Marquess of Ailesbury (later styled

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), in the County of Buckingham, is a title in the

Peerage of the United Kingdom The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great B ...

. It was created on 17 July 1821 for Charles Brudenell-Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury. On 18 March 1664, Robert Bruce, 2nd Earl of Elgin in the

Peerage of Scotland The Peerage of Scotland (; ) is one of the five divisions of peerages in the United Kingdom and for those peers created by the King of Scots before 1707. Following that year's Treaty of Union 1707, Treaty of Union, the Kingdom of Scots and the ...

was created Baron Bruce, of Skelton in the

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, Viscount Bruce, of

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in the

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, and Earl of Ailesbury, in the County of Buckingham, all in the

Peerage of England The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. From that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were closed to new creations, and new peers were created in a single Peerag ...

. His grandson, Charles, the 3rd Earl of Ailesbury (and 4th Earl of Elgin), was created Baron Bruce, of

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in the

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, on 17 April 1746, in the

Peerage of Great Britain The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain between the Acts of Union 1707 and the Acts of Union 1800. It replaced the Peerage of England and the Peerage of Scotland, but was itself repla ...

, with a special remainder to his nephew, the Honourable Thomas Brudenell, fourth and youngest son of

George Brudenell, 3rd Earl of Cardigan George Brudenell, 3rd Earl of Cardigan (29 September 1685 – 5 July 1732), styled Lord Brudenell between 1698 and 1703, was a British peer. Origins He was the son of Francis Brudenell, Lord Brudenell, son and heir of Robert Brudenell, 2nd Earl ...

, by Lady Elizabeth Bruce, sister of the 3rd Earl of Ailesbury. On Lord Ailesbury's death in 1747, his English titles became extinct, except for the 1746 Barony of Bruce, which was inherited by his nephew, Robert, according to the special remainder. His Scottish titles passed to his kinsman,

Charles Bruce, 5th Earl of Elgin Charles Bruce, 5th Earl of Elgin and 9th Earl of Kincardine (6 July 1732 – 14 May 1771) was a Scottish nobleman. He succeeded his cousin Charles Bruce, 3rd Earl of Ailesbury as Earl of Elgin in 1747. He was the son of William Bruce, 8th Earl ...

. Thomas Brudenell, 2nd Baron Bruce, assumed the additional surname of Bruce by Royal licence in 1767. On 10 June 1776 he was created Earl of Ailesbury, in the County of Buckingham, in the

, a revival of the title which had become extinct on his uncle's death 29 years earlier. His son, Charles Brudenell-Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury was created Viscount Savernake, of

Savernake Forest Savernake Forest stands on a Cretaceous chalk plateau between Marlborough and Great Bedwyn in Wiltshire, England. Its area is approximately . Most of the forest lies within the civil parish of Savernake. It is privately owned by the Marquess o ...

in the County of Wilts, Earl Bruce, of Whorlton in the

, and Marquess of Ailesbury, in the County of Buckingham, on 17 July 1821, all in the

. In 1838 his eldest son,

George Brudenell-Bruce, 2nd Marquess of Ailesbury George William Frederick Brudenell-Bruce, 2nd Marquess of Ailesbury (20 November 1804 – 6 January 1878), styled Lord Bruce between 1814 and 1821 and Earl Bruce between 1821 and 1856, was a British peer, Liberal politician and courtier. Back ...

, was summoned to the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

through a writ of acceleration in his father's junior title of Baron Bruce. In 1868 the 2nd Marquess also inherited the Earldom of Cardigan from his kinsman the 7th Earl of Cardigan, and so the Marquesses of Ailesbury now also hold the titles Earl of Cardigan (1661) and Baron Brudenell, of Stonton in the County of Leicester (1628), in the

, as well as being Baronets of England, styled "of Deene in the County of Northampton". The 2nd Marquess was succeeded by his younger brother,

Ernest Brudenell-Bruce, 3rd Marquess of Ailesbury Ernest is a given name derived from the Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious", often shortened to Ernie. Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People *Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), son of Maximilian ...

, who had previously sat in the House of Commons for 46 years under the name of Lord Ernest Bruce. The 3rd Marquess was succeeded by his grandson,

George Brudenell-Bruce, 4th Marquess of Ailesbury George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...

