Celebrity Genealogy      Research - My Family Ancestry

Lady Charlotte Christina Bruce: A Family Connection to History and Greatness

Lady Charlotte Christina Bruce was my third cousin, the daughter of Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, and my second cousin, Elizabeth Oswald. Charlotte’s life intertwined with some of the most remarkable figures of British and world history, through both family ties and friendships.

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Marriage to Frederick Locker

Charlotte Bruce married Frederick Locker, becoming his second wife. Frederick was the son of Edward Hawke Locker and Eleanor Mary Elizabeth Boucher—both connected to a lineage rich in naval, artistic, and literary achievement.

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The Legacy of Captain William Locker

Frederick’s grandfather, Captain William Locker, was a distinguished Royal Navy officer best known for mentoring Lord Horatio Nelson. It was Captain Locker who famously advised the young Nelson to “lay a Frenchman close and beat him.”

In 1777, a 19-year-old Nelson served under Locker aboard HMS Lowestoffe. Decades later, in 1799, Nelson wrote to his former captain:

“I have been your scholar; it is you who taught me to board a Frenchman by your conduct when in the Experiment; it is you who always told me ‘Lay a Frenchman close and you will beat him’; and my only merit in my profession is being a good scholar. Our friendship will never end but with my life, but you have always been too partial to me.”

Captain William Locker’s influence on Nelson—and by extension, British naval history—was profound. I plan to dedicate a full page to his remarkable career and legacy.

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Connections to George Washington and the Literary Elite

Frederick’s maternal grandfather, Reverend Jonathan Boucher, Vicar of Epsom, was a close personal friend of George Washington—a testament to how far the family’s connections reached, even across the Atlantic.

Charlotte and her husband also moved in literary circles. Frederick was friends with many celebrated writers, including Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Robert Browning, Charles Dickens, George Eliot, and Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Their daughter, Eleanor Bertha Mary Locker, later married Lionel Tennyson, the son of Lord Tennyson himself.

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Edward Hawke Locker: Artist and Gentleman

Charlotte’s father-in-law, Edward Hawke Locker, was not only the youngest son of Captain William Locker but also a noted watercolour artist. His works are displayed today in both the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Museum in London.

In 1813, he personally delivered dispatches to Lord Wellington, and in 1814, during Napoleon’s exile on Elba, he even met Napoleon himself—a fascinating brush with history.

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Godfrey Locker-Lampson: A Man of Courage and Conviction

Charlotte’s stepson, Godfrey Locker-Lampson, also played a role in several pivotal 20th-century events. He was approached by those involved in Rasputin’s assassination plot and later worked on plans to help Tsar Nicholas II and his family escape Russia.

Between the First and Second World Wars, Godfrey was a staunch supporter of Winston Churchill and an early voice warning of the dangers of communism and Nazism. During the Nazi persecution of Jews, he personally arranged the safe passage of refugees, including Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud—an extraordinary humanitarian legacy.

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A Personal Connection: The Athenaeum Club

Of special interest to me is that Edward Hawke Locker was a founding member of the Athenaeum Club, the prestigious private members’ club at 107 Pall Mall, London.

Whenever I stay at the Sofitel Hotel, directly across the street, I can’t help but feel a personal connection. Founded in 1824, the Athenaeum’s notable members have included Viscount Palmerston, Michael Faraday, Charles Dickens, the Duke of Wellington, and Charles Darwin.

It amazes me to think that, in some small way, my own family helped shape the history of such an institution. I often wonder—would they let me in today?