Bruces of Dunipace

[bonjedward]

I've been trying for years to prove the story that my family is related to James Bruce of Kinnaird, "Bruce of the Nile" - perhaps by one of his brothers.

The only Bruce in my family tree is a Mary Bruce, born about 1771 in Denny, Stirlingshire (according to the 1851 census ) -  she must have died before 1855.

In the Dunipace OPR (just next to Denny), there is a Mary Bruce born on Apr. 27th and baptised May 1st, 1770, parents William Bruce and Janet Newlands. They also had a daughter, Isobell, baptised in 1771.

Going back, there are various Bruce baptisms in the parish, no doubt all related as they appear as witnesses at each other's baptisms.
Between 1733 and 1759, there are the births of George, John, Margaret, and James to the parents John Bruce and Isobel Taylor. Also William and Margaret, children of Thomas Bruce and Isobel Rob. There's a William Bruce who's a witness in 1739, who can't be the child William listed before.

So there were quite a few of them, and they could well be some of the 5 half-brothers of James Bruce of Kinnaird, from his father's first marriage (David Hay-Bruce and Agnes Glen).  I've put together a Bruce family tree from what I've been able to find from various James Bruce biographies and the internet - see http://www.gencircles.com/users/bonjedward/6/data/4

and there was a William and a Thomas Bruce among them - I don't know all their names.

Does anyone have any information that could help? Monumental inscriptions of Bruce graves in Dunipace or Denny, for example? Or OPR death records?

[apanderson]

Hi David,

The following might be of some interest to you . . .

The inscription is taken from the gravestone of James Bruce of Kinnaird in Larbert Old Parish Churchyard and it tells quite a story! The stone shows that they more than one son as Robert, (buried beside his mother) was their eldest son

There are quite a few Bruces in the same Churchyard but tryng to prove relationships between families is a different matter.

There are many Denny & Dunipace families buried in this Churchyard - geographically, Larbert, Denny & Dunipace form a triangle so they're all just a stone's throw from each other.

I've attached a photo of the following stone. It's not in it's original position and now sits in the car park. I think it's made of iron but for it's age, it's general condition is fantastic.

Front of Stone            
Sacred to the memory of MARY DUNDAS who died the 10th day of February 1780 aged 31 years
JAMES BRUCE of Kinnaird erected this monument            
A memorial of his gratitude and affection and her virtues.
At her feet lies the body of ROBERT BRUCE their eldest son
Who died 10th day of November 1778

Left Side of Stone
In this tomb are deposited the remains of JAMES BRUCE Esqr. Of Kinnaird
Who died on the 27th of April 1794 in the 64th year of his age.
His life was spent in performing useful and splendid actions
He explored many distant regions, he discovered the fountains of the Nile
He traversed the deserts of Nubia
He was an affectionate husband, an indulgent parent, an ardent lover of his country
By the unanimous voice of mankind his name is enrolled with those who were conspicuous
For genius, for valour and for virtue.            

Right Side of Stone
Sacred to the memory of ELIZABETH CUMMING BRUCE
Grand daughter and heiress of JAMES BRUCE of Kinnaird
Born 1799, married 1820 and died at Kinnaird in 1875
Also her husband CHARLES LENNOX CUMMING BRUCE of Dunphial and Roseisle      
Born at Altyre February 20th 1790
Representative of the United Counties of Elgin and Nairn and previously of the
Inverness District of Burghs during ten successive parliaments from 1851 to 1869   
Died at Broomhall January 1st 1875

This second inscription is for another 'Bruce of Kinnaird' albeit a different generation

The mortal remains of Mr. ROBERT BRUCE of Kinnaird
Minister of the Gospel, 2nd son of Sir ALEXANDER BRUCE of Airth
By JANET daughter of the 5th Lord LIVINGSTONE lie interred in this spot         
At the foot of the pulpit of the first church in Larbert which he built, and from which he sought
To make known the truth, as it is in Christ
Born 1554 he died 1631 aged 77 years

I hope these help you to solve your wee mystery!

