Clan Dunbar
Encyclopedia
Origins of the Clan
The Clan Dunbar descends from Gospatric, Earl of NorthumbriaGospatric, Earl of Northumbria
Gospatric or Cospatric , , was Earl of Northumbria, or of Bernicia, and later lord of sizable estates around Dunbar...
, grandson of Crínán of Dunkeld
Crínán of Dunkeld
Crínán of Dunkeld was the lay abbot of the diocese of Dunkeld, and perhaps the Mormaer of Atholl. Crínán was progenitor of the House of Dunkeld, the dynasty which would rule Scotland until the later 13th century....
and Seneschal of the Isles and nephew to King Duncan I of Scotland
Duncan I of Scotland
Donnchad mac Crínáin was king of Scotland from 1034 to 1040...
, who became Earl of Northumberland
Earl of Northumberland
The title of Earl of Northumberland was created several times in the Peerages of England and Great Britain, succeeding the title Earl of Northumbria. Its most famous holders were the House of Percy , who were the most powerful noble family in Northern England for much of the Middle Ages...
after his father’s death. William the Conqueror deprived Gospatric of the title in 1072, and he fled back to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. King Malcolm III of Scotland
Malcolm III of Scotland
Máel Coluim mac Donnchada , was King of Scots...
granted Gospatric lands in Dunbar, thus creating him Earl of Dunbar
Earl of Dunbar
The title Earl of Dunbar, also called Earl of Lothian or Earl of March, was the head of a comital lordship in south-eastern Scotland between the early 12th century and the early 15th century. The first man to use the title of Earl in this earldom was Gospatric II, Earl of Lothian, son of Gospatric,...
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Wars of Scottish Independence
Patrick, the 8th Earl of Dunbar was also called the Earl of MarchEarl of March
The title The Earl of March has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of England. The title derived from the "marches" or boundaries between England and either Wales or Scotland , and was held by several great feudal families which owned lands in those border...
. Patrick was one of the competitors for the crown of Scotland. However he withdrew his claim and swore allegiance to King Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
. Patrick's son also swore fealty to King Edward II of England
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
. However he later signed the Declaration of Arbroath
Declaration of Arbroath
The Declaration of Arbroath is a declaration of Scottish independence, made in 1320. It is in the form of a letter submitted to Pope John XXII, dated 6 April 1320, intended to confirm Scotland's status as an independent, sovereign state and defending Scotland's right to use military action when...
in 1320 for Scottish Independence.
During the Wars of Scottish Independence
Wars of Scottish Independence
The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the independent Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries....
Patrick's son married the daughter of Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray
Earl of Moray
The title Earl of Moray has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland.Prior to the formal establishment of the peerage, Earl of Moray, numerous individuals ruled the kingdom of Moray or Mormaer of Moray until 1130 when the kingdom was destroyed by David I of Scotland.-History of the...
, the famous Black Agnes. It was she who successfully defended Dunbar Castle
Dunbar Castle
Dunbar Castle is the remnants of one of the most mighty fortresses in Scotland, situated over the harbour of the town of Dunbar, in East Lothian.-Early history:...
against the English in 1338. However the Dunbars were not supporters of Robert the Bruce
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and...
. The Dunbars also fought against the English at the Battle of Otterburn
Battle of Otterburn
The Battle of Otterburn took place on the 5 August 1388, as part of the continuing border skirmishes between the Scottish and English.The best remaining record of the battle is from Jean Froissart's Chronicles in which he claims to have interviewed veterans from both sides of the battle...
in 1388 with the Earl of Douglas
James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas
Sir James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas and Mar 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 Douglas and Margaret, Countess of Mar...
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15th Century & Earldoms
Patrick and Agnes had no heirs so The Earldom of Moray passed to Agnes' younger sister,Isobell. Isobell was married to Patrick's cousin George so their children were Dunbars. The Earldom of Dunbar went to their eldest son, George Dunbar, and the Earldom of Moray to his brother John Dunbar. The earldom of Dunbar was forfeited in 1435 by King James I of ScotlandJames I of Scotland
James I, King of Scots , was the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond. He was probably born in late July 1394 in Dunfermline as youngest of three sons...
who saw the Earldom as powerful threat and so the title came to an end.
John the Earl of Moray married Marjorie, the daughter of King Robert II of Scotland
Robert II of Scotland
Robert II became King of Scots in 1371 as the first monarch of the House of Stewart. He was the son of Walter Stewart, hereditary High Steward of Scotland and of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I and of his first wife Isabella of Mar...
and they had two sons. Their sons were Thomas and James. Thomas married the heiress of Frendraught. James became the 4th Earl of Moray
Earl of Moray
The title Earl of Moray has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland.Prior to the formal establishment of the peerage, Earl of Moray, numerous individuals ruled the kingdom of Moray or Mormaer of Moray until 1130 when the kingdom was destroyed by David I of Scotland.-History of the...
and was the last in that male line. James was murdered in 1429 and the Earldom of Moray passed down through the daughters line. Sir Alexander of Westfield, John's son from his second marriage, became the 1st Baron of Mochrum in 1694, ancestor to the hereditary Sheriffs of Moray.
16th Century & Clan Conflicts
The Dunbars prospered in Moray despite a feud with the Clan InnesClan Innes
Clan Innes is a Scottish clan. The clan is without a chief that is recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms therefore it can be considered an armigerous clan. The clan takes its name from the lands of Innes in Moray, Scotland....
. Many cadet branches of the Dunbars were founded.
The Baronets of Durn, of Northfield and of Hempriggs in Caithness. Gavin Dunbar of the Mochrum family was appointed Archbishop of Glasgow and Lord Chancellor of Scotland in the reign of James V, while his exact namesake of the Westfield family was Bishop of Aberdeen and uncle to another Gavin Dunbar, tutor of the young King James V of Scotland
James V of Scotland
James V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss...
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In 1598 the Clan Dunbar lands were raided by the Clan Cameron
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 is the mountain Ben Nevis which is the highest mountain in the British Isles. The chief of the clan is customarily referred to as...
. 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. http://www.clan-cameron.org/battles/1598.html
Clan Dunbar today
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 ForceUnited States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
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