BattlefieldsRaid on Dunbar by English fleet 1338
Medieval

Raid on Dunbar by English fleet 1338

1338
East Lothian, Scotland
Also known as: Siege of Dunbar Castle 1338 · Black Agnes defence of Dunbar 1338
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Siege
Location
East Lothian, Scotland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
England (Salisbury)
Forces
Dunbar garrison under Agnes Randolph
VS
Victor
Scotland (Black Agnes — Agnes Randolph, Countess of Dunbar)
Forces
English siege force under Salisbury
Outcome
Five-month English siege of Dunbar Castle repelled by its countess Agnes Randolph; English withdrew in failure
The Battle

History & Significance

One of the most celebrated defences in Scottish history. Agnes Randolph — Countess of Dunbar and niece of Thomas Randolph — held Dunbar Castle for five months against the Earl of Salisbury. When English siege engines battered the walls, Agnes appeared with her ladies on the battlements theatrically dusting the stones with handkerchiefs. When an English prisoner was brought up to the walls as a bargaining chip, she refused to negotiate. Salisbury composed a verse about her: She kept a stir in tower and trench / That brawling, boasting, English wench.

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