Charles Bruce, 3rd Earl of Ailesbury (later styled Aylesbury) and 4th Earl of Elgin (29 May 1682 – 10 February 1747), of Ampthill, Bedfordshire and Savernake Park, Wiltshire, styled Viscount Bruce of Ampthill from 1685 to 1741, was a British landowner and Tory politician who sat in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and British House of Commons from 1705 until 1711 when he was raised to the peerage as one of

Harley's Dozen {{short description, Event in British politics Harley's Dozen were twelve new peerages created in December 1711 by the British Tory government of Robert Harley which was struggling to gain a majority in the Whig-dominated House of Lords. This cam ...

and sat in the House of Lords.

Background

Bruce was the son of

Thomas Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury Thomas Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury (later styled Aylesbury) and 3rd Earl of Elgin (1656 – 16 December 1741), styled Lord Bruce between 1663 and 1685, was an English politician and memoirist. He was the son of Robert Bruce, 2nd Earl of Elgin, ...

and his first wife Lady Elizabeth Seymour, daughter of

Henry Seymour, Lord Beauchamp Henry Seymour, Lord Beauchamp (c. 1626 – 14 March 1654) was an English nobleman, third son of William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset.''The Complete Peerage'', vol. 12, 1953, "Somerset", p. 74. He had two elder brothers, but they both died unmarr ...

and

Mary Capell Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

. His father was arrested for

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

in 1696 and confined to the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sep ...

, and his mother died in premature childbirth in 1697, a death probably brought on by a false report that his father had been executed. His father was allowed to leave England soon afterwards: he spent the rest of his life in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

, and quickly became content there. He made a happy second marriage to the Belgian noblewoman

Charlotte d'Argenteau, comtesse d'Esneux Charlotte d'Argenteau, Countess d'Esneux (18 October 167823 July 1710), a Belgian patrician heiress, was the beloved second wife of the English Jacobite exile Thomas Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury. Life The only surviving child of Louis Conrad d ...

: his children visited him regularly and became deeply attached to their stepmother. The English

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

made no effort to seize the family estates so that there was enough money to allow Bruce to live in comfort.

Public life

Bruce was returned to Parliament for

Great Bedwyn Great Bedwyn is a village and civil parish in east Wiltshire, England. The village is on the River Dun about southwest of Hungerford, southeast of Swindon and southeast of Marlborough. The Kennet and Avon Canal and the Reading to Taunton ...

at the

1705 English general election The 1705 English general election saw contests in 110 constituencies in England and Wales, roughly 41% of the total. The election was fiercely fought, with mob violence and cries of "Church in Danger" occurring in several boroughs. During the pre ...

, and was returned again at the

1708 British general election The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland. The election saw the Whigs finally gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November ...

. At the 1710 British general election, he was returned for both Great Bedwyn and

Marlborough Marlborough may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Marlborough, Wiltshire, England ** Marlborough College, public school * Marlborough School, Woodstock in Oxfordshire, England * The Marlborough Science Academy in Hertfordshire, England Austral ...

and chose to sit for the latter. In December 1711 he was summoned to the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

through a

writ of acceleration A writ in acceleration, commonly called a writ of acceleration, is a type of writ of summons that enabled the eldest son and heir apparent of a peer with more than one peerage to attend the British or Irish House of Lords, using one of his father ...

in his father's junior title Baron Bruce of Whorlton. In 1741 he succeeded his father in the earldoms of Elgin and Ailesbury. With his two sons having predeceased him, he was in 1746 created Baron Bruce, of Tottenham in the County of Wilts, with a special remainder to his nephew the Honourable Thomas Brudenell.

Family

Lord Ailesbury married, firstly, Lady Anne Savile, daughter of

William Savile, 2nd Marquess of Halifax William Savile, 2nd Marquess of Halifax (1665 – 31 August 1700) was the son of George Savile, 1st Viscount Halifax and Dorothy Savile, Viscountess Halifax (née Spencer). He was educated in Geneva in 1677 and matriculated at Christ Church, O ...

. They had four children: *Hon. Robert Bruce (d. 30 August 1738), married Frances Blackett (d. 16 July 1750), daughter of

Sir William Blackett, 1st Baronet, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Sir William Blackett, 1st Baronet (14 June 1657 – December 1705) was a landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons in three periods between 1685 and 1705. Blackett was the third son of Sir William Blackett and his wife Elizabe ...

