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In Promptu (In readiness)
The Dunbars descend from Gospatric, Earl of Northumberland, who was deprived of that title by William the Conqueror in 1072 and fled to Scotland, where Malcolm III granted him the lands and earldom of Dunbar; his descendants were Earls of Dunbar and were also styled Earls of March. In 1320 Patrick Dunbar, Earl of March, was among the earls named in the Declaration of Arbroath, and in 1338 Agnes Randolph, 'Black Agnes', held Dunbar Castle through a five-month English siege. James I forfeited the earldom in 1435, but the Mochrum branch of the family, made baronets in 1694, continues as the chiefly line today.
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Crest & Motto
The motto of Clan Dunbar is In Promptu (In readiness). It appears on the Clan Dunbar crest badge: the chief’s heraldic crest set inside a strap and buckle that carries the motto.
In Scotland a crest belongs to the chief, not to everyone with the surname. Clan members may wear the crest badge, with the crest inside the strap and buckle, to show that they belong to the clan. The plain crest without the strap remains the chief’s own.
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View all Dunbar productsGospatric is granted the lands and earldom of Dunbar by Malcolm III[7]
Patrick Dunbar, Earl of March, is named among the sealers of the Declaration of Arbroath[4]
'Black Agnes' Randolph holds Dunbar Castle against the Earl of Salisbury from 13 January to 16 June[6][7]
James I forfeits the earldom of Dunbar and the title comes to an end[7]
Sir Alexander Dunbar of Westfield becomes the first of the Mochrum baronets[7]
Map outline: Natural Earth (public domain). Pins use official Historic Environment Scotland grid references.
These family names are connected with Clan Dunbar. Each list says who records the link.
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Gospatric, Earl of Northumberland, who fled to Scotland after being deprived of that title in 1072 and was granted the lands and earldom of Dunbar by Malcolm III.
Agnes Randolph, wife of Patrick Dunbar, 9th Earl of Dunbar and 2nd Earl of March, who held Dunbar Castle against an English army under the Earl of Salisbury from 13 January until 16 June 1338.
James I forfeited it in 1435 and the title came to an end.
Sir James Michael Dunbar, 14th Baronet of Mochrum.
"In Promptu", meaning 'in readiness'.
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Clan HomeClan Home descends from the same ancestor, Gospatric: Patrick, second son of the 3rd Earl of Dunbar, married his cousin Ada and gained with her the lands of Home in Berwickshire.