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Dunbar Castle was one of the strongest fortresses in Scotland, situated in a prominent position overlooking the harbour of the town of Dunbar, in East Lothian. Several fortifications were built successively on the site, near the English-Scottish border. The last was slighted in 1567; it is a ruin today.
- first stone castle c.1070
- No
- Ruined
- Castle of enceinte
Dunbar Castle in Lothian was once one of the most impressive and imposing castles in Scotland. The castle ruins still dominate the approach to Dunbar harbour. History. The importance of Dunbar was realised as early as the Iron Age. The name 'Dunbar' comes from the Brythonic words 'dyn barr', which translates as 'the fort of the point'.
Dunbar Castle. Dunbar Castle is a very fragmentary but picturesque ruin, once a strong fortress, by the harbour in the East Lothian town of Dunbar in south-east Scotland, and associated with Mary, Queen of Scots. Lothians: In Dunbar, on minor road north of A1087, on north shore just west of harbour, at Dunbar Castle. Ruin or site NT 678794 OS: 67.
6. Dunbar Castle Location / Directions. Dunbar Castle replaced a wooden fort in the 12th century and was built using the natural red stone of the area. The castle was pivotal in the power struggle between the Scottish and English and once housed Mary Queen of Scots. It was slighted more than once and has stood in ruins since the 1500s.
Dunbar Castle was one of the strongest fortresses in Scotland, situated in a prominent position overlooking the harbour of the town of Dunbar, in East Lothian. Several fortifications were built successively on the site, near the English-Scottish border. The last was slighted in 1567; it is a ruin today.
The first stone castle was probably constructed by the Earl of Dunbar in the 1070s. Dunbar Castle was unsuccessfully attacked by the English in 1214, but Edward I had better luck in 1296. And Edward II sheltered at Dunbar Castle after the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. Following this the castle was slighted, then refortified in 1333.
The ruins of Dunbar Castle sit at the entrance of Victoria harbour. The Castle has played witness to many major events in Scottish history. The first battle in the Scottish Wars of Independence in 1296 was fought a few miles to the south-west of the castle and ended with an English victory.
