Patrick Dunbar, 6th Earl of Dunbar ★

Born Abt in Scotland. He married Before 1240, to Cecily, daughter of John FitzRobert, Lord of Warkworth. He died August 24, 1289, at Whittingehame, Scotland.

Family Background

Patrick was born around 1213, son of Patrick II, Earl of Dunbar, and Euphemia de Brus, descending through Patrick I and Waltheof back to Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria. His family controlled the feudal barony of Dunbar in East Lothian and dominated the Scottish Borders militarily for generations.

Political Power and Regency

Patrick performed homage to Henry III of England in 1249 for his English lands, and in 1255 helped engineer the dismissal of the powerful Comyn faction from the Scottish government, being named Regent and Guardian of the young King and Queen that same year. His ascendancy proved short-lived: by 1258 the Comyns had regained control and pushed him out of government.

Military and Diplomatic Career

Patrick commanded the left division of the Scottish army at the Battle of Largs in 1263, the same year he founded a Carmelite monastery at Dunbar. His seal appears on the 1266 Treaty of Perth, by which Norway ceded the Hebrides and the Isle of Man to Scotland, and he remained politically prominent into old age, signing the 1281 marriage contract between Princess Margaret of Scotland and Eric of Norway, and attending the 1284 parliament at Scone that declared Margaret heir to the Scottish throne.

Marriages and Children

Patrick married twice: first, before 1240, to Cecily, daughter of John FitzRobert of Warkworth; and later to Christiana, daughter of Robert de Brus "the Competitor," though some sources dispute whether this second marriage is accurately recorded. His children included Patrick IV, who succeeded him as 4th Earl and played a prominent role in the succession disputes following Alexander III's death, along with sons John and Alexander and daughters Agnes and Cecily, the latter marrying James Stewart, 5th High Steward of Scotland.

Death

Patrick died August 24, 1289, at Whittingehame, and was buried at Dunbar, having held the earldom for roughly sixty years.