He pays me meat and fee,
And I will keep my gude auld house,
While my house will keep me.”
Agnes Randolph, Countess of Dunbar and March, also known as Black Agnes of Dunbar, was the wife of Patrick, 9th Earl of Dunbar and March. Black Agnes became renowned for her heroic defense of Dunbar Castle against an English attack by the William Montague, 1st Earl of Salisbury, which began on 13 January 1338.
On June 10, 1338, William Montague ordered his army to withdraw, leaving Lady Agnes in sole possession of her castle. She is remembered in a ballad which attributes these words to Montague:
- "Cam I early, cam I late, I found Agnes at the gate."
