Agnes for her dark complexion, was the wife of Patrick, 9th Earl of Dunbar and March. She is buried in the vault near Mordington House. She was the daughter of Tho ...

. The English attacked the castle with all the siege craft technology of the fourteenth-century including a machine called a " Sow". However, Black Agnes personally directed the machine's destruction by rocks being hurled from the castle walls. The siege lasted nineteen weeks and the Earl of Salisbury retired leaving Agnes in possession of her husband's fortress. When the English fled for their lives, Agnes is said to have scoffed, ''behold the litter of the English pigs''. The tenth Earl of Dunbar had vast estates and was one of the most powerful nobles in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

. He fought at the Battle of Otterburn in 1388. The Earl arranged for his daughter to marry a son of

Robert III of Scotland Robert III (c. 13374 April 1406), born John Stewart, was King of Scots from 1390 to his death in 1406. He was also High Steward of Scotland from 1371 to 1390 and held the titles of Earl of Atholl (1367–1390) and Earl of Carrick (1368&ndas ...

however due to the influence of the

Clan Douglas Clan Douglas is an ancient clan or noble house from the Scottish Lowlands. Taking their name from Douglas in Lanarkshire, their leaders gained vast territories throughout the Borders, Angus, Lothian, Moray, and also in France and Sweden. The ...

the marriage did not take place.

15th century

George, 11th Earl of Dunbar succeeded to his father's vast estates in 1420. He was prominent in public affairs but his wealth became his undoing.

James I of Scotland James I (late July 139421 February 1437) was King of Scots from 1406 until his assassination in 1437. The youngest of three sons, he was born in Dunfermline Abbey to King Robert III and Annabella Drummond. His older brother David, Duke of R ...

coveted the Dunbar estates and imprisoned the earl on charges of treason with the estates being forfeited to the Crown. He was the last Earl of Dunbar.

16th century

There were several other branches of the Clan Dunbar including the Dunbars of Mochrum (current chiefs), Dunbars of Northfield, Dunbars of Hempriggs, Dunbars of Durn and the Dunbars of Both. The representative of each branch achieved the rank of baronet. During the reign of

James V of Scotland James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV and Margaret Tudor, and dur ...

, Gavin Dunbar (archbishop of Glasgow), who was a younger son of Sir John Dunbar of Mochrum, distinguished himself at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

and became Dean of Moray in 1514. He was appointed Archbishop of Glasgow in 1524. However he was criticised for his participation in the persecution of Protestants which was instigated by

Cardinal Beaton David Beaton (also Beton or Bethune; 29 May 1546) was Archbishop of St Andrews and the last Scottish cardinal prior to the Reformation. Career Cardinal Beaton was the sixth and youngest son of eleven children of John Beaton (Bethune) of Ba ...

. In 1513 Sir John Dunbar of Mochrum,

Wigtownshire Wigtownshire or the County of Wigtown (, ) is one of the historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Wigtownshire was an administrative county used for local government. Since 1975 the area has ...

was at the

Battle of Flodden The Battle of Flodden, Flodden Field, or occasionally Branxton, (Brainston Moor) was a battle fought on 9 September 1513 during the War of the League of Cambrai between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland, resulting in an English ...

. In 1598 the lands of George Dunbar of Moyness were raided by the

Clan Cameron Clan Cameron is a West Highland Scottish clan, with one main branch Lochiel, and numerous cadet branches. The Clan Cameron lands are in Lochaber and within their lands lies Ben Nevis which is the highest mountain in the British Isles. The Ch ...

. The men listed as being involved in this raid include a good number of Camerons and those from the various tribes of Clan Cameron. Among the so-named "perpetrators" was Allan Cameron, XVI Captain and Chief of Clan Cameron and twenty six other Camerons of noteworthy families. They burnt a handful of homes and took away three score and ten horses, among numerous other personal possessions.The First Raid of Moynes
clan-cameron.org. Retrieved 14 September 2013.

17th and 18th centuries

In 1694 Sir James Dunbar of Mochrum was created a Baronet of Nova Scotia. The second baronet served in the cavalry of the Duke of Marlborough with great distinction. He was recognised as clan chief upon the death of Ludovic Dunbar in 1744.

Clan chief

Sir Jean Ivor Dunbar was the 13th Baronet of Mochrum and the Chief of the Name and Arms of Dunbar. After his death in 1993 the title passed to his son, Sir James Michael Dunbar, 14th Baronet of Mochrum and 39th Hereditary Chief of the Name and Arms of Dunbar. He is a retired Colonel of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...

. In 1990 the chiefship was only established after a celebrated court case that was first heard before the

Lord Lyon King of Arms The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new gra ...

, the Supreme Court in Edinburgh, and then finally in the House of Lords where it was concluded.

Castles

*Mochrum Castle is the seat of the current chiefs of Clan Dunbar, the Dunbars of Mochrum. * Dunbar Castle was the original seat of the chiefs of Clan Dunbar, the Earls of Dunbar.

References

External links

Dunbar Surname DNA ProjectClan Dunbar On-LineClan Dunbar at ScotClans
{{Scottish clans

Scottish Lowlands