| Authorised form of name | Bruce; James (1730 - 1794) |
| Dates | 1730 - 1794 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Kinnaird, Stirlingshire, Scotland |
| Date of birth | 14 December 1730 |
| Date of death | 27 April 1794 |
| Occupation | Explorer, archaeologist and linguist |
| Research field | Exploration |
| Activity | Education:
Harrow School
Career:
Wine merchant, London (1754-1761); Spent six months in Italy where he had his portrait painted by Batoni (1762); travelled subsequently to North Africa, Crete, Syria, Egypt and eventually Abyssinia [Ethiopia]; Consul General, Algiers (1763-1765). in 1768 he journeyed to Abyssinia by the Nile, Aswan, the Red Sea and Massowah. In 1770 he reached the source of the Abbai or headstream of the Blue Nile.
Freemason, member of Lodge Canongate Kilwinning No 2, Canongate, Edinburgh
|
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 11/01/1776 |
| Relationships | Son of Robert Bruce |
| PublishedWorks | 'Travels to discover the sources of the Nile' 1790 |
| Source | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB
Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 'Freemasons and the Royal Society: Alphabetical List of Fellows of the Royal Society who were Freemasons' 2010 page 12 [Gives place of birth as Larbert, Falkirk] |
| Code | NA6329 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| L&P/6/122 | Paper, 'Observations made in 1771 in Abyssinia, on myrrh' by James Bruce | 1775 |
| IM/000622 | Bruce, James | 1986 |
| EC/1775/22 | Bruce, James: certificate of election to the Royal Society | |