William (Bruce) Bruce IVth of Earlshall (bef. 1588 - 1636)

Born before 1588 in Earlshall, Fife Scotland

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 1636 after age 48 in Earlshall, Fife Scotland [uncertain]

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Biography

Sir William Bruce, 4th of Earlshall was the son of Alexander Bruce, 3rd of Earlshall and Euphame Leslie.^[1]

He married firstly, Elizabeth Wood, daughter of Andrew Wood and Egidia Gourlay, after 22 May 1594.^[2] They had issue:

1. Andrew, 5th of Earlshall^[2]
2. Alexander, of Wester Abden^[2]

He married secondly, Agnes Lindsay on 21 Jun 1614.^[2] They had issue:

1. John, m. Euphemia, daughter of John Aytoun of Kinnaldie^[2]
2. Robert^[2]
3. George^[2]
4. Janet^[2]

William died in 1636.^[2]

Research Notes

A connection to the Bruces of Grangehill appears to be established through this article in The Genealogist.

Sir William's fourth son, Alexander who married Jean, daughter and heiress of John Kirkaldy of Wester Abden near Kinghorn in Fife, and through her acquired that estate. Alexander had five sons and one daughter. He fell at the battle of Kilsyth, 15 August 1645, fighting under Montrose, and his widow went to the field, found his body, and brought it to Kinghorn, where it was interred in the burial- place of the Kirkaldys of Grange.

Alexander's third son, Robert was ancestor of the Bruces of Grangehill and Falkland. Robert Bruce, third son of Alexander Bruce first of Wester Abden, is termed "sone lawful of Alexander Bruce of Wester Abden and Jean Kirkaldy, his spouse," was apprenticed to a merchant in 1659, inherited a small property in Kinghorn from his mother, married, 1664, Elizabeth Wemyss, niece of Sir Jolni Wemyss of Bogie, Co. Fife. He was a merchant in Kinghorn, a bailie, and represented that burgh in Parliament in 1681-86. He purchased the estate of Grangemyre, aft-wards called Grangehill, near Kinghorn. In 1708 he became de facto heir-male of the house of Earlshall on the death of the last laird, and had ten children, whose baptisms are entered in the Kinghorn register, and extend from 3 December 1665 to 26 September 1682. He died 1731 or 32, aged about 94, leaving an only surviving son, Robert Bruce, who succeeded his father in Grangehill.

Robert Bruce, who succeeded his father in Grangehill, was the heir-male of Earlshall, baptized 27 September 1679, was served heir- 3 July 1732. He had been brought up as a merchant in the office of his uncle Andrew, resided for a considerable time in Holland, then settled as a merchant in Kinghorn, and was provost of that burgh; in 1722 he was appointed Deputy-Constable of the castle of Kinghorn by the Earl of Strathmore, the hereditary Constable. He married at Edinburgh, 6 August 1702, Margaret, daughter of Robert Schaw, of a West Lothian family, burgh clerk of Kinghorn, and had issue eight sons and two daughters, viz.  : — 1. Robert, born' 9 May 1703; bred to the Scottish Bar; died unmarried at San Lucas. 2. Andrew," born 1 January 1705, ob. s/p. 10 January 1707. 3. George,' born 25 September 1708, died young. 4. Andrew, succeeded in Grangemyre. 5. James, died young.' 6. James,' born 21 November 1714. Licensed by the Presbytery of Kirkcaldy, I7il. Minister of Dunbog 174^; died 5 July ^ 1795. 7. Alexander,' born 8 January 1718. 8. John,' baptized 4 February 1719. 9. Jean,' baptized 16 July 1706; married, September 1755, Andrew Jackson, Writer, Edinburgh. 10. Agnes,^ born 7 July 1707  ; married, 29 December 1730, Eobert Hamilton, master mariner, provost of Kinghorn. They had twelve children, most of whom died young. One daughter, Agnes Hamilton, man-ied Rev. James Burn, minister of Forgan, and one son, Andrew Hamilton, married Catherine Biggar, and left a son, Lieut. -Colonel Walter Hamilton, who took the additional names of Tyndall-Bruce on succeeding to the estate of Falkland.

Frustratingly, there are few birth/death dates for these intermediate ancestors to build profiles.

• http://www.thepeerage.com/p1491.htm#i14902

Sources

1. ↑ MacGregor, Gordon, The Red Book of Scotland, Scotland, private, 2022, Ed. 3, Vol. II, p. 226
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8} MacGregor, Gordon, The Red Book of Scotland, Scotland, private, 2022, Ed. 3, Vol. II, p. 227