Patrick IV, Earl of March (1242 – October 10, 1308), sometimes called Patrick de Dunbar "8th" Earl of March, was the most important magnate

Magnate

Magnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities...

 in the border regions of Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. He was one of the Competitors for the Crown of Scotland

Competitors for the Crown of Scotland

With the death of Alexander III of Scotland in 1286 without a male heir, the throne of Scotland had become the possession of the three-year old Margaret, Maid of Norway, the granddaughter of the King...

.

Late Succession

Said to be aged 47 at his father's death, Sir Patrick de Dunbar, Knight, Earl of Dunbar, had livery of his father's lands on May 14, 1290. It appears that this Earl of Dunbar assumed the additional alternate title Earl of March, as he appeared designated Comes de Marchia at the parliament at Brigham

Brigham

The village of Brigham, near the town of Cockermouth, Cumbria, England, has existed as a settlement since neolithic times.Brigham was an early centre of Christianity in Cumbria...

 in 1290, for the purpose of betrothing the Princess Margaret to the son of King Edward I of England

Edward I of England

Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...

. (This failed to come about).

Ambition & Submission

He was one of the Competitors for the Crown of Scotland in 1291, when he entered a formal claim in right of his great-grandmother, Ada, Countess of Dunbar, an illegitimate daughter of William The Lion

William I of Scotland

William the Lion , sometimes styled William I, also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough", reigned as King of the Scots from 1165 to 1214...

, King of Scots. Like so many Scottish noblemen, including the Bruces, Dunbar held lands in England also which required knights' services, and he was summoned by King Edward I in 1294 to assist him at war in Gascony

Gascony

Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...

.

Fealty Then Disobedience

The Earl of Dunbar and March, with the Earl of Angus, Robert Bruce the elder, and his son the Earl of Carrick, swore fealty to the English King at Wark

Wark

Wark, a Scots noun for a building, from the noun wark [wark, wA:rk] . The verb form is wirk [wIrk, wVrk]. The past tense is wrocht [wroxt].Wark may refer to:-Places:...

 on March 25, 1296. In this turbluent year he appears to have been betrayed by his wife, who took the Scottish side and retained the castle of Dunbar for Balliol, but was obliged to surrender it to King Edward I of England

Edward I of England

Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...

 in April 1296. In 1297 it appears that the Earl ceased his allegiance to Edward I, held his lands of the Scottish Crown, and was favourably received by Sir William Wallace

William Wallace

Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight and landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence....

, with whom he had been in bitter battle the previous year!

In 1298 he was King's Lieutenant for Scotland, and in 1300 was present at the siege of Caerlaverock Castle

Caerlaverock Castle

Caerlaverock Castle is a moated triangular castle, built in the 13th century, in the Caerlaverock National Nature Reserve area at the Solway Firth, south of Dumfries in the southwest of Scotland. In the Middle Ages it was owned by the Maxwell family. Today, the castle is in the care of Historic...

, with his eldest son and heir, Patrick.

Marriage

The Earl married, before 1282, Marjorie, daughter of Alexander Comyn, Earl of Buchan

Alexander Comyn, Earl of Buchan

Alexander Comyn, 2nd Earl of Buchan was a Scoto-Norman magnate who was one of the most important figures in the 13th century Kingdom of Scotland. He was the son of William Comyn, jure uxoris Earl of Buchan, and Marjory, Countess of Buchan, the heiress of the last native Scottish Mormaer of Buchan,...

 by his spouse Elizabeth, daughter of Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester

Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester

Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester was a medieval nobleman who was prominent on both sides of the Anglo-Scottish border, as Earl of Winchester and Constable of Scotland....

 by Ellen of Galloway.

They had known issue:

• Patrick V, Earl of March (1285–1369).
• John de Dunbar of Derchester & Birkynside, father of George de Dunbar, 10th Earl of March.
• George de Dunbar, ancestor of the Mochrum family.