Biography of Charles Bruce 4th Earl Elgin 3rd Earl Ailesbury 1682-1747

On 31st August 1676 [his father] Thomas Bruce 3rd Earl Elgin 2nd Earl Ailesbury [aged 20] and [his mother] Elizabeth Seymour Countess Elgin and Ailesbury [aged 21] were married. She the daughter of [his grandfather] Henry Seymour and [his grandmother] Mary Capell Duchess Beaufort [aged 45]. He the son of Robert Bruce 2nd Earl Elgin 1st Earl Ailesbury [aged 50]. They were fourth cousins. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.

On 29th May 1682 Charles Bruce 4th Earl Elgin 3rd Earl Ailesbury was born to [his father] Thomas Bruce 3rd Earl Elgin 2nd Earl Ailesbury [aged 26] and [his mother] Elizabeth Seymour Countess Elgin and Ailesbury [aged 27].

On 20th October 1685 [his grandfather] Robert Bruce 2nd Earl Elgin 1st Earl Ailesbury [aged 59] died. His son [his father] Thomas [aged 29] succeeded 3rd Earl Elgin, 2nd Earl Ailesbury, 2nd Viscount Bruce of Ampthill in Bedfordshire, 3rd Baron Bruce of Whorlton in Yorkshire, 2nd Baron Bruce of Skelton in Yorkshire. [his mother] Elizabeth Seymour Countess Elgin and Ailesbury [aged 30] by marriage Countess Elgin, Countess Ailesbury.

In 1697 [his mother] Elizabeth Seymour Countess Elgin and Ailesbury [aged 42] died.

On 27th April 1700 [his father] Thomas Bruce 3rd Earl Elgin 2nd Earl Ailesbury [aged 44] and [his step-mother] Charlotte Argenteau Countess Elgin and Ailesbury [aged 21] were married at Brussels [Map]. She by marriage Countess Elgin, Countess Ailesbury. The difference in their ages was 22 years. He the son of [his grandfather] Robert Bruce 2nd Earl Elgin 1st Earl Ailesbury.

Around 1706 Thomas Howard 8th Duke of Norfolk [aged 22] was in secret negotiations for a marriage to [his sister] Elizabeth [aged 17], daughter of [his father] Thomas Bruce [aged 50], 2nd earl of Ailesbury. When her brother, Charles [aged 23], the future 3rd earl, discovered the intrigue he was horrified. He insisted that he would never give his consent to her marrying a Catholic, though he seems to have been just as worried about the 'worldly concerns' of Catholics who were 'in a very precarious way', as about their religious beliefs, citing the bill to limit their rights of inheritance which was then before Parliament. Instead, Norfolk began his pursuit of Maria [aged 13], then only thirteen, daughter of Nicholas Shireburn 1st Baronet [aged 47].

On 15th May 1707 [his brother-in-law] George Brudenell 3rd Earl Cardigan [aged 21] and [his sister] Elizabeth Bruce 3rd Countess Cardigan [aged 18] were married at St Martin in the Fields Church [Map]. She by marriage Countess Cardigan. She the daughter of [his father] Thomas Bruce 3rd Earl Elgin 2nd Earl Ailesbury [aged 51] and [his mother] Elizabeth Seymour Countess Elgin and Ailesbury. They were half fourth cousin once removed.

In 1710 [his daughter] Mary Bruce was born to Charles Bruce 4th Earl Elgin 3rd Earl Ailesbury [aged 27] and [his future wife] Anne Savile [aged 19]. She married 21st December 1728 her fifth cousin Henry Brydges 2nd Duke Chandos, son of James Brydges 1st Duke Chandos and Mary Lake, and had issue.

In December 1711 Charles Bruce 4th Earl Elgin 3rd Earl Ailesbury [aged 29] by writ of acceleration 4th Baron Bruce of Whorlton in Yorkshire.

Before 1717 [his daughter] George Bruce was born to Charles Bruce 4th Earl Elgin 3rd Earl Ailesbury [aged 34] and [his wife] Anne Savile [aged 25].

Before 1717 Charles Bruce 4th Earl Elgin 3rd Earl Ailesbury [aged 34] and Anne Savile [aged 25] were married. She the daughter of William Savile 2nd Marquess Halifax and Elizabeth Grimston. He the son of Thomas Bruce 3rd Earl Elgin 2nd Earl Ailesbury [aged 60] and Elizabeth Seymour Countess Elgin and Ailesbury. They were fourth cousin once removed.

In July 1717 Charles Bruce 4th Earl Elgin 3rd Earl Ailesbury [aged 35] and Juliana Boyle [aged 20] were married. She the daughter of Charles Boyle 2nd Earl Burlington and Juliana Noel Countess Burlington [aged 45]. He the son of Thomas Bruce 3rd Earl Elgin 2nd Earl Ailesbury [aged 61] and Elizabeth Seymour Countess Elgin and Ailesbury. They were second cousins.

On 18th July 1717 [his wife] Anne Savile [aged 26] died.

On 21st March 1720 [his brother-in-law] Richard Boyle 3rd Earl Burlington [aged 25] and [his former sister-in-law] Dorothy Savile Countess Burlington [aged 21] were married. She by marriage Countess Burlington. She the daughter of William Savile 2nd Marquess Halifax and Mary Finch Duchess Roxburghe [aged 43]. He the son of Charles Boyle 2nd Earl Burlington and [his mother-in-law] Juliana Noel Countess Burlington [aged 48]. They were fourth cousin once removed.

On 21st December 1728 [his son-in-law] Henry Brydges 2nd Duke Chandos [aged 20] and Mary Bruce [aged 18] were married. She the daughter of Charles Bruce 4th Earl Elgin 3rd Earl Ailesbury [aged 46] and Anne Savile. He the son of James Brydges 1st Duke Chandos [aged 55] and Mary Lake. They were fifth cousins.

In 1732 [his son-in-law] Benjamin Bathurst and Elizabeth Bruce were married. She the daughter of Charles Bruce 4th Earl Elgin 3rd Earl Ailesbury [aged 49] and Anne Savile. He the son of Allen Bathurst 1st Earl Bathurst [aged 47] and Catherine Apsley Countess Bathurst Sussex.

On 14th August 1738 [his daughter] Mary Bruce [aged 28] died.

On 30th August 1738 [his son] Robert Bruce died.

In 1739 [his wife] Juliana Boyle [aged 42] died.

In March 1739 Charles Bruce 4th Earl Elgin 3rd Earl Ailesbury [aged 56] and Caroline Campbell Countess Elgin and Ailesbury [aged 18] were married. The difference in their ages was 38 years. She the daughter of John Campbell 4th Duke Argyll [aged 46] and Mary Drummond Bellenden. He the son of Thomas Bruce 3rd Earl Elgin 2nd Earl Ailesbury [aged 83] and Elizabeth Seymour Countess Elgin and Ailesbury. They were fifth cousin once removed.

On 16th December 1741 [his father] Thomas Bruce 3rd Earl Elgin 2nd Earl Ailesbury [aged 85] died. His son Charles [aged 59] succeeded 4th Earl Elgin, 3rd Earl Ailesbury, 3rd Viscount Bruce of Ampthill in Bedfordshire. [his wife] Caroline Campbell Countess Elgin and Ailesbury [aged 20] by marriage Countess Elgin, Countess Ailesbury.

In 1745 [his sister] Elizabeth Bruce 3rd Countess Cardigan [aged 56] died.

On 17th April 1746 Charles Bruce 4th Earl Elgin 3rd Earl Ailesbury [aged 63] was created 1st Baron Bruce of Tottenham in Wiltshire with a special remainder to his nephew Thomas Brudenell 1st Earl Ailesbury [aged 16].

On 10th February 1747 Charles Bruce 4th Earl Elgin 3rd Earl Ailesbury [aged 64] died. Earl Ailesbury, Viscount Bruce of Ampthill in Bedfordshire, Baron Bruce of Skelton in Yorkshire, Baron Bruce of Whorlton in Yorkshire extinct.

[his nephew] Thomas Brudenell 1st Earl Ailesbury [aged 17] succeeded 2nd Baron Bruce of Tottenham in Wiltshire.

Charles Bruce 9th Earl Kincardine 5th Earl Elgin [aged 14] succeeded 5th Earl Elgin.

On 19th December 1747 Field Marshal Henry Seymour-Conway [aged 26] and [his former wife] Caroline Campbell Countess Elgin and Ailesbury [aged 26] were married. She the daughter of [his former father-in-law] John Campbell 4th Duke Argyll [aged 54] and Mary Drummond Bellenden.

On 17th January 1803 [his former wife] Caroline Campbell Countess Elgin and Ailesbury [aged 82] died.

[his son] Robert Bruce was born to Charles Bruce 4th Earl Elgin 3rd Earl Ailesbury and Anne Savile. He married Frances Blackett, daughter of William Blackett 1st Baronet and Julia Conyers.

[his daughter] Elizabeth Bruce was born to Charles Bruce 4th Earl Elgin 3rd Earl Ailesbury and Anne Savile. She married 1732 Benjamin Bathurst, son of Allen Bathurst 1st Earl Bathurst and Catherine Apsley Countess Bathurst Sussex.

[his daughter] Mary Bruce Duchess Richmond was born to Charles Bruce 4th Earl Elgin 3rd Earl Ailesbury and Caroline Campbell Countess Elgin and Ailesbury. She married 1st April 1757 her half sixth cousin Charles Lennox 3rd Duke Richmond, son of Charles Lennox 2nd Duke Richmond and Sarah Cadogan Duchess Richmond.