Celebrity Genealogy      Research - My Family Ancestry

Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin and 11th Earl of Kincardine

Above is a portrait of Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin and 11th Earl of Kincardine, painted by Anton Graff around 1788. Thomas Bruce was married to my second cousin, Elizabeth Oswald, sister of General Sir John Oswald and daughter of James Townsend Oswald.

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Early Life and Background

Born into Scottish nobility, Thomas Bruce was the son of Charles Bruce, 5th Earl of Elgin. He was born on July 20, 1766, at Broomhall Castle in Scotland—now a small luxury hotel (as many of our ancestral homes have become!).

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Diplomatic Career

Throughout his distinguished diplomatic career, Lord Elgin served as an ambassador in Austria, Belgium, and Constantinople, where he held the post of British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. His service abroad connected him deeply with both European and Middle Eastern politics during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

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The Elgin Marbles

Lord Elgin is perhaps best known—and most controversial—for the removal of the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. These ancient sculptures, acquired during his ambassadorship to the Ottoman Empire, are now housed in the British Museum in London, where they continue to be a subject of historical debate and cultural interest.

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Family and Legacy

Elizabeth Oswald was Lord Elgin’s second wife, and together they had four sons and three daughters, each notable in their own right:

• James Bruce – Governor of British North America; the Bruce Peninsula and Bruce County in Canada are named after him.

• Robert Bruce – Lieutenant-Colonel in the Grenadier Guards; married Katherine-Mary Shaw-Stewart, daughter of Sir Michael Shaw-Stewart, 6th Baronet.

• Sir Frederick Wright-Bruce – British diplomat.

• Thomas Charles Bruce – Member of Parliament for Portsmouth.

• Charlotte-Christian Bruce – Married Frederick Locker, grandson of Rear Admiral Sir Edward Locker.

• Augusta Frederica Elizabeth Bruce – Lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria; married Arthur Stanley, Dean of Westminster.

• Frances-Anne Bruce – Unfortunately, little is known about her life.

 

Historical Significance

The Bruce family’s legacy is deeply woven into British and colonial history, with ties to politics, diplomacy, and the arts. Through both his public service and his controversial cultural acquisitions, Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, remains one of the most discussed figures of 18th-century British nobility.