John Dunbar, Earl of Moray (died between June 1391 and February 1392) was a Scottish nobleman.

Life

John Dunbar was the son of Sir Patrick Dunbar and Lady Isabella Randolph, a daughter of

Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray (c. 1285 20 July 1332) was a soldier and diplomat in the Wars of Scottish Independence, who later served as regent of Scotland. He was a nephew of Robert the Bruce, who created him as the first earl of M ...

, and a younger brother to

George I, Earl of March George de Dunbar, 10th Earl of Dunbar and March (1338–1422), 12th Lord of Annandale and Lord of the Isle of Man, was "one of the most powerful nobles in Scotland of his time, and the rival of the Douglases."Anderson (1867), vol.iv:74 Family ...

. Therefore, he was nephew of the previous

Earl of Moray The title Earl of Moray, or Mormaer of Moray (pronounced "Murry"), was originally held by the rulers of the Province of Moray, which existed from the 10th century with varying degrees of independence from the Kingdom of Alba to the south. Until ...

John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray (died 17 October 1346) was an important figure in the reign of David II of Scotland, and was for a time joint Regent of Scotland. Family He was son of the famous Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray, a companion-i ...

. However he did not inherit the earldom automatically. On his uncle's death it reverted to the crown, and was only awarded to him a few years later around 1374. The Earl of Moray was one of the senior commanders under

James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas Sir James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas and Earl of Mar, Mar (c. 1358 – 5 or 19 August 1388) was an influential and powerful magnate in the Kingdom of Scotland. Early life He was the eldest son and heir of William Douglas, 1st Earl of Dougl ...

, who led the raid into England in July–August 1388 that culminated at the

Battle of Otterburn The Battle of Otterburn, also known as the Battle of Chevy Chase, took place according to Scottish sources on 5 August 1388, or 19 August according to English sources, as part of the continuing border skirmishes between the Scots and Eng ...

, where he was in control of the right flank of the Scottish army. Some sources state that he spent the larger part of the fight without his helmet, because of the speed with which the English attacked. John Dunbar died between June 1391 and February 1392 from wounds received from the

Earl of Nottingham :''See also Earl of Winchilsea'' Earl of Nottingham is a title that has been created seven times in the Peerage of England. It was first created for John de Mowbray, 1st Earl of Nottingham, John de Mowbray in 1377, at the coronation of Richard ...

during a tournament.Magna Carta Ancestry by Douglas Richardson, edited by Kimball G. Everingham, 2011 at p.553. He married Marjorie Stewart, a daughter of

Robert II of Scotland Robert II (2 March 1316 – 19 April 1390) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Scots from 1371 to his death in 1390. The son of Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland, and Marjorie Bruce, Marjorie, daughter of King Robert the Bruce, h ...

. They had three sons (Thomas, 2nd or 5th Earl of Moray, depending on how you count, Alexander and James) and one daughter (Euphemia).

Depictions in fiction

He is an important character in ''Courting Favour'', a historical novel by

Nigel Tranter Nigel Tranter OBE (23 November 1909 – 9 January 2000) was a writer of a wide range of books on history and architecture, both fiction and non-fiction. He was best-known for his popular and well-researched historical novels, covering centurie ...

References

Notes

Sources

* Balfour Paul, Sir James. ''Scots Peerage'', IX vols. Edinburgh 1907. Sport deaths in Scotland

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

Earls of Moray 1390 deaths Year of birth unknown 14th-century Scottish earls {{Scotland-earl-stub