William Bruce of Symbister and Sumburgh (died 1624) was a Scottish landowner. William Bruce was a relation of

Laurence Bruce Laurence Bruce of Cultmalindie (20 January 1547 – August 1617) was the son of John Bruce of Cultmalindie and Eupheme Elphinstone. Easter Cultmalindie is a small hamlet or "fermtoun" in Tibbermore parish, Perthshire, Scotland. Laurence Bruce fe ...

of Cultmalindie,

Perthshire Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...

, who built

Muness Castle Muness Castle is located on Unst, which is one of the Shetland Islands of Scotland. The castle is east of the village of Uyeasound. Unst is Scotland's most northerly inhabited island, and Muness is the most northerly fortalice in the British Is ...

Unst Unst (; sco, Unst; nrn, Ønst) is one of the North Isles of the Shetland Islands, Scotland. It is the northernmost of the inhabited British Isles and is the third-largest island in Shetland after Mainland and Yell. It has an area of . Unst ...

. William Bruce's descendants built

Symbister House Symbister House is a former country house in Symbister, Whalsay island, in the Shetland islands of Scotland. It was built in 1823 by the Bruce family who were lairds (landlords) of the island for about 300 years from the 16th century. Since 1964 ...

Symbister Symbister is the largest village and port on Whalsay, an island in the Shetland archipelago of Scotland. The population in 1991 was 797. The focus of the village is the harbour, which is home to small fishing boats as well as large deep sea trawl ...

Whalsay Whalsay ( sco, Whalsa; non, Hvalsey or ''Hvals-øy'', meaning 'Whale Island') is the sixth largest of the Shetland Islands in the north of Scotland. Geography Whalsay, also known as "The Bonnie Isle", is a peat-covered island in the Shetland I ...

Lawrence Bruce was appointed "Faud" of

Shetland Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the no ...

in 1571, an administrator for his half-brother, the

Earl of Orkney Earl of Orkney, historically Jarl of Orkney, is a title of nobility encompassing the archipelagoes of Orkney and Shetland, which comprise the Northern Isles of Scotland. Originally founded by Norse invaders, the status of the rulers of the Nort ...

. William Bruce came to Shetland to work as his deputy or clerk. Alexander Bruce of Cultmalindie married Jean Oliphant, a daughter of

Lord Oliphant Lord Oliphant was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created twice and de facto under Peerage Law a third time. The first creation is in abeyance of the law, the second extinct and the third creation is dormant. The title was certainly ...

. William Bruce married Marjorie or Margaret Stewart (died 1607), a daughter of

John Stewart, Commendator of Coldingham John Stewart, Commendator of Coldingham (1531–1563) was a Scottish landowner. He was a son of Elizabeth Carmichael (1514–1550) and James V of Scotland. His mother later married John Somerville of Cambusnethan. Career As a child, John Stewar ...

and

Jean Hepburn Jean Hepburn, Lady Darnley, Mistress of Caithness, Lady Morham (died 1599) was a Scottish noblewoman and a member of the Border clan of Hepburn. Her brother was James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, the third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. Jean's ...

. Marjorie Stewart's first husband was William Sinclair of Underhoull on

. He was a son of Oliver Sinclair of Brow, the previous Faud of Shetland, who died in 1570. Another son of the Faud, Matthew Sinclair of Ness, was murdered in 1602. William Bruce obtained lands at

Sumburgh Sumburgh is a small settlement in the Shetland Islands, Scotland. Sumburgh is located at the south end of the Mainland on Sumburgh Head. Sumburgh Airport is just outside the village to the north. Sumburgh has a population of approximately 100. Ja ...

and

Jarlshof Jarlshof ( ) is the best-known prehistoric archaeological site in Shetland, Scotland. It lies in Sumburgh, Mainland, Shetland and has been described as "one of the most remarkable archaeological sites ever excavated in the British Isles". It con ...

in 1592. His wife Margaret Stewart died on 25 November 1607. Her will details their farm stock at Sumburgh and Symbister, and the wages owed to their farm workers and domestic servants. His second wife was Isobella Spens, from a

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

family, a relation of the diplomat James Spens of Wormiston. He went to live in Fife in later life. He died in 1624 was buried at

Crail Crail (); gd, Cathair Aile) is a former royal burgh, parish and community council area (Royal Burgh of Crail and District) in the East Neuk of Fife, Scotland. The locality has an estimated population of 1,630 (2018). Etymology The name ''C ...

where his churchyard monument survives. Andrew Bruce, a son of Isobella Spens, inherited his lands in Fife, and his half brother Robert Bruce inherited Symbister. Andrew Bruce bought an estate called Pittarthie near

Dunino :''See also Dunino, Poland.'' Dunino is a village and parish in the East Neuk of Fife. It is 10 km from the nearest town, St Andrews, and 8 km from the fishing village of Anstruther. It is a small village with no local shops or service ...

and married Elizabeth Bruce, a daughter of William Bruce of Earlshall.W. Bruce Armstrong, ''Genealogist'', vol. 7 (London, 1883), p. 224.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruce, William 16th-century Scottish people 1624 deaths Whalsay People from Shetland People from Fife