Old Photograph George Hotel High Street Dunbar Scotland

Old photograph of the George Hotel on the High Street in Dunbar in East Lothian. This Scottish town became successively a baronial burgh and royal burgh in 1370 and grew slowly under the shadow of a great Castle of the earls. Scotland and England contended often for possession of the castle and town. The castle was impregnable and withstood many sieges; the town was burnt, frequently. The castle had been deliberately ruined in 1568 but the town flourished as an agricultural centre and fishing port despite tempestuous times in the 17th and early 18th centuries. Major battles were fought nearby in 1296 and 1650. The second Battle of Dunbar in 1650 was fought during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms between a Scottish Covenanter army and English Parliamentarians led by Oliver Cromwell. The Scots were routed, leading to the overthrow of the monarchy and the occupation of Scotland. A permanent military presence was established in the town with the completion of Castle Park Barracks in 1855. Dunbar later gained a reputation as a seaside holiday and golfing resort in the 19th century.



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