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Black Agnes: The Countess Who Mocked an English Siege and Became a Legend
In 1338, during the Second War of Scottish Independence, Countess Agnes of Dunbar led the five-month defense of Dunbar Castle against a superior English army. Her psychological warfare and a chillingly defiant retort when her captured brother's life was threatened cemented her status as a folk hero.
The Unlikely Guardian of Dunbar
In the midst of the brutal Second War of Scottish Independence, Dunbar Castle stood as one of Scotland's most critical strongholds. Its strategic position on the coast made it a key prize for the invading English forces. In January 1338, with her husband, Patrick, 9th Earl of Dunbar, away fighting elsewhere, the castle's defense fell to his wife, Agnes Randolph. Known as "Black Agnes" for her dark hair and fiery temperament, she was about to show the English army precisely what Scottish resolve looked like.
A Siege of Wits and Mockery
The English army, led by William Montagu, 1st Earl of Salisbury, arrived with an estimated 20,000 soldiers and state-of-the-art siege weaponry. Inside the castle, Agnes commanded a small garrison of retainers and soldiers. Salisbury, likely expecting a swift surrender from a noblewoman, was sorely mistaken. Agnes met his military might with psychological warfare and theatrical disdain.
When the English catapults hurled massive stones against the castle ramparts, Agnes didn't cower. Instead, she and her ladies-in-waiting, dressed in their finest attire, would walk the battlements and meticulously dust off the impact points with their white handkerchiefs, as if brushing away a minor nuisance. This act of performative contempt infuriated the English soldiers and became an enduring image of her defiance.
Salisbury then deployed a massive siege engine known as a "sow," a covered battering ram designed to protect soldiers as they approached the walls. Agnes, watching from above, reportedly taunted the English:
"Beware, Montague, for thy sow shall farrow!"
She then ordered a massive boulder, previously launched by the English, to be dropped from the battlements, crushing the sow and the soldiers inside. The English army's greatest weapon was destroyed by their own ammunition, turned against them by a sharp-witted countess.
The Coldest Threat in Medieval History
As the siege dragged on for months, a frustrated Salisbury resorted to his cruelest tactic. The English had recently captured Agnes's brother, John Randolph, the 3rd Earl of Moray. They brought him before the castle walls, a noose around his neck, and threatened to hang him instantly if Agnes did not surrender.
It was a moment designed to break her spirit. Instead, it produced one of the most chilling replies in Scottish history. From the ramparts, Agnes shouted back that the threat was meaningless. In fact, it was beneficial to her. She calmly stated that if they killed her brother, she would simply inherit his vast lands and title as the Earl of Moray. Her loyalty to Scotland, her King, and her castle superseded even her own blood. Stunned by her utter lack of sentimentality and unbreakable will, Salisbury spared her brother's life. He had no leverage left.
Victory and an Enduring Legacy
The five-month siege finally broke when the resourceful Scottish knight, Sir Alexander Ramsay of Dalhousie, sailed a small force past the English blockade under the cover of darkness, successfully resupplying the castle with men and provisions. Demoralized, outwitted, and having spent a fortune, Salisbury admitted defeat and withdrew his army in June 1338.
Agnes of Dunbar's successful defense was more than a military victory; it became a powerful symbol of Scottish resistance. She was celebrated in ballads and chronicles as a hero who defended her home not just with stone and steel, but with courage, intelligence, and an indomitable spirit that laughed in the face of an empire.