Thomas (Dunbar) Dunbar Second Earl Of Moray (abt. 1371 - bef. 1422)

Ancestors

Descendants

Died before 9 Aug 1422 before about age 51 in Scotland [uncertain]

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Thomas (Dunbar) Dunbar Second Earl Of Moray was descended from a signer of the Declaration of Arbroath. Join: Scotland Project Discuss: Scotland

Biography

Thomas (Dunbar) Dunbar Second Earl Of Moray is a member of Clan Dunbar.

Family

Thomas was the eldest son and heir of John Dunbar, earl of Moray, and Marjorie Stewart.^[1] His parents married after 11 July 1370 (date of papal dispensation) so Thomas's birth would likely have been in 1371.^[1][2] He had clearly reached majority by 15 February 1392, when having already succeeded his father he granted the lands of the two Fochabers to Gilbert of Glencairnie in exchange for Glencairnie.^[3][4]

Life Events

Thomas Dunbar was instrumental in achieving peace in northern Scotland when he arranged for two warring clans to settle their dispute once and for all in a trial by combat, the victorious clan to be determined by the king. This encounter, later known as the Battle of the North Inch, occurred 28 September 1396.^[5]

On 27 January 1398/9 he was appointed one of the councilors tasked with assisting David, Duke of Rothesay, run the government while the king was unable to do so.^[6]

He participated in the battle of Homildon Hill 14 September 1402 and was taken prisoner by the English.^[3][7] He was released from captivity in July 1405.^[3][8]

Marriage and Children

Thomas, 2nd earl Moray, married sometime before 15 Feb 1392 Margaret, whose family is unknown.^[9][10] She was identified as his wife in the charter of that date (mentioned above), when a portion of the lands being exchanged appear to have been part of her dower and so the charter granted to "our[sic] spouse Margaret the lands of Dunkenedy and le Cayldecotys in compensation."^[9][4] There was at least one child from this marriage:

• Thomas Dunbar, 3rd earl Moray

Margaret is likely to have pre-deceased her husband, dying sometime before January 1421/2.^[11] (see Research Notes)

Death

The exact date of Thomas Dunbar's death is unknown. In June 1412 he had a safe conduct to make a pilgrimage to Amiens.^[12] He was living 3 June 1415, when a proposal was made to wed his son to Eufamia, Countess of Ross.^[13] After this time, both he and his son Thomas appear in a number of written records and it is difficult to distinguish between them. He is likely to be the person who granted sasine to Donald, thane of Cawdor, to the lands of Moy on 14 August 1419.^[14] But his son had succeeded him by 9 August 1422, when the 3rd earl of Moray entered into a contract with Hugh Fraser, Lord Lovat, for the marriage of Fraser's infant son and Dunbar's (future) daughter.^[15]

Research Notes

Conflation of two Margarets?

• The Scot's Peerage suggests this is the same Margaret, countess of Moray, who later married John Ogilvy of Lintrathen and Airlie, and continued receiving her terce from the earldom of Moray until her death in 1471.^[9][16] This appears to be an error which conflates two different Margarets. The Margaret married to the Earl Thomas who is the subject of this profile would, if she was of age when she married (before Feb 1392), have been nearly 100 years of age in 1471. This is not impossible, but highly unlikely. Stevens-17832 18:14, 15 October 2023 (UTC)

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scot's Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 6, p. 301
2. ↑ Cawley, Charles. Foundation for Medieval Genealogy online database. Earls of Moray (Dunbar).
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scot's Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 6, p. 302
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Fraser, Sir William. Chiefs of Grant. Edinburgh: by the author (1883), vol. 3, pp. 13-14. Charter by Marjorie, Countess of Moray, and Thomas of Dunbar, Earl of Moray, to Gilbert of Glencherny, of the two Fochabers, in excambion for the lands of Glencherny. 15th Feb 1391.
5. ↑ Fordun, John de. Scotichronicon. (Walter Bower, ed.) Edinburgh: Robert Flaminil (1759), vol. 2, p. 420.
6. ↑ Acta Parl. Scot., i:572, as cited in Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scot's Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 6, p. 302
7. ↑ Bain, Joseph (ed). Calendar of Documents Relating to Scotland. Edinburgh: H.M. General Register House (1881), vol. 4, p. 129, #620, 621.
8. ↑ Bain, Joseph (ed). Calendar of Documents Relating to Scotland. Edinburgh: H.M. General Register House (1881), vol. 4, p. 142, #684.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2} Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scot's Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 6, p. 303
10. ↑ Cokayne, George Edward. The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, extant, extinct, or dormant... London: St Catherine Press (1936), vol. 9, p. 174.
11. ↑ Richardson, Douglas. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham. Salt Lake City: the author (2013), vol. 1, pp. 631-632 BRUS 10.vi.a.Thomas Dunbar.
12. ↑ Bain, Joseph (ed). Calendar of Documents Relating to Scotland. Edinburgh: H.M. General Register House (1881), vol. 4, p. 166, #826.
13. ↑ Regesta Avenion., lib. 347, f.356, as cited in Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scot's Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 6, p. 302
14. ↑ Cawdor, Earl John F.V.C. The Book of the thanes of Cawdor. Edinburgh: Spaulding Club (1859), p. 8.
15. ↑ Miscellany of the Spalding Club. Aberdeen: printed for the Club (1852), vol. 5, pp. 256-257.
16. ↑ Rotuli Scaccarii Regum Scotorum. Edinburgh: H.M. General Register House (1883),vol. 6, p. 487, vol. 8, p. 84, p. 147.

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