Patrick IV Dunbar, 7th/8th Earl of Dunbar, Earl of March

Patrick IV, Earl of March (1242 – 10 October 1308), sometimes called Patrick de Dunbar "8th" Earl of March, was the most important magnate in the border regions of Scotland. He was one of the Competitors for the Crown of Scotland.

Patrick de Dunbar, 7th Earl of Dunbar was born circa 1242.2 He was the son of Patrick de Dunbar, 6th Earl of Dunbar and Cecil Fraser.2 He married Lady Marjory Comyn, daughter of Alexander Comyn, 6th Earl of Buchan and Elizabeth de Quincy, before 1282.3 He died on 10 October 1308.4

Patrick de Dunbar, 7th Earl of Dunbar also went by the nick-name of Patrick 'Black-Beard'.3 He succeeded to the title of 7th Earl of Dunbar [Scotland., c. 1115] on 24 August 1289.1 He was created 1st Earl of March [Scotland] circa 1290.1 In 1291 he was a claimant to the vacant Scottish Crown but quite soon dropped the claim.3 In 1296 he allied himself with the English in their war against the Scots.3 He held the office of King's Lieutenant of Scotland in 1298, for King Edward I.3 He fought in the Siege of Carlaverock in 1300, for the English.3

Children of Patrick de Dunbar, 7th Earl of Dunbar and Lady Marjory Comyn

• Sir Alexander Dunbar+5 d. a 1331
• Patrick de Dunbar, 8th Earl of Dunbar+6 b. c 1285, d. 11 Nov 1368

Citations

1. [S11] Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy (London, U.K.: The Bodley Head, 1999), page 214. Hereinafter cited as Britain's Royal Families.
2. [S6] G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume IV, page 506. Hereinafter cited as The Complete Peerage.
3. [S37] Charles Mosley, editor, Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes (Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 1, page 1207. Hereinafter cited as Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 107th edition.
4. [S6] Cokayne, and others, The Complete Peerage, volume IV, page 507.
5. [S37] Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 107th edition, volume 1, page 1205.
6. [S37] Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 107th edition.

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From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_IV,_Earl_of_March

Patrick IV, Earl of March (1242 – October 10, 1308), sometimes called Patrick de Dunbar "8th" Earl of March,[1][2][3][4][5] was the most important magnate in the border regions of Scotland. He was one of the Competitors for the Crown of Scotland.

Said to be aged 47 at his father's death, Sir Patrick de Dunbar, Knight, Earl of Dunbar, had livery of his father's lands on May 14, 1290. It appears that this Earl of Dunbar assumed the additional alternate title Earl of March, as he appeared designated Comes de Marchia at the parliament at Brigham in 1290,[6] for the purpose of betrothing the Princess Margaret to the son of King Edward I of England. (This failed to come about).

He was one of the Competitors for the Crown of Scotland in 1291, when he entered a formal claim in right of his great-grandmother, Ada, Countess of Dunbar, an illegitimate daughter of William The Lion, King of Scots.[7] Like so many Scottish noblemen, including the Bruces, Dunbar held lands in England also which required knights' services, and he was summoned by King Edward I in 1294 to assist him at war in Gascony.

The Earl of Dunbar and March, with the Earl of Angus, Robert Bruce the elder, and Bruce, Earl of Carrick, swore fealty to the English King at Wark on March 25, 1296. In this turbluent year he appears to have been betrayed by his wife, who took the Scottish side and retained the castle of Dunbar for Balliol, but was obliged to surrender it to King Edward I of England in April 1296.[7] In 1297 it appears that the Earl ceased his allegiance to Edward I, held his lands of the Scottish Crown, and was favourably received by Sir William Wallace, with whom he had been in bitter battle the previous year!

In 1298 he was King's Lieutenant for Scotland, and in 1300 was present at the siege of Caerlaverock Castle, with his eldest son and heir, Patrick.

Family

The Earl married, before 1282, Marjorie, daughter of Alexander Comyn, Earl of Buchan[8] by his spouse Elizabeth,[9] daughter of Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester by Ellen of Galloway.[10][11][12]

They had known issue:

1. Patrick V, Earl of March (1285–1369).
2. John de Dunbar of Derchester & Birkynside, father of George de Dunbar, 10th Earl of March.
3. George de Dunbar, ancestor of the Mochrum family.[13]
4. Cecilia (married James Stewart, 5th High Steward)
5. Isabella (married Roger Fitzjohn, 4th Baron Clavering)

• Preceded by Patrick III ? Earl of Dunbar/March 1289–1308
• Succeeded by Patrick V

Notes:

Richardson, Douglas, Magna Carta Ancestry, Baltimore, 2005, pps:60 & 209, ISBN 0806301759-0 where he is given as the 8th Earl of Dunbar or March ^ Anderson, Wiliam, The Scottish Nation, Edinburgh, 1867, vol.iv,p.74, where he is given as the 8th Earl of Dunbar and his year of death said to be 1309 ^ Bain (1888) vol.iv ^ Miller, James, The History of Dunbar, Haddington, 1830, p.25, where he is given as the 8th Earl of Dunbar and March (called Blackbeard) ^ Dunbar, Sir Alexander H., Scottish Kings, Edinburgh, 1899, p.282, where he is given as Patric de Dunbar, 8th Earl of March. ^ Anderson (1867), vol.iv,p.74 ^ a b Anderson (1867), vol.iv, p.74 ^ Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, 2005:60 ^ Burke, Sir Bernard, Ulster King of Arms, The Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited, and Extinct Peerages of the British Empire, London, 1883: 447 ^ Riddell, Robert, of Glenriddell, The Lordship of Galloway, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, November 1787 ^ Burke, Sir Bernard, Ulster King of Arms, The Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited, and Extinct Peerages of the British Empire, London, 1883: 447 - the 1st of de Quincey's 3 wives ^ Anderson, Alan O., M.A., Scottish Annals from English Chroniclers, 500 to 1286, London, 1908: 358 - where she is named as Helen ^ Burke, Sir Bernard, Ulster King of Arms, The Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited, and Extinct Peerages of the British Empire, London, 1883: 606

References:

Miller, James, The History of Dunbar, Dunbar, 1830, pps: 24 - 34. Bain, Joseph, Calendar of Documents relating to Scotland, vol.IV, 1357–1509, pps.xx - xxiv, Edinburgh, 1888, for relationships in this Dunbar family refer to the 'Introduction' with other references in the main sections of the volume. Dunbar, Sir Archibald H., Bt., Scottish Kings, a Revised Chronology of Scottish History, 1005 - 1625, Edinburgh, 1899, pps: 87-93 and 282.

Notes ◦This Alexander is shown by Burkes Peerage 1999 (Dunbar of Mochrum) as brother of Patrick, the Earl who married Agnes Randolph, rather than his uncle as we show here. We are following The Scots Peerage (Dunbar) & Nigel Tranter's novel "True Thomas" which show Alexander as younger son of the 7th Earl.

Sources

1.[S235] http://www.dcs.hull.ac.uk/cgi-bin/gedlkup/n=royal?royal37864, (Website defunct as at 18 Mar 2008) 2.[S265] Colquoun_Cunningham.ged, Jamie Vans

3.[S280] Stirnet Genealogy, Peter Barns-Graham, Dunbar01 (Reliability: 3)

Sir Patrick 'black beard' de Dunbar, 8th Earl of Dunbar, 1st Earl of March

Sources 1.[S660] The Complete Peerage vol.IV

2.[S525] Colquoun_Cunningham.ged, Jamie Vans

3.[S492] http://www.dcs.hull.ac.uk/cgi-bin/gedlkup/n=royal?royal37864, (Website defunct as at 18 Mar 2008)

4.[S541] Stirnet Genealogy, Peter Barns-Graham, Dunbar01 (Reliability: 3)

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competitors_for_the_Crown_of_Scotland

There were fourteen nobles who put themselves forward as candidates for the throne, as follows:[6]

Patrick Dunbar, 7th Earl of Dunbar, son of Patrick, 6th Earl of Dunbar, son of Patrick, 5th Earl of Dunbar, son of Ada, natural daughter of King William the Lion. His other claim was as the agnate of the House of Dunkeld, being (a) the closest agnate, and (b) a candidate based on tanistry of agnates of the house where Alexander III belonged to. He descended, in an allegedly legitimate unbroken male line, from a younger brother of King Duncan I of Scotland (who allegedly also was a younger son of Bethóc, the male line being that of Lords of Dunbar, originally Earls of Northumbria, later Earls of Dunbar (see Earl of March). His son became recognized as the Earl of the Scottish Marches. Also, an additional claim in his favour was that made by his wife, Marjory, daughter of Alexander Comyn, Earl of Buchan, allegedly descended from King Donald III.