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Baron Aberdare

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Barony of Aberdare
Creation date23 August 1873
Created byQueen Victoria
PeeragePeerage of the United Kingdom
First holderHenry Bruce, 1st Baron Aberdare
Present holderAlastair Bruce, 5th Baron Aberdare
Heir apparentHon. Hector Bruce
Remainder tothe 1st Baron's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten.
Former seat(s)Dyffryn Gardens

Baron Aberdare, of Duffryn in the County of Glamorgan, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 23 August 1873 for the Liberal politician Henry Bruce. He served as Home Secretary from 1868 to 1873.[1]

His grandson, the third Baron, was a soldier, cricketer and tennis player and a member of the International Olympic Committee. His son, the fourth Baron, held office in the Conservative administration of Edward Heath and was later a Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords.[2] Lord Aberdare was one of the ninety-two elected hereditary peers that were allowed to remain in the House of Lords after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999.

As of 2024, the title is held by his son, the fifth Baron, who succeeded in 2005 and was elected to the House of Lords in 2009.

Lineage

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Henry Bruce, 1st Baron Aberdare was the son of John Bruce-Pryce (born John Bruce Knight in Barnstaple, Devon), the eldest son of John Knight (died 1799) and Margaret Bruce (died 1809), daughter and heir of William Bruce of Llanblethian, Glamorgan.[3] He descends from the Welsh Bruces, a branch of Bruce of Kennet of Clackmannan, that dates to the 14th century.[4]

In 1805, Lord Aberdare's father changed his surname from Knight to Bruce when he reached the age of majority and inherited the Bruce estates in Llanblethian, as per his grandfather's will. His younger brothers were Rev. William Bruce Knight (1785–1845) and Sir James Knight-Bruce (1791–1866).

In 1837, he changed his name again to Bruce-Pryce when he inherited Duffryn and the Monknash estates from a distant cousin, Frances Anne Grey (née Pryce), the daughter and heiress of Thomas Pryce, who had married Hon. William Booth Grey (1773-1852; the second son of 5th Earl of Stamford).[3]

Lord Aberdare's great-grandmother, Jane Lewis, was the daughter of MP Gabriel Lewis, of Llanishen House.[5] The Lewis family of Van Castle, Glamorgan, had been prominent in politics since the 16th century.[6]

Coat of arms

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The heraldic blazon for the coat of arms of the family is: Or, a saltire gules, on a chief of the last a martlet of the field.

Baron Aberdare (1873)

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The heir apparent is the present holder's son, the Hon. Hector Morys Napier Bruce (born 1974).

Title succession chart

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Title succession chart, Barons Aberdare.
Henry Bruce
1st Baron Aberdare

1815–1895
Henry Bruce
2nd Baron Aberdare

1851–1929
Hon.
Henry Bruce
1881–1914
Clarence Bruce
3rd Baron Aberdare

1885–1957
Morys Bruce
4th Baron Aberdare

1919–2005
Alastair Bruce
5th Baron Aberdare

born 1947
Hon.
Hector Bruce
born 1974

References

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  1. ^ Cokayne 1910, p. 13.
  2. ^ Montague-Smith 2008.
  3. ^ a b Burke, Bernard (1925). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry. Burke Publishing Company. p. 1455. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  4. ^ Burke, John (1835). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Enjoying Territorial Possessions Or High Official Rank: But Uninvested with Heritable Honours. Henry Colburn. pp. 485–486. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  5. ^ Nicholas, Thomas (1874). The History and Antiquities of Glamorganshire and Its Families. Longmans, Green & Company. p. 181. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  6. ^ "LEWIS family, of Van, Glamorganshire". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Retrieved 14 September 2024.

Bibliography

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