First granted in 1735 as Gorham's-town to soldiers returning from the Canada Expedition, and regranted in 1748 as Starkstown to Scotch-Irish settlers led by Archibald Stark. It was incorporated in 1765 as Dunbarton, named for Dumbartonshire in Scotland, hometown to Archibald Stark. Stark's son was General John Stark, patriot of Bunker Hill and the Battle of Bennington, and his grandson Caleb was a famous industrialist who established textile mills in Manchester.