Robert Bruce, 1st Earl of Ailesbury

The 1st Earl of Ailesbury.

Robert Bruce, 1st Earl of Ailesbury and 2nd Earl of Elgin, PC, FRS (ca. March 1626 – 20 October 1685) was the son of Thomas Bruce, 1st Earl of Elgin.

During his father's lifetime, Lord Kinloss, as he was styled, was Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire in the Parliament of 1660 and the following Parliament of 1661, until he succeeded to his father's titles in 1663. The following year (18 March 1664) he was created Earl of Ailesbury, Viscount Bruce of Ampthill and Baron Bruce of Skelton for his services in procuring the English Restoration. He was Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire from 1660 with the Earl of Cleveland and solely from 1667 to his death. He was also Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire and Hampshire from 1681 to his death.

In October 1678, he was invested as a Privy Counsellor (PC) and a Gentleman of the Bedchamber. In 1685, he was invested as a Fellow of the Royal Society and Lord Chamberlain on 30 July 1685.

He married Lady Diana Grey, daughter of Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford, on 16 February 1645. They had seventeen children, nine of which seem to have survived to adulthood:

Diana, Countess of Ailesbury, by Henri Gascar

• Hon. Edward Bruce (b. 1644/5, d. 1662).
• Thomas Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury (b. 1656, d. 16 December 1741).
• Hon. Henry Bruce (b. 1656?, d. young).
• Lady Diana Bruce (d. 15 July 1672); married firstly Sir Seymour Shirley, 5th Baronet on 29 January 1666; married secondly John Manners, 1st Duke of Rutland on 10 November 1671.
• Mary Bruce (b. 31 December 1657, bur. 15 May 1711), married Sir William Walter, 2nd Baronet.
• Lady Christian (or Christiana) Bruce (2nd Christian?, b. 1658), married firstly John Rolle, son and heir of Sir John Rolle of Stevenstone in St Giles in the Wood, on 4 June 1677 at Ampthill; married secondly Sir Richard Gayer (or Geyer or Gere) of Stoke Poges.
• Lady Anne Bruce (1st Anne, b. ca. 1660, d. before 1717); married Sir William Rich, 2nd Baronet in 1672.
• Hon. Robert Bruce (1st Robert?, d. 1652).
• Hon. Charles Bruce (d. 1661).
• Hon. Bernard (or Barnard) Bruce (b. 1666, d. 1669).
• Arabella Bruce (d. young).
• Anne Charlotte Bruce (2nd Anne, bur. 13 March 1713); married Sir Nicholas Bagnall/Bagenall of Newry, a grandson of Henry Bagenal.
• Henrietta Bruce; married Thomas Ogle.
• Hon. Robert Bruce (2nd Robert?, d. 1728).
• Hon. James Bruce (d. 1738).
• Christian Bruce (1st Christian?, d. young).
• Elizabeth Bruce (d. young).

Lord Ailesbury died in 1685, aged 58 at Houghton House, just north of Ampthill, Bedfordshire, and was buried on 26 October of that year, at Maulden. His widow built Ampthill House nearby in 1686, originally as a dower house.

External links

• Stirnet: Bruce05 (subscription required to view without interruption; contains the 1st Earl of Ailesbury and numerous close relatives in the Bruce family)
• Website with information about the Ailesbury Mausoleum at Maulden

Parliament of England
Preceded by Unknown	Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire Samuel Browne 1660–1661 Sir Humphrey Winch, 1st Bt 1661–1663 1660–1663	Succeeded by Sir Humphrey Winch, 1st Bt Sir John Napier
Honorary titles
Preceded by The Earl of Bolingbroke	Custos Rotulorum of Bedfordshire jointly with The Earl of Bolingbroke 1671–1681 1671–1685	Succeeded by The Earl of Ailesbury
Preceded by The Earl of Cleveland	Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire jointly with The Earl of Cleveland 1660–1667 1660–1685
Preceded by The Earl of Manchester	Lord Lieutenant of Huntingdonshire (in the absence of The Earl of Sandwich) 1681–1685
Preceded by The Lord Alington	Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire (in the absence of The Earl of Sandwich) 1685	Vacant Title next held by The Lord Dover
Political offices
Preceded by The Earl of Arlington	Lord Chamberlain 1685	Succeeded by The Earl of Mulgrave
Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by Thomas Bruce	Earl of Elgin 1663–1685	Succeeded by Thomas Bruce
Peerage of England
New title	Earl of Ailesbury 1664–1685	Succeeded by Thomas Bruce