Anne

[bonjedward]

Anne, Thanks, that's very helpful.
I was actually at the Larbert Old Parish churchyard on New Year's day, but couldn't find the stone, or any other Bruce gravestones. Looking at the picture, I must have parked on the other side of the church.

I was also looking for the old graveyard at Dunipace, but didn't find it - by this time the rain was pouring down. Turns out it's just next to a more modern graveyard, miles from any church, next to the two Hills of Dunipace (which may themselves be ancient burial mounds).

By the way, is it possible that the inscription about Mary Dundas says 1785 rather than 1780? Various accounts, including the book "Bruce of the Blue Nile" by Robert Silverberg, which I have at home, has her dying on Feb. 10th, 1785, aged 31, and that she was married aged 22 in 1776, and was in fact born in 1754, the year his first wife died.

I'm now back in Denmark, and am eagerly awaiting the OPRs coming online at Scotlandspeople (should have been available last year).

[apanderson]

David,

Yes, there's every possibilty it could be 1785. Although the inscription is in general really easy to read, the photo I've got of that particular side isn't very good. I'll pop back and try and get another one.

It's a shame you missed the stone - if you has posted before your visit I could have told you exactly where it and the other Bruce stones were and also how to find Dunipace. I doubt if I could have done anything about the horrendous weather though!

The following is an 'index' of all Bruces (with existing/legible stones) I've found in Larbert, and the dates of what I think the inscription says:

BRUCE, Alexander died 07.10.1915 aged 62
BRUCE, Archibald died 04.12.1914 aged 70
BRUCE, Charles Lennox Cumming died 01.01.1875 aged 84
BRUCE, Christina (Clarkston) died 26.12.18?? aged 26
BRUCE, Christina Morrison (Hogg) died 17.03.1890    aged 31
BRUCE, Elizabeth Cumming died 1875 aged 76
BRUCE, Grace (nee Higgen) died 19.02.1881 aged 35
BRUCE, Isabella (nee Chalmers) died 21.03.1913 aged 84
BRUCE, James died 1803/1812?
BRUCE, James died 27.04.1794 aged 63
BRUCE, Janet (nee Livingstone)
BRUCE, John died 27.09.1885 aged 54
BRUCE, Margaret (nee Henry) died 1803/1812?
BRUCE, Mary (nee Dundas) died 10.02.1780(5?) aged 31
BRUCE, Robert died 1631 aged 77
BRUCE, Robert died 10.11.1778
BRUCE, Robert Douglas died 23.01.1900    aged 3
BRUCE, Wilhelmina (nee Maxwell) died 29.08.1924   aged 66

Some of the above are more than likely completely different Bruce lines but I prefer to have an alphabetical index and keep the inscriptions separate.

Are you looking for Bruces buried in Dunipace also?  If so, there are no existing/legible stones bearing the Bruce surname at all.  You possibly noticed on your visit to Larbert, that a lot of the old stones just bear two sets of initials (usually husband and wife). The stones in Dunipace are the same so unless there was no doubt that a family had been buried there, dates and initials matched exactly, it would be practically impossible to 'claim' them.  I've found that sometimes when there's only a year marked on a stone, it can mean when the lair was purchased, the death of a child or the death of one of the spouses. Anybody's guess - unless all the wee clues tie in.

Please, don't hesitate to get in touch if there's anything I could help you with. (I'm only five minutes away from Denny, Dunipace and Larbert)

Anne

[bonjedward]

Anne, thanks once again. I can identify some from your list:

BRUCE, Robert died 1631 aged 77  - the theologian, and the explorers GG-grandfather
BRUCE, Janet (nee Livingstone) mother of the theologian, 1535 -  4th Oct 1599
BRUCE, James died 27.04.1794 aged 63  - the explorer
BRUCE, Mary (nee Dundas) died 10.02.1780(5?) aged 31 - his second wife
BRUCE, Robert died 10.11.1778 - the explorers eldