We present proper motions for stars in the field of the galactic globu
lar cluster NGC 5272 (M 3). This study forms part of the Bonn programm
e of globular cluster proper motions. 14 plates were taken with the Bo
nn double refractor, spanning epoch differences of up to 85 years. Rel
ative proper motions for all well-measurable stars in the 1.5-degrees
x 1.5-degrees field covered by the plates were derived. Typical proper
motion errors are 0.5-1.2 milliarcsec/year. The cluster membership of
UV-bright and variable stars is discussed. The proper motions are com
pared with the accurate relative proper motions of Cudworth (1979) and
with the absolute proper motions from Schmidt plates referred to gala
xies of Scholz et al. (1993). The latter comparison enables us to tie
the proper motions of the stars and the mean proper motion of M 3 to a
n inertial system. The absolute proper motions of Hipparcos stars in t
he field will be useful for an extragalactic calibration of the Hippar
cos proper motion system. The data for the 791 stars is available via
the CDS (Centre des Donnees Astronomiques Strasbourg) Data Centre.