Dunbar Collegiate Church is renowned as having been the first collegiate church, in 1342, to have been established in the Lothians. The church was situated on the same site as the present-day parish church, on Queen's Road just south 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 ecc ...

town centre.

History

The first mention of a church at Dunbar came in 1176 in the Taxatio 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 ...

when the church was described as ''Eclessia de Dunbar.'' This church, dedicated to St. Bega, served the parish as a whole until 1342 and its foundation as a collegiate church. On 21 April 1342, Patrick, 9th Earl of Dunbar was granted by charter, his right to the proprietorship of the church. The church would have a dean, archdean and eight

prebendaries A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the ...

with responsibility to Dunbar, these being Spott, Belton, Pinkerton, Linton, Chirnside, Dunse, Stenton and Pitcox. The Dunbars were no strangers to the patronage of religious establishments, with the foundation of a house of Trinity friars in 1218, and then a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

of Carmelite monks in 1263, by the 6th and 7th earls respectively. Dunbar Collegiate continued as decreed until it became forfeit to the crown in 1435. For a while the church was 'enjoyed' by the

Duke of Albany Duke of Albany is a peerage title that has occasionally been bestowed on the younger sons in the Scottish and later the British royal family, particularly in the Houses of Stuart and Hanover. History The Dukedom of Albany was first granted ...

during the reign of King

James III of Scotland James III (10 July 1451/May 1452 – 11 June 1488) was King of Scots from 1460 until his death at the Battle of Sauchieburn in 1488. He inherited the throne as a child following the death of his father, King James II, at the siege of Roxburgh Ca ...

, before returning to the Dunbars. In 1483, it, once again, reverted to the crown and stayed that way until the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

in 1560.The History of Dunbar by James Miller (Dunbar)

Post Reformation

Dunbar Collegiate Church, unlike many other chapels, churches and monasteries in the area, was spared from the over-zealous exploits of the people as they rejoiced in the popular fury, laying waste and burning anything associated with old faith. The old church became, once again, the parish church, this time of the reformed faith. Much repair and renewal work had been carried out over the years, the building looked like a hybrid of Saxon, Gothic and Norman architecture. In 1779 the church was almost totally rebuilt. Then in 1819–1821 a new church was built, and opened on 20 April 1821 with the Reverend John Jaffray the first minister at the new building. There is a magnificent monument in the church to a tireless servant of James VI and I,

George Hume, 1st Earl of Dunbar George Home, 1st Earl of Dunbar, Order of the Garter, KG, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, PC (ca. 155620 January 1611) was, in the last decade of his life, the most prominent and most influential Scotsman in England. His work lay in the King ...

(1556-1611), High

Treasurer of Scotland The Treasurer was a senior post in the pre-Act of Union 1707, Union government of Scotland, the Privy Council of Scotland. Lord Treasurer The full title of the post was ''Lord High Treasurer, Comptroller, Collector-General and Treasurer of the Ne ...

and

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...

of England.

Noted Cleric

Columba de Dunbar Columba de Dunbar ( 1386 – 1435) was Bishop of Moray from 1422 until his death at Spynie Palace near Elgin sometime before 7 November 1435. Columba was "of Royal race", the third "lawful son of George de Dunbar, 10th Earl of March" and his ...

became dean of the Collegiate Church in 1412 before taking up at the post of

Bishop of Moray The Bishop of Moray or Bishop of Elgin was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Moray in northern Scotland, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. If the foundation charter of the monastery at Scone is reliable, then the Bishopric of Moray ...

Elgin Cathedral Elgin Cathedral is a historic ruin in Elgin, Moray, north-east Scotland. The cathedral—dedicated to the Holy Trinity—was established in 1224 on land granted by King Alexander II outside the burgh of Elgin and close to the River Lossie. I ...

where he died in 1435. He is buried in the Dunbar Aisle at the great cathedral. Hooper family site

References

External links

More photos from geograph
{{coord, 55.99911, N, 2.51179, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Category A listed buildings in East Lothian Churches in East Lothian Collegiate churches in Scotland Listed churches in Scotland Dunbar

History

Post Reformation

Noted Cleric

See also

References

External links