Bruce, Thomas

Thomas Bruce was born on 20 July 1766, and on the death of his elder brother, William Robert, in 1771 he became 7th Earl of Elgin and 11th Earl of Kincardine. He was educated at Harrow and Westminster and studied at St. Andrews University and in Paris. He entered the army in 1785 and by 1837 had become a General. In 1799 he had been appointed to the embassy in Istanbul (then Constantinople), and his mission began the study and examination of Grecian remains within Turkish jurisdiction including those in Athens. A collection of ornamental sculpture removed from the Parthenon began to be shipped to Britain in 1803, and they became known as the Elgin Marbles. They were bought for the nation in 1816. Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, died on 14 November 1841.

From the guide to the Material relating to Thomas Bruce (1766-1841), 7th Earl of Elgin, 1801-1833, (Edinburgh University Library)

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