Editing Dunbar (section)

===Scottish conquest===
Danish and Norse attacks on southern Northumbria caused its power to falter and the northern portion became equally open to annexation by Scotland. Dunbar was burnt by [[Kenneth MacAlpin]] in the 9th century. Scottish control was consolidated in the next century and when [[Lothian]] was ceded to [[Malcolm II of Scotland|Malcolm II]] after the [[battle of Carham]] in 1018, Dunbar was finally an acknowledged part of Scotland.<ref>Mack, Logan, (1924) "The Border Line - Solway Firth to the North Sea", Oliver & Boyd., p. 6</ref>

Throughout these turbulent centuries Dunbar's status must have been preserved because it next features as part of a major land grant and settlement by [[Malcolm III of Scotland|Malcolm III]] in favour of the exiled earl [[Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria|Gospatric]] of Northumbria (to whom he may have been full cousin) during 1072. Malcolm needed to fill a power vacuum on his south-eastern flank; Gospatric required a base from which to plot the resumption of his Northumbrian holding. The grant included Dunbar and, it can be deduced, an extensive swath of [[East Lothian]] and [[Berwickshire]] or Merse (hence March). Gospatric founded the family of Dunbar. The head of the House of Dunbar filled the position of [[Earl of Dunbar|Earls of Dunbar and March]] until the 15th century.<ref>Miller, James, ''The History of Dunbar'', Dunbar, 1830, pp.&nbsp;84–89.</ref>