, childless. *Hon. George Bruce (born before 1717). *Lady Mary Bruce (1710 – 14 August 1738), married (1728)

Henry Brydges, 2nd Duke of Chandos Henry Brydges, 2nd Duke of Chandos, KB (17 January 1708 – 28 November 1771), known from 1727 to 1744 by the courtesy title Marquess of Carnarvon, was the second son of the 1st Duke of Chandos and his first wife Mary Lake. He was the Member ...

and had children. *Lady Elizabeth Bruce, married (1732) the Honourable Benjamin Bathurst, son of

Allen Bathurst, 1st Earl Bathurst Allen Bathurst, 1st Earl Bathurst, (16 November 168416 September 1775), of Bathurst in the County of Sussex, known as The Lord Bathurst from 1712 to 1772, was a British Tory politician. Bathurst sat in the English and British House of Commons f ...

, childless. Juliana Boyle, Countess of Ailesbury, by Jonathan Richardson

After his first wife's death in July 1717, Lord Ailesbury married, secondly, Lady Juliana Boyle, daughter of

Charles Boyle, 2nd Earl of Burlington Charles Boyle, 3rd Earl of Cork and 2nd Earl of Burlington, 4th Baron Clifford, PC (died 9 February 1704) was an English peer, courtier and politician. Early life Hon. Charles Boyle was the eldest son of Charles Boyle, 3rd Viscount Dungarvan a ...

. They had no children. After her death in March 1739, he married, thirdly, aged 47, the 18-year-old Lady Caroline Campbell, daughter of

John Campbell, 4th Duke of Argyll General John Campbell, 4th Duke of Argyll KT PC (c. 1693 – 9 November 1770), was a British Army officer and Scottish Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1713 and 1761. From 1729 to 1761 he was known as John Campbell of ...

, in 1739. They had one daughter: *Lady Mary Bruce (16 April 1740 - 5 November 1796),''The Third Register Book of the Parish of St James in the Liberty of Westminster For Births & Baptisms. 1723-1741''. 12 May 1740. married (1757)

Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond Field Marshal Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond, 3rd Duke of Lennox, 3rd Duke of Aubigny, (22 February 1735 – 29 December 1806), styled Earl of March until 1750, of Goodwood House in Sussex and of Richmond House in London, was a British ...

, childless. Because neither of his sons survived him or left children, upon his death, the earldom of Elgin and subsidiary Scottish peerages were inherited by his cousin the

Earl of Kincardine The title Earl of Kincardine was created in 1647 in the Peerage of Scotland for Edward Bruce, grandson of George Bruce of Carnock, who was the younger brother of the 1st Lord Kinloss, he in turn being the father of the 1st Earl of Elgin. Char ...

, while the earldom of Ailesbury and subsidiary English peerages became extinct. The barony of Bruce of Tottenham created for him in 1746 passed upon his death the next year according to the special remainder to his nephew Thomas Brudenell. His Scottish lordship of Kinloss was subsequently determined to have devolved upon

James Brydges, 3rd Duke of Chandos James Brydges, 3rd Duke of Chandos PC (27 December 1731 – 29 September 1789), styled Viscount Wilton from birth until 1744 and Marquess of Carnarvon from 1744 to 1771, was a British peer and politician. Background Chandos was the onl ...

, who, however, did not claim the title. The Countess of Ailesbury and Elgin married as her second husband

Henry Seymour Conway Field Marshal Henry Seymour Conway (1721 – 9 July 1795) was a British general and statesman. A brother of the 1st Marquess of Hertford, and cousin of Horace Walpole, he began his military career in the War of the Austrian Succession. He ...

, by whom she had the sculptor

Anne Seymour Damer Anne Seymour Damer, ''née'' Conway, (26 October 1748 – 28 May 1828) was an English sculptor. Once described as a 'female genius' by Horace Walpole, she was trained in sculpture by Giuseppe Ceracchi and John Bacon. Influenced by the Enlighten ...

. She died in January 1803, aged 82.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Elgin, Charles Bruce, 4th Earl of 1682 births 1747 deaths Bruce, Charles Bruce, Viscount Bruce, Charles Bruce, Viscount Bruce, Charles Bruce, Viscount 4 Charles Charles Bruce, Charles Bruce, Viscount Bruce, Charles Bruce, Viscount Members of Parliament for Great Bedwyn Members of Parliament for Marlborough Charles