Clan Dunbar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Clan Dunbar |
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| Dunbarra | |||
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| Motto | In Promptu ( In readiness) | ||
| Profile | |||
| Region | Lowlands | ||
| District | Dumfries and Galloway | ||
| Chief | |||
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| Sir James Michael Dunbar | |||
| 14th Baronet of Mochrum and 39th Hereditary Chief of the Name and Arms of Dunbar | |||
| Seat | Mochrum Castle | ||
| Historic seat | Dunbar Castle | ||
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Clan Dunbar is a Scottish clan from the Scottish Lowlands. Clans are like big families or groups of people who share a common ancestor and a strong sense of identity. The Dunbar clan has a long and interesting history, with roots going back many centuries in Scotland.
Contents
History of Clan Dunbar
Early Beginnings
The leaders of Clan Dunbar come from very old Celtic families. The town and port of Dunbar have played a big part in Scottish history many times.
A man named Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria was given lands in Dunbar by Malcolm III of Scotland. This happened around the year 1072. Later, in 1128, Gospatric's son, Gospatric II, Earl of Lothian, was present when Holyrood Abbey was founded. He was also given the important rank of earl.
Around 1184, Patrick of Dunbar married Ada, who was the daughter of William the Lion, a Scottish king. Patrick was made a judge for the Lothian area. Patrick's daughter later received the lands of Home as part of her marriage gift. This led to the family line that became the Earls of Home much later. Patrick's son, also named Patrick, went on a Crusade and died in 1248 during the Siege of Damietta.
Battles for Scottish Freedom
During the Wars of Scottish Independence, a time when Scotland fought for its freedom from England, Patrick Black Beard, Earl of Dunbar was one of the people who wanted to become King of Scotland in 1291. He claimed the throne through his royal grandmother.
Patrick's wife was from Clan Comyn. She held Dunbar Castle for John Balliol, who was the King of Scotland at the time. However, she had to give up the castle in April 1296.
Later, Patrick, Earl of Dunbar helped Edward II of England escape after the famous Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. Some historians believe that if Dunbar had captured Edward, it might have forced Edward to make peace with Robert the Bruce, which could have stopped more fighting. Even though this seemed like a betrayal, Dunbar later made peace with his cousin, King Robert. He was present at an important meeting in Ayr in 1315.
Dunbar was later put in charge of Berwick, a town that was then attacked by Edward III of England. Dunbar surrendered to the English. But then he changed his mind and said he would no longer support the English king. Because of this, his own castle was attacked by the Earl of Salisbury.
The castle was defended by Dunbar's brave wife, Black Agnes. The English attacked with all the powerful siege machines of the 1300s, including a huge machine called a "Sow". But Black Agnes personally directed her defenders to throw large rocks from the castle walls, destroying the machine! The attack lasted for nineteen weeks. Finally, the Earl of Salisbury gave up and left, with Agnes still holding her husband's castle. When the English ran away, Agnes is said to have joked, "Behold the litter of the English pigs!"
The tenth Earl of Dunbar owned a lot of land and was one of the most powerful nobles in Scotland. He fought in the Battle of Otterburn in 1388. This Earl tried to arrange for his daughter to marry a son of Robert III of Scotland. However, because of the influence of the powerful Clan Douglas, the marriage did not happen.
The 1400s
George, the 11th Earl of Dunbar, inherited his father's huge estates in 1420. He was important in public life, but his great wealth eventually caused his downfall. James I of Scotland wanted the Dunbar lands. He put the earl in prison, saying he had committed treason. The lands were then taken by the Crown. George was the last Earl of Dunbar.
The 1500s
There were several other important branches of Clan Dunbar. These included the Dunbars of Mochrum (who are the current chiefs), the Dunbars of Northfield, Hempriggs, Durn, and Both. Each of these branches had a leader who achieved the rank of baronet. A baronet is a special title, like a knight, that can be passed down in a family.
During the time of James V of Scotland, Gavin Dunbar (archbishop of Glasgow) became very important. He was a younger son of Sir John Dunbar of Mochrum. He studied at the University of Glasgow and became a church leader in 1514. In 1524, he was made Archbishop of Glasgow. However, he was criticized for his part in the persecution of Protestants, which was started by Cardinal Beaton.
In 1513, Sir John Dunbar of Mochrum, in Wigtownshire, was killed at the Battle of Flodden.
In 1598, the lands of George Dunbar of Moyness were raided by the Clan Cameron. Many Camerons were involved in this attack, including Allan Cameron, who was the chief of Clan Cameron. They burned several homes and took many horses and other valuable items.
The 1600s and 1700s
In 1694, Sir James Dunbar of Mochrum was given the title of Baronet of Nova Scotia. This was a special title created for people who helped with the Scottish colony in Nova Scotia (now part of Canada). The second baronet, who inherited the title, served with great honor in the cavalry (soldiers on horseback) of the Duke of Marlborough. He was recognized as the clan chief after Ludovic Dunbar died in 1744.
Clan Chief Today
Sir Jean Ivor Dunbar was the 13th Baronet of Mochrum and the official leader of Clan Dunbar. After he passed away in 1993, the title went to his son, Sir James Michael Dunbar. He is now the 14th Baronet of Mochrum and the 39th Hereditary Chief of the Name and Arms of Dunbar. He used to be a Colonel in the United States Air Force.
His chiefship was officially confirmed after a famous court case in 1990. The case was heard by the Lord Lyon King of Arms (who is in charge of Scottish heraldry and clans), then by the Supreme Court in Edinburgh, and finally by the House of Lords in London, where it was decided.
Clan Castles
- Mochrum Castle is the home of the current chiefs of Clan Dunbar, the Dunbars of Mochrum.
- Dunbar Castle was the original home of the chiefs of Clan Dunbar, the Earls of Dunbar.
See also
