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Authorised form of nameBruce; Robert (1626 - 1685); 2nd Earl of Elgin and 1st Earl of Ailesbury; nobleman and politician
Dates1626 - 1685
NationalityBritish
Place of birthParish of St Bartholomew-the-Less, London, England, Europe
Date of birthc. March 1626
Place of deathHoughton Park, Ampthill, Bedfordshire, England, Europe
Date of death20 October 1685
DatesAndPlacesBurial:
Maulden, Ampthill, Bedfordshire, England, Europe (26 October 1685)
ActivityCareer:
Travelled in Italy (c. 1645) where he met John Evelyn (FRS 1663); Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire (1660-death), Huntingdonshire (1681-death), Cambridgeshire (1685-death); MP for Bedfordshire (1660-1661); Privy Councillor (1678); Custos Rotulorum for Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire (1681-death); Recorder of Bedford and Godmanchester (1684-death); Gentleman of the King's Bedchamber; Lord Chamberlain to James II (1685)
Honours:
Baron Bruce of Skelton, Viscount Bruce of Ampthill and Earl of Ailesbury 1664
Membership categoryOriginal Fellow
Date of election20/05/1663
Age at election37
RSActivityRoyal Society roles:
Council: 1669-1670; 1674-1675
RelationshipsParents: Thomas Bruce, 1st Earl of Elgin, and Anne Chichester; succeeded his father (1663)
Married: Diana Gray [Grey]
Father-in-law: Nicholas Bagenall (FRS 1664)
Children: Thomas Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury; Lady Diana Bruce; fifteen others
OtherInfoBruce was a staunch royalist supporter during the Civil War and raised monetary efforts in support of Charles II. After the Restoration, this loyality helped him secure a variety of appointments, such as joint Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire with the Earl of Cleveland. During his tenure as sole Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, he supported the anti-exclusionist cause in Bedfordshire in the times of the Exclusion Crisis.
SourceSources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; GEC; Evelyn; Henning
Notes:
The election date is Bruce's election date into the Society after the grant of the second charter in April 1663. All Fellows admitted in a two-month window after this charter, until 22 June 1663, are considered Original Fellows.
Virtual International Authority Filehttp://viaf.org/viaf/56963658
CodeNA6089
Archives associated with this Fellow
RefNoTitleDate
MS/390/41Bond of Robert Bruce, 1st Earl of Ailesbury, to the Treasurer of the Royal Society30 November 1674
L&P/8/147Letter, 'Of the sensitive quality of the tree Averrhoa carambola' from Robert Bruce to Joseph Banks23 November 1783
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