, the only son of George John Brudenell-Bruce. The 4th Marquess died bankrupt at an early age and was succeeded by his uncle,

Henry Brudenell-Bruce, 5th Marquess of Ailesbury Henry Augustus Brudenell-Bruce, 5th Marquess of Ailesbury (11 April 1842 – 10 March 1911), styled Lord Henry Brudenell-Bruce from 1878 to 1894, was a British soldier, businessman and Conservative politician. Early life Ailesbury was the thir ...

, who had previously represented

Chippenham Chippenham is a market town in north-west Wiltshire, England. It lies north-east of Bath, Somerset, Bath, west of London and is near the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town was established on a crossing of the River Avon, ...

in Parliament under the name of Lord Henry Bruce. As of 2024, the titles are held by the 5th Marquess's great-great-grandson,

David Brudenell-Bruce, 9th Marquess of Ailesbury David Michael James Brudenell-Bruce, 9th Marquess of Ailesbury (born 12 November 1952), styled The Hon. David Brudenell-Bruce until 1974 and Earl of Cardigan between 1974 and 2024, is a British peer. Biography Early life David Brudenell-Bruce ...

, the titles having descended from father to son. The heir apparent to the Marquessate bears the courtesy title Earl of Cardigan, and his heir apparent bears the title Viscount Savernake. Between 1776 and 1821 the heir apparent to the earldom of Ailesbury bore the courtesy title Lord Bruce. Between 1821 and 1868 the heir apparent to the marquessate bore the courtesy title Earl Bruce while Earl Bruce's heir apparent bore the title Viscount Savernake. Ever since

Thomas Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury 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 ...

succeeded his father in 1685, every Earl and Marquess of Ailesbury has also been a Hereditary Warden of

. This explains the usage of the title Viscount Savernake within the family. Although not an earl until 1685, Thomas Bruce had already inherited the Wardenship through his marriage to Lady Elizabeth Seymour in 1676, as the Wardenship had previously been in the Seymour family. The current Lord Ailesbury is the 31st such Warden, who became Warden in 1987 when his father retired from the role.

Lord Charles Bruce Captain Lord Charles William Brudenell-Bruce (18 June 1834 – 16 April 1897), was a British soldier and Liberal Party politician. He served as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household under William Ewart Gladstone between 1880 and 1885. Background B ...

, youngest son of the 1st Marquess, was a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

politician. A descendant of the 3rd Marquess is the model Florence Brudenell-Bruce. The family seat was

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 ...

, near

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Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

. The family last lived in the house in 1945, after which it became a school, and was sold in 2015. The Estate is held in a trust, controlled by the family. In 2013, the heir to the marquessate, Earl of Cardigan, filed a lawsuit against the trustees, alleging mismanagement. As a result, the two Trustees were ordered to stand down.

Coat of arms

The heraldic blazon for the coat of arms of the marquessate is: ''Quarterly: 1st and 4th, or a saltire and chief gules on a canton argent a lion rampant azure (for Bruce); 2nd and 3rd, argent a chevron gules between three chapeaux to the sinister azure (for Brudenell)''. This can be translated as: a shield divided into quarters, the top left and bottom right quarters being gold, with a red saltire over the gold field, and the top part of the shield also being red. In addition, there is a white square in the top left corner of the shield with a blue lion rampant (for the Bruce family); the top right and bottom left quarters are white with a red chevron between three blue caps of state that are turned to face to the viewer's right (for the Brudenell family).

Earls of Ailesbury, Viscount Bruce, Baron Bruce: First creation (1664)

* Robert Bruce, 2nd Earl of Elgin, 1st Earl of Ailesbury (–1685) * Thomas Bruce, 3rd Earl of Elgin, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury (1656–1741) * Charles Bruce, 4th Earl of Elgin, 3rd Earl of Ailesbury (1682–1747) (Created Baron Bruce in 1746 in the peerage of Great Britain with remainder to his nephew)

Barons Bruce (1746)

* Charles Bruce, 4th Earl of Elgin, 3rd Earl of Ailesbury, 1st Baron Bruce (1682–1747) * Thomas Brudenell-Bruce, 2nd Baron Bruce (1729–1814) (Younger nephew, created Earl of Ailesbury in 1776)

Earls of Ailesbury; Second creation (1776)

Thomas Brudenell-Bruce, 1st Earl of Ailesbury Thomas Brudenell-Bruce, 1st Earl of Ailesbury, Order of the Thistle, 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 an ...

