Thomas Bruce (1766 - 1841)

Born 20 Jul 1766 in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Nisbet) Bruce — married 11 Mar 1799 (to 1808) in Dirleton, Haddingtonshire, Scotland

Husband of Elizabeth (Oswald) Bruce — married 21 Sep 1810 in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland

Descendants

Died 14 Nov 1841 at age 75 in Paris, Seine, France

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Biography

Thomas, son of Charles Earl Of Elgin and Kincardine Bruce & Martha White, was born on 20 July 1766 and baptised on 26 July 1766 in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland.^[1]

Thomas Bruce was educated at Harrow School, Harrow on the Hill, London, England, followed by Westminster School, Westminster, London, England He subsequently went to St. Andrews University, St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland and also Paris University, Paris, France.

He was commissioned in 1785, in the service of the Foot Guards. He gained the rank of General in 1837.

He married, firstly, Mary Nisbet, daughter of William Hamilton Nisbet and Mary Manners, on 11 March 1799 in Dirleton, Haddingtonshire, Scotland.^[2][3] He and Mary Nisbet were divorced in 1808.^[4][5]

He married, secondly, Elizabeth Oswald, daughter of James Townsend Oswald, on 21 September 1810 in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland.^[6][7]

He succeeded to the title of 7th Lord Bruce of Kinloss on 15 July 1771. He succeeded to the title of 11th Lord Bruce of Torry on 15 July 1771. He succeeded to the title of 7th Earl of Elgin on 15 July 1771. He succeeded to the title of 11th Earl of Kincardine on 15 July 1771.

He held the office of Representative Peer [Scotland] between 1790 and 1807.

He was invested as a Privy Counsellor (P.C.) in 1799.

He held the office of Ambassador Extraordinary to the Ottoman Empire between 1799 and 1803.

He held the office of Lord-Lieutenant of Fife in 1807.

He held the office of Representative Peer [Scotland] between 1820 and 1841.

Thomas (age 76) died on 14 November 1841 at Paris^[8] and was buried in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland.^[9]

His Lordship was known as the collector of some splendid Grecian Antiquities, which he procured during his residence, as Ambassador-Extraordinary, in Turkey and which are now deposited in the British Museum, under the denomination of 'The Elgin Marbles.'^[10]

He has an extensive biographical entry in the Dictionary of National Biography.

Sources

1. ↑ Baptism: "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950"
   FamilySearch Record: XY7N-HYW (accessed 1 November 2022)
   Thomas Bruce baptism on 26 Jul 1766 (born 20 Jul 1766), son of Charles Earl Of Elgin and Kincardine Bruce & Martha White, in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom.
2. ↑ Marriage: "Scotland Marriages, 1561-1910"
   FamilySearch Record: XTR4-DYT (accessed 1 November 2022)
   Thomas Earl Of Elgin Bruce marriage to Mary Nisbit on 11 Mar 1799 in Dirleton, Haddingtonshire, Scotland.
3. ↑ Marriage: "Scotland Marriages, 1561-1910"
   FamilySearch Record: XYML-JHX (accessed 1 November 2022)
   Thomas Earl Of Elgin Bruce marriage to Mary Nisbet on 2 Mar 1799 in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland.
4. ↑ Lewis, Cherry. "The Geological Society of London - The Elgin Scandal - Who Was Robert Ferguson?" The Geological Society, 2010, https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/Geoscientist/Archive/May-2011/The-Elgin-Scandal-who-was-Robert-Ferguson
5. ↑ Bunyan, Stephen. "Two Ladies of Dirleton." Nesbitt/Nisbet Society, United Kingdom Nisbetts.co.uk, 1995, https://nisbetts.co.uk/archives/nesbun.htm . Accessed 1 Nov. 2022.
6. ↑ Marriage: "Scotland Marriages, 1561-1910"
   FamilySearch Record: XTPZ-P45 (accessed 1 November 2022)
   Thomas Bruce marriage to Elisabeth Oswald on 21 Sep 1810 in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom.
7. ↑ Marriage: "Scotland Marriages, 1561-1910"
   FamilySearch Record: XTPR-CLS (accessed 1 November 2022)
   Thomas Earl Elgin Bruce marriage to Elizabeth Oswald on 16 Sep 1810 in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom.
8. ↑ "At Paris, on the 11th inst., the Right Hon. Thomas Earl of Elgin and Kincardine, in his 76th year" "DIED." John Bull, vol. XXI, no. 1,093, 20 Nov. 1841, p. 564. Nineteenth Century UK Periodicals retrieved through Gale Primary Sources
9. ↑ Death or Burial: "Church of Scotland: Old Parish Registers - Deaths and Burials"
   National Records of Scotland, Parish Number: 424/ ; Ref: 180 196
   ScotlandsPeople Search (accessed 1 November 2022)
   Thomas Bruce death or burial (died age 76) on 14 Nov 1841 in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland.
10. ↑ "The Parthenon Sculptures." The British Museum, https://www.britishmuseum.org/about-us/british-museum-story/contested-objects-collection/parthenon-sculptures . Accessed 1 Nov. 2022.

• Wikipedia entry for Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin

• The Peerage: Thomas Bruce, 11th Earl of Kincardine

See also:

• 'Martin-Leake, Double VC' by Ann Clayton