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Charles Bruce, 5th Earl of Elgin

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Charles Bruce, 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 of Kincardine and Janet Roberton. His mother was the daughter of James Roberton (principal Lord of Session)[1] and great-granddaughter of advocate and judge Lord Bedlay.[2][3] He was educated at Rugby School.

He was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland from 1761 to 1763. He was a founding member of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St Andrews. He built the planned industrial village of Charlestown, Fife.

He is buried in the southern transept of Dunfermline Abbey close to the grave of Robert the Bruce. In 1812, Scottish composer Magdalene Stirling named her Charles Bruce Reel after him.[4]

The grave of Sir Charles Bruce, 5th Earl of Elgin, Dunfermline Abbey

Family

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On 1 June 1759, Elgin married Martha Whyte (1739–1810), who later became governess to Princess Charlotte of Wales. They had eight children:[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Elgin, 1633 Archived 12 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine at cracroftspeerage.co.uk (Cracroft's Peerage online). Retrieved 23 October 2012
  2. ^ John Birnie; William Barclay Turnbull (1838). Families of Broomhill. Edinburgh Printing Co. pp. 36–37. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
  3. ^ "Archibald Roberton". thepeerage.com. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  4. ^ "Honorable Charles Bruce (The)". Traditional Tune Archive. 6 June 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
Masonic offices
Preceded by Grand Master of the
Grand Lodge of Scotland

1761 – 1763
Succeeded by
Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by Earl of Elgin
1747–1771
Succeeded by
Preceded by Earl of Kincardine
1740–1771