Dunbars History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

A Boernician family in ancient Scotland were the ancestors of those who first used the name Dunbars. They lived in the barony of Dunbar on the North Sea coast near Edinburgh. The place name comes from the Gaelic words dùn, meaning "a fort," and barr, meaning "top," or "summit."

Early Origins of the Dunbars family

The surname Dunbars was first found in the barony of Dunbar in the Lothians where they held a family seat from very ancient times; ever since the 11th century, when Cospatrick was deprived of his Earldom of Northumberland by William the Conqueror, and fled to Scotland.

There he was granted the lands of Dunbar and Lothian, Cumnock in Ayrshire, and Mochrum in Wigtown by Malcolm Ceanmore, the King of Scotland. Traditionally, the family descend from Crinan of Dunkeld, the Earl of Northumberland, ancestor of both King Duncan I (d. 1040) and the Earls Gospatrick, who were the later the Earls of March.

Of this line, Patrick V, Earl of March (c.1285-1369) gave English King Edward II sanctuary at the fortress of Dunbar Castle following the Battle of Bannockburn. He was one of the Scottish nobles, who signed, the declaration of Scottish independence to the Pope dated at Arbroath on 6 April 1320.

He was married to the infamous "Black Agnes," Agnes Dunbar, 4th Countess of Moray (1312-1369), "that brawling boisterous Scottish wench" as an English balladeer had called her. In the Earl's absence, she held Dunbar castle for several months before succumbing to the overwhelming English army in 1337. 1

Early History of the Dunbars family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dunbars research. Another 132 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1370, 1390, 1435, 1457, 1465, 1490, 1530, 1532, 1547, 1797 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Dunbars History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dunbars Spelling Variations

Spelling variations occur frequently in Scottish names that date from the medieval era. They result from a general lack of grammatical rules and the tendency to spell names according to sound. Dunbars has been spelled Dunbarr, Dumbar, Dumbare, Dumber, Dounber, Dunbar, Dounbar and many more.

Early Notables of the Dunbars family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

Another Gavin Dunbar (d. 1547), was tutor of James V, archbishop of Glasgow, and lord-chancellor of Scotland, was descended from the Dunbars of Mochrum, Wigtownshire, a branch of the Dunbars, earls of...

Migration of the Dunbars family to Ireland

Some of the Dunbars family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Dunbars family

In the 20th century, the ancestors of many of those Boernician-Scottish people still populate North America. They distributed themselves on either side of the border at the time of the War of Independence. United Empire Loyalists went north to Canada and those who wanted a new nation stayed south. Both groups went on to found great nations. Some of the first North American settlers with Dunbars name or one of its variants: William Dunbarr, who arrived in St. Christopher in 1635; William Dunbar, who settled in Virginia in 1650; Alexander Dunbarr, who settled in Virginia in 1654.

The Dunbars Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: In promptu
Motto Translation: In readiness.

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print