(1729–1814) **George Bruce-Brudenell, Lord Bruce (1762–1783) * Charles Brudenell-Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury (1773–1856) (created Viscount Savernake, Earl Bruce, and Marquess of Ailesbury in 1821)

Marquesses of Ailesbury (1821), Earls of Cardigan (inherited 1868)

* Charles Brudenell-Bruce, 1st Marquess of Ailesbury (1773–1856) *

(1804–1878) *

(1811–1886) **George John Brudenell-Bruce (1839–1868) *

(1863–1894) *

(1842–1911) *

George Brudenell-Bruce, 6th Marquess of Ailesbury George William James Chandos Brudenell-Bruce, 6th Marquess of Ailesbury, (21 May 1873 – 4 August 1961), styled Earl of Cardigan between 1894 and 1911, was a British peer and an officer of the auxiliary forces. According to his hand-written me ...

(1873–1961) *

Cedric Brudenell-Bruce, 7th Marquess of Ailesbury Chandos Sydney Cedric Brudenell-Bruce, 7th Marquess of Ailesbury (26 January 1904 – 15 July 1974), styled Earl of Cardigan or Lord Cardigan between 1911 and 1961, was a British peer. Background and education He was the son of George Bruden ...

(1904–1974) * Michael Brudenell-Bruce, 8th Marquess of Ailesbury (1926–2024) *

(born 1951) The

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

is the present holder's son,

Thomas Brudenell-Bruce, Earl of Cardigan David Michael James Brudenell-Bruce, 9th Marquess of Ailesbury (born 12 November 1952), styled The Hon. David Brudenell-Bruce until 1974 and Earl of Cardigan between 1974 and 2024, is a British peer. Biography Early life David Brudenell-Bruce ...

(born 1982). * ''Ernest Brudenell-Bruce, 3rd Marquess of Ailesbury, 9th Earl of Cardigan (1811–1886)'' **''George John Brudenell-Bruce (1839–1868) *** ''George Brudenell-Bruce, 4th Marquess of Ailesbury, 10th Earl of Cardigan (1863–1894)'' ** ''Henry Brudenell-Bruce, 5th Marquess of Ailesbury, 11th Earl of Cardigan (1842–1911)'' *** ''George Brudenell-Bruce, 6th Marquess of Ailesbury, 12th Earl of Cardigan (1873–1961)'' **** ''Cedric Brudenell-Bruce, 7th Marquess of Ailesbury, 13th Earl of Cardigan (1904–1974)'' ***** ''Michael Brudenell-Bruce, 8th Marquess of Ailesbury, 14th Earl of Cardigan (1926–2024)'' ****** David Brudenell-Bruce, 9th Marquess of Ailesbury, 15th Earl of Cardigan (b. 1951) *******(1). Thomas Brudenell-Bruce, Earl of Cardigan (b. 1982) *****(2). Lord Charles Adam Brudenell-Bruce (b. 1951) **''Lord Robert Thomas Brudenell-Bruce (1845–1912)'' ***''George Lionel Thomas Brudenell (1880–1962)'' ****''Edmund Crispin Stephen James George Brudenell (1928–2014)'' *****(3). Robert Edmund Brudenell (b. 1956) ******(4). William Robert Brudenell (b. 2000) *****(5). Thomas Mervyn Brudenell (b. 1956) ***''Robert Hanbury Brudenell-Bruce (1881–1955)'' ****''Chandos Robert Henry Brudenell-Bruce (1923–1993)'' *****(6). Andrew Robert Joel Brudenell-Bruce (b. 1951) ******(7). Henry Robert Wolf Brudenell-Bruce (b. 1976) *******(8). Rowan Garvey Pema Brudenell-Bruce (b. 2002) ***'' John Charles Brudenell-Bruce (1885–1960)'' ****''Simon Robert Brudenell-Bruce (1928–2008)'' *****(9). Peter Gregory Brudenell-Bruce (b. 1965) ******(10). Hayden Robert Brudenell-Bruce (b. 1998) ****''Marc Hadrian Brudenell-Bruce (1930–1965)'' *****(11). Marc Raymond Christopher Brudenell-Bruce (b. 1962)

Family tree

Notes

Works cited

External links

Ailesbury Mausoleum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ailesbury Marquessates in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Ailesbury Noble titles created in 1821 Peerages created for UK MPs 1821 establishments in the United Kingdom