Dunbar

Dunbar, a royal, parliamentary, and municipal burgh and port, in the county of Haddington, Scotland, occupies an elevated site on the mouth of the Firth of Forth, about 29 miles N.E. of Edinburgh, with which city it is connected by the North British Railway. The castle, now in ruins, was a famous Stronghold in the middle of the 9th century, and the town was made a royal burgh by David II. After the defeat of Balliol (1296) it was taken by Edward I., and Edward II. took refuge there in his flight from Bannockburn. Black Agnes of Dunbar, Countess of March, defended the place against Salisbury in 1337, and it often served as a retreat to Mary Queen of Scots. The castle was destroyed by the Regent Murray in 1567. Cromwell routed the Scots at "the race of Dunbar" in 1658. Among other relics of antiquity are the ruins of the Grey Friars convent, and the mansion of the Lauderdales. On the site of the old collegiate church stands the modern parish church, with a lofty tower that serves as a landmark. Herring fishery and shipbuilding are the chief industries, but there are a few foundries, distilleries, and breweries. The harbour, once limited and shallow, and always difficult of access, has been improved of late years. In conjunction with Haddington, Jedburgh, Lauder, and North Berwick, Dunbar returns one member to Parliament.