Thomas Brudenell-Bruce, 1st Earl of Ailesbury,
KT (30 April 1729 – 19 April 1814), styled The Honourable Thomas Brudenell until 1747 and known as the Lord Bruce between 1747 and 1776, was a British courtier.
Background and education
Born Thomas Brudenell, he was the youngest son of
George Brudenell, 3rd Earl of Cardigan and
Lady Elizabeth Bruce. He was the younger brother of
George Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu,
James Brudenell, 5th Earl of Cardigan and the Honourable
Robert Brudenell. He was educated at
Winchester College
Winchester College is an English Public school (United Kingdom), public school (a long-established fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) with some provision for day school, day attendees, in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It wa ...
. In February 1747, aged 17, he succeeded his uncle, the
4th Earl of Elgin and 3rd and last Earl of Ailesbury, as 2nd Baron Bruce of Tottenham according to a special remainder in the
letters patent
Letters patent (plurale tantum, plural form for singular and plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, President (government title), president or other head of state, generally granti ...
. In 1767 he assumed by Royal licence the additional surname of Bruce.
Public life

When the
Wiltshire Militia was embodied on 8 November 1758 he was commissioned as its
Colonel
Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
. He (and many of his officers) resigned in 1770 when the
Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire
This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of the English county of Wiltshire. From 1750, all Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Wiltshire.
Lord Lieutenants of Wiltshire
* William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke 1 ...
promoted a junior officer to the vacant position of
Lieutenant-Colonel of the regiment.
Lord Bruce served as a
Lord of the Bedchamber
Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a title in the Royal Household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain. A Lord of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household, the term being fir ...
to
King George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...
, and was briefly in May 1776 Governor to the Prince of Wales and Prince Frederick. In June 1776 he was created Earl of Ailesbury (later styled
Aylesbury
Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery and the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Waterside Theatre. It is located in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wycombe and Milt ...
), in the County of Buckingham, a revival of the earldom which had become extinct on his uncle's death. He subsequently served as
Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire
This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of the English county of Wiltshire. From 1750, all Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Wiltshire.
Lord Lieutenants of Wiltshire
* William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke 1 ...
from 1780 to 1782, as
Lord Chamberlain
The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Monarchy of the United Ki ...
to
Queen Charlotte
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until her death in 1818. The Acts of Un ...
from 1780 to 1792 and as Treasurer to Queen Charlotte from 1792 to 1814.
On 29 November 1786 he was made a
Knight of the Order of the Thistle.
He hired
Capability Brown
Lancelot "Capability" Brown (born c. 1715–16, baptised 30 August 1716 – 6 February 1783) was an English gardener and landscape architect, a notable figure in the history of the English landscape garden style.
Unlike other architects ...
to work on
Tottenham House
Tottenham House is a large Grade I listed English country house in the parish of Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire, about five miles southeast of the town of Marlborough. It is separated from the town by Savernake Forest, which is part of the Tottenha ...
from 1764 to c 1770.
Family
Lord Ailesbury married firstly,
Susanna Hoare, daughter of the banker
Henry Hoare
Henry Hoare II (1705–1785), known as Henry the Magnificent, was an English banker and garden owner-designer.
Family
Henry's grandfather, Richard Hoare, was a goldsmith-banker and Lord Mayor of London. His father, Henry Hoare I, bought th ...
and widow of
Charles Boyle, Viscount Dungarvan, on 17 February 1761; her only child from her first marriage was
Henrietta O'Neill, later a successful poet. They had five children:
*Lady Caroline Anne Brudenell-Bruce (d. 1824), died unmarried.
*George Brudenell-Bruce, Lord Bruce (1762–1783), died unmarried.
*Lady Frances Elizabeth Brudenell-Bruce (1765–1836), married
Sir Henry Wright-Wilson, MP for
St Albans
St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...
.
*Hon. Charles Brudenell-Bruce (1767–1768), died in infancy.
*
Charles Brudenell-Bruce, 1st Marquess of Ailesbury (1773–1856).
Susanna, Countess of Ailesbury, died on 4 February 1783. Lord Ailesbury married as his second wife Lady Anne Elizabeth Rawdon (1753-1813), eldest daughter of
John Rawdon, 1st Earl of Moira, on 14 February 1788. There were no children from this marriage. She died on 8 January 1813. Lord Ailesbury died at
Seamore Place, Mayfair, London, in April 1814, aged eighty-four. He was succeeded in the earldom by his third but only surviving son, Charles, who was created
Marquess of Ailesbury
Marquess of Ailesbury (later styled Aylesbury), in the Buckinghamshire, County of Buckingham, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 17 July 1821 for Charles Brudenell-Bruce, 1st Marquess of Ailesbury, Charles Brudene ...
in 1821.
Gallery
Bibliography
Manuscripts
* correspondence and papers
* papers
* miscellaneous correspondence 1753-1809
* 1796-1807 correspondence with Duke of Buccleuch
* 196-1807 Letters to Sir R J Buxton
* correspondence with Lord Elgin
* 1766-68 - ten letters to Lord Rockingham.
[Sheffield City Archives WWM; WRA 1083 Wentworth Woodhouse]
Sources
*
*
*
* Col N.C.E. Kenrick, ''The Story of the Wiltshire Regiment (Duke of Edinburgh's): The 62nd and 99th Foot (1756–1959), the Militia and the Territorials, the Service Battalions and all those others who have served or been affiliated with the Moonrakers'', Aldershot: Gale & Polden, 1963.
References
External links
*
Brudenell Bruce
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ailesbury, Thomas Brudenell-Bruce, 1st Earl Of
1729 births
1814 deaths
People educated at Winchester College
Earls of Ailesbury
Knights of the Thistle
Lord-lieutenants of Wiltshire
Wiltshire Militia officers
Thomas
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the A ...
Younger sons of earls
Household of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz