Gospatric I (Dunbar) Dunbar First Earl of Dunbar
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Gospatric (Dunbar) Dunbar First Earl of Dunbar (abt. 1040 - abt. 1074)

Earl Gospatric (Gospatric I) [uncertain] "Earl of Northumbria, Lord of Allerdale and Carlisle" Dunbar First Earl of Dunbar formerly Dunbar aka Mac Maldred
Born about in Northumberland, Englandmap [uncertain]
Ancestors ancestors
Husband of — married [date unknown] [location unknown]
Descendants descendants
Died about at about age 34 in Ubbanford (Norham), Scotlandmap
Profile last modified | Created 12 Sep 2010
This page has been accessed 48,993 times.
Scottish Clans
Gospatric I (Dunbar) Dunbar First Earl of Dunbar was a prominent member of a Scottish Clan.
Join: Scotland Project
Discuss: Scotland
Preceded by
Osulf
Earl of Northumbria
1067 - 1068
Succeeded by
Robert Comine
Preceded by
Robert Comine
Earl of Northumbria
1069 - 1072
Succeeded by
Waltheof
Preceded by
New Creation
1st Earl of Dunbar
after 1072
Succeeded by
Gospatric II

Contents

Biography

Gospatric I (Dunbar) Dunbar First Earl of Dunbar is a member of Clan Dunbar.

"He purchased the Earldom of Northumberland from William the Conqueror at Christmas 1067, but was deprived of it in 1072. He had a grant of 'Dunbar with the adjacent lands in Lothian' from his kinsman, King Malcolm III in 1072. Cospatrick later became a monk. His tombstone is now in the crypt of Durham Cathedral.[1]

[2]

There is no evidence that he was given the rank of Earl (Comes) of Dunbar. Rather he was invested in the feudal Lordship of Dunbar.

Parents

Previously, Disputed, but Feb-March discussions 2017, resulted in conclusion that Maldred was the father, and Maldred's spouse has been confirmed
Father: Maldred, Lord of Allerdale
Mother: Ealdgyth of Northumbria [3] [2]
Research on ancestry can be ongoing and discussion to be placed here. some changes in bio made end of March 2017

Marriage, Mistresses and Issue


(March 2017 reviewed and some Bio conclusions and statements were redrafted. Work in progress)
  • Aethelreda Wessex-311 has been returned as spouse. this is one of several important items to be reviewed and properly presented in the Profile Bio. Work in progress (Aug 2015)

Married: with Aethelreda now listed as spouse, it should be mentioned that the dispute was about past discussions that wife is Unknown, sister of Edmund. Parentage unknown. Her identity is known from charters confirmed King Stephen which prove Gospatric had married into the royal family but a name was not selected. [2]
Children of Gospatric by his wife: [2]
Children who are felt with certainty to be legitimate.
  • Gospatric. (Earl) of Cumberland, Died 22 Aug 1138 at the Battle of the Standard [4].
  • Waltheof, Baron of Allerdale, m. Sigrid; (inserted Feb 2017) His legitimacy is not questioned by Simeon of Durham, and is clearly supported by the solid recent historical source. [4]
Cawley puts Waltheof and Dolfin in the illegitimate category, however, I feel his discussion is not adequate on Waltheof. See Waltheof for expanded comments. [2]
Children of Gospatric and unknown or uncertain mother: [2]
These children will be considered by his wife
  • Ethelreda (alias: Octreda or Uhtreda)[5] [6]
m.1. Duncan of Scotland
m.2 (disputed) Waltheof (Father: Gillemin) [7] [8]
  • Gunhilda m. Orm (Father: Ketel) [2]
  • Matilda m. Dolfin (Father: Ailward) [2]
agreed that this eldest son is by wife
  • Dolfin (Earl) of Cumberland (d. after 1092) [4] [2]

Property

"A recently discovered document, shows that Gospatric was a large landowner in Cumberland. Before this, it was believed that his son Waldeve was the first holder of Allerdale. But the writ shows Gospatric exercising full rights before Henry I, who confirmed Waldeve's rights." [9]
After 1072, Malcolm gave Gospatric the earldom of Dunbar with lands in Lothian. [9]

Death

"According to the chronicler Hoveden,[10] Gospatric died at Ubbanford (Norham), and was buried in the porch of the church. .... This contradicts a tradition (confused with Gospatric III by Roger of Hovden), [11] that Gospatric died as a monk at Durham. He was allegedly buried there, commemorated in obituaries as 'comes et monachus,' ... and has a a tombstone bearing the inscription 'Gosparticus comes.' In 1821, it was found in the monks' burial-ground, and is now in the crypt of Durham cathedral. The circumstantial account of his death and burial at Norham (also confused with Gospatric III by Roger of Hoveden),[11] casts doubt on tradition without clear evidence." [9]

Timeline

  • 1061: accompanies Earl Tosti (Harold's brother) to Rome, where he tried to save the Earl's life, though the story may be told of the elder Gospatric, his uncle.
  • Late 1067 or 1068/9: made Earl of Northumberland by William the Conqueror
  • 1068: Conspiracy against Conqueror with Edgar the Etheling ... they ends up fleeling to Scotland in 1072.
  • 1069: Assists Dane invasion, supported by Edgar Aetheling. William puts down the rebellion. Gospatric makes peace by proxy.
  • 1071: escorts Bishop Walcher from York to Durham.
  • Oct or Nov 1072: Flees to Scotland; earldom stripped; charged with taking part in a massacre at Durham. Cousin Malcolm III grants him Dunbar with adjacent lands in Lothian.
  • c.1075: Presumed dead.

Research Notes

  • Chapter XXIX: Gospatric. "Biographical Notes on the Yorkshire Tenants Named in Domesday Book".
    • Yorkshire Archaeological and Topographical Journal. Vol. IV. Bradbury, Agnes, and Co., London, 1877, p. 384. [4]
"Although there may have been others of this name, only two are known by the chroniclers to have been adults at this time; they were cousins, nearly related to, and no doubt named after Gospatric, third son of Uchtred, earl of Northumberland, who was treacherously killed by order of queen Eadgith, at the king's court, on the fourth of Christmas, 1065."

Sources

  1. Scottish Kings, a Revised Chronology of Scottish History, 1005 - 1625 by Sir Archibald H. Dunbar, Bart., Edinburgh, 1899, pps:1 - 11.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Cawley. Medieval Lands: Gospatric Earl of Northumbria
  3. Wikipedia contributors, "Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, Gospatric(accessed March 11, 2021).
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 McGuigan. Neither Scotland nor England (PhD. Thesis, 2015):377
  5. Wikipedia: Ethelreda, daughter of Gospatric
  6. [1] Notes and Queries (February 1905).
  7. [2] Books.Google.com LINK to Unknown Book
  8. Ethelreda is called "Octreda" in the Dugale and Prescott versions of the Cronicon Cumbriæ.[3]
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 RootsWeb, Jim Weber Personal Site - contains good information on Gospatric
  10. Cokayne Peerage p504
  11. 11.0 11.1 Dunbar, Scottish Kings. (1906):49.
Footnotes and citations:
Source list:
  • Genealogical Collections concerning families in Scotland 1750-1 by Walter Macfarlane, edited by james Toshach Clark, Keeper of the Advocates' Library, Scottish History Society, Edinburgh, 1900, vol.2, p.513 - 530: 'Earls of Dunbar and March from Dugdale, Forden, the Chronicle of Melrose, the Chartularys of Melrose & Coldstream', &c.
  • Northumberland Families' by W. Percy Hedley, Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 1968, vol.i, pps: 10 and 235-241, which gives his year of death as 1074/5.
  • The Lordship of Galloway by Robert Riddell of Glenriddell, Society of Antiquaries, Edinburgh, Nov.1787.
  • The History of Dunbar by James Miller, Dunbar, 1830, pps: 9 - 12, who gives a date of death as "towards the conclusion of the eleventh century".
  • The Complete Peerage by G.E.Cockayne, edited by H. Arthur Doubleday & Lord Howard de Walden, Vol.IX, London, 1936, p.704-5.
  • Barlow, F. The Feudal Kingdom of England: 1042 - 1216, 2nd ed. (London: Lowe & Brydone Ltd., 1961):93, 108. archive.org.
  • Cokayne, G.E. The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct, or Dormant, Vol.4. p503-506,(London, 1910). LINK.
  • Dunbar, Sir Archibald Hamilton. Scottish Kings: A Revised Chronology of Scottish History, 1005-1625, with Notices of the Principal Events, Years, Pedigrees, Tables, Calendars, p4-7, (Edinburgh, 1906). Books.Google.com LINK
  • Leo van de Pas. Family line with sources for Gospatric, father Maldred, grandmother Bethoc, GGF Malcolm II. Online Forum Post, SGM, October 8 2012, Canberra Australia, soc.genealogy.medieval Forum
  • McGuigan, Neil. Neither Scotland nor England: Middle Britain, c.850-1150. (University of St Andrews, PhD. Thesis, 2015):278, 377. PhD. Thesis Online.
  • Orderic Vitalis
  • Roger of Hoveden, d. ca. 1201 "Chronica magistri Rogeri de Houedene"; p59; William Stubbs published 1868 Maldred & Gospatric Dunbar online text
  • Symeon of Durham, Thomas Arnold ed. Symeonis Monachi Opera Omnia: Historia Ecclesisae Dunhelmensis. (London, 1882): vol. 1, p. 216. Books.google.com LINK
  • Weis, F. L., Sheppard, W.L., Beall, W.R., & Beall, K.E. Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists who Came to America Before 1700: Lineages from Alfred the Great, Charlemagne, Malcolm of Scotland, Robert the Strong, and Other Historical Individuals. (Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004):49. Google Books Books.Googlr.com LINK.

Earl Gospatrick Fitz Maldred Lord of Allerdalei was born illegitimate between 1040 and 1048 at England.ii

As of Dec 1067, he was also known as Earl Gospatrick Earl of Northumberland He paid William I King of England a heavy fine so he could succeed as Earl of Northumberland, although he did have a hereditary claim through his mother's family.

Gospatrick rebelled against King William and joined the invading Norwegians who sailed up the river Humber and captured York by storm in Sep 1069.

Gospatrick Old charges were brought against him and he was deprived of the earldom of Northumberland, fleeing to Scotland. Simeon of Durham records that he fled to Malcolm King of Scotland who granted him "Dunbar with the lands adjacent in Lothian" between Oct 1072 and Nov 1072.

Earl Gospatrick Fitz Maldred Lord of Allerdale died in 1075.

  • Cawley, Charles. Medieval Lands: A prosopography of medieval European noble and royal families. Hosted online by the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy (FMG), accessed 2021. [5]




Comments: 37

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Cospatric (Gospatric) "Earl of Northumbria" Cospatric (FitzArkyl) FitzArchil

FitzArkyl-2 He looks to be the same man ? Father of Cospatric (FitzCospatric) de Dunbar FitzCospatric-1 and Dolfin (FitzCospatric) FitzGospatric FitzCospatric-2

posted by Colin Whitehead
The source of "Jim Weber Personal Site" hosed on Rootsweb no longer exists and was not archived on the Wayback Machine as far as I can tell. Would anyone have a replacement? See citation #3 and in the additional sources.
posted by Bobbie (Madison) Hall
The Chronicle of Hoveden referenced in connection with #3 can be found here: https://archive.org/details/annalsofrogerdeh01hoveuoft. This profile is in dreadful shape, and the huge sections that have been cut and paste under 'memories' are serious copyright violations and need to be removed.
posted by Jen (Stevens) Hutton
I agree this is hopefully not what the memories section is for!
posted by Andrew Lancaster
I have gone ahead and removed all the copyright violations cut and paste as 'memories.'
posted by Jen (Stevens) Hutton
Arms image has been removed. it had no significance. initial posting of it was hasty.

John Atkinson, Please Please dont jump into the maelstrom, by approving a change of LNAB. There was much much discussion about the pro and con of name selection on this individual back 6-7 years. I know the players have changed in the Medieval/Euroarista Wikiworld. I was a Euroarista volunteer who served as the Coordinator of the House of Dunbar. I may not have much tangible results, but one of the major ones was to make the case for the point at which the Clan or Family name is initiated. This was mostly about the payoff of having clarity and communication and buyin from the wide range of people in the community, it wasnt to be about policy. Those alternative names mean nothing in the community.......no judgement about your talent and knowledge and credentials John. I have none of that. In the past there was tons of duplication and variations of this profile that were double digit. New duplicates were arriving every 2-3 months. with resulting duplicates going down the line in descendants. As a result much of the family line was a major sore thumb image for Wikitree. I dont mind admitting and welcoming comments that Dunbar was acquired late, and it is taking some liberties on black letter "policy" . We have lived with it the other way. It was hopeless. This is a very significant individual in the regions history. And not really attached to the Scotland nationality. He was English, and the Dunbar line has its descent from him. Get more facts and better facts, Improve the narratives for the family, and communicate more about how the pieces of the puzzle fit together in the 11th 12th 13th century. dont Cancel the name at this time

posted by Marty Ormond
What possible evidence is there that this family carried Arms in the 11th century?
posted by Gregory Lauder-Frost
I notice that this profile is Project Protected but the LNAB would appear to be incorrect. I'm not sure what might be the best alternative (MacMaldred, FitzMaldred, Northumbria are a few suggestions) but he wasn't granted Dunbar until just before his death and I've not seen any reliable source that names him as Dunbar. Some decision needs to take place before the proposed merge happens.

I'm also unsure of the source for the death date of about 15 Dec 1074, the only date I have seen is about 1075.

posted by John Atkinson
I agree. This is a very grey area but he was never known with the surname de Dunbar. Probably his surname should be FitzMaldred. It is impossible he had the suffix Mac. He was not Gaelic! I just wonder where people get all this from.
posted by Gregory Lauder-Frost
Thanks Gregory, I agree that FitzMaldred is the best option for his LNAB. Can the Scotland Project please change this if they agree.
posted by John Atkinson
John Atkinson, Please Please dont jump into the maelstrom, by approving a change of LNAB. There was much much discussion about the pro and con of name selection on this individual back 6-7 years. I know the players have changed in the Medieval/Euroarista Wikiworld. I was a Euroarista volunteer who served as the Coordinator of the House of Dunbar. I may not have much tangible results, but one of the major ones was to make the case for the point at which the Clan or Family name is initiated. This was mostly about the payoff of having clarity and communication and buyin from the wide range of people in the community, it wasnt to be about policy. Those alternative names mean nothing in the community.......no judgement about your talent and knowledge and credentials John. I have none of that. In the past there was tons of duplication and variations of this profile that were double digit. New duplicates were arriving every 2-3 months. with resulting duplicates going down the line in descendants. As a result much of the family line was a major sore thumb image for Wikitree. I dont mind admitting and welcoming comments that Dunbar was acquired late, and it is taking some liberties on black letter "policy" . We have lived with it the other way. It was hopeless. This is a very significant individual in the regions history. And not really attached to the Scotland nationality. He was English, and the Dunbar line has its descent from him. Get more facts and better facts, Improve the narratives for the family, and communicate more about how the pieces of the puzzle fit together in the 11th 12th 13th century. dont Cancel the name at this time
posted by Marty Ormond
Dunbar-27 and Mac Maidred-1 appear to represent the same person because: same
posted on Mac Maidred-1 (merged) by Rose Edwards
Currently the only Earl of "Northumbria" in our Category system. Complete Peerage handles him under Northumberland which is the normal name for the Anglo-Norman Earldom. Northumbria tends to be used for the Anglo-Saxon kingdom, or in modern terminologies. Should we switch him to the medieval name? Reason for posting is that I just added the Earls of Northumberland to our Category system. I guess having both could create confusion?
posted by Andrew Lancaster
I plan to stay on as a manager. Although I have been limited in my time devoted in 2019-2020 to this early era, I have had a considerable involvement in prior years on this family, and served and the House of Dunbar coordinator, based on my pre 1500 work. I am eager to be involved in the ongoing work, and I appreciate the work of others that has supported this regional and genealogical work on various issues that intersect with the Dunbar descendants

Marty Ormond

posted by Marty Ormond
edited by Marty Ormond
Thank you, Marty. We appreciate your involvement even if it needs to remain limited. We encourage the pre-1500 badged members to remain as PM as they can assist with merging and are especially useful in finding sources for these ancient, shared ancestors.

Bobbie

posted by Bobbie (Madison) Hall
This profile has more than the recommended number of managers. We'd like to ask that if you're not currently researching it, don't have a pre-1500 badge, or have little interest in further development of it, that you'll consider changing yourself to the Trusted List.
Thank you,
Scotland Project Team
posted by Bobbie (Madison) Hall
I have reduced the number of Managers on this profile giving the most consideration to those with pre-1500 badges, those making the most significant contributions to its content, and Scotland/Clans Project members. Any PMs that I removed still remain on the Trusted List.

Thank you all for your contributions to this historically significant profile.

Scotland Project Team

posted by Bobbie (Madison) Hall
John Atkinson

I asked you in 2017 if you could merge this into Dunbar-27 That is where the descendants are

posted on Mac Maidred-1 (merged) by Marty Ormond
This Gospatric appears as the same as Mac_Maidred-1
This Gospatric appears as the same as Dunbar-27.
posted on Mac Maidred-1 (merged) by James LaLone (1946-2023)
reply to C Mackinnon:

I'll be happy to list Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 below with the other sources. I didn't have a member ID and password to pull up the exact entry. on the Gospatric profile and that of his wife it is acknowledged that a first name and exact data is unproven for wife. there are various levels of credibility and depth of research on the entire large Source list. Have to be prepared that none are perfect and some are full of holes. Easy label is "unproven". Discussion has led to listing the wife with a name. The most recent scholarly work that was studied is the McGuigan. "Neither Scotland nor England(2015)" primary sources and some secondary. The Bio wife qualifiers are Highlighted on the profile now. Thanks for your input

posted by Marty Ormond
ODNB says "the name of Gospatrick's wife in UNKNOWN" [William M. Aird, ‘Gospatric, earl of Northumbria (d. 1073x5)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 27 Sept 2017. WikiTree should not ignore such a scholarly work.
posted by C. Mackinnon
I'm going to give a heads up on another change on this profile page. It is a non genealogy change.

One of the thoughtful and very well versed Scottish history resources in the community brought attention to the fact that graphic Dunbar-918 doesn't fit with the timeframe of Gospatric Dunbar-27, and it isnt compatible with standards for display of family Arms.

Lets find some other options for the principal founder of the Clan/House of Dunbar.

as of this date I am going to remove graphic image Dunbar- 918 from Gospatric. The graphic remains in the Wikitree library

posted by Marty Ormond
I have posted a new important narrative on the G2G Forum regarding Gospatric Dunbar-27 Call for comments.

I particularly hope that Managers and other Trusted parties will be part of the discussion or at least lurking and looking. Changes here specifically about Waltheof are quite minor and can be reversed, expanded, improved. email me or post your thoughts on the community forum. Lots of other work, is the long term forecast. nothing is ever perfect, continuous improvement is my goal.

posted by Marty Ormond
We do want the merge of Unknown-280530 into Dunbar-27.

It needs to be set up so that it goes into Dunbar-27.

I had put myself on as temporary manager of the Unknown just so that we could get rid of this unnecessary profile thru a merge,

Thanks for getting this done

posted by Marty Ormond
Unknown-280530 and Dunbar-27 do not represent the same person because: these 2 profiles look like father + son, date of death is 3 decades apart
posted by Paul Lee
John Atkinson,

is this a profile that can be merged into Dunbar-27.

We have some other misc profiles that have been mentioned in recent days for merge or rebirth.

Marty Ormond

posted on Mac Maidred-1 (merged) by Marty Ormond
I agree that the Gospatric unknown has almost no contradictory Bio info nor dates.

However the children may be duplicated or not justified on this tree after we look at it. Waltheof on the Unkown has a birth date as does Eadwulf Rus. We may eliminate Eadwulf Rus. He would be a different timeline. sources such as the Neil McGuigan Thesis, that reveiws many historic Northumberland Cumberland Allerdale documents and significant lesser kings or dukes or other title holders. ie "The identity of Gospatric in the writ may be debated because no patronymic, but geography and chronology point overwhelmingly to Gospatric son of Maldred, who fathered Dolfin,Waltheof,& a younger Gospatric. The first, his eldest son, appears to have ruled in Carlisle when he was expelled by WilliamRufus in 1092.

posted by Marty Ormond
Unknown-280530 and Dunbar-27 appear to represent the same person because: The merging from profile has same is a small segment of 9 profiles that match profiles in the fuller tree of Dunbar-27.
posted by Marty (Lenover) Acks
Treehouse G2G discussion thread started Mar 10 2016, You can see the little star and link top right of this Profile.

http://www.wikitree.com/g2g/228261?show=228506#c228506

posted by Marty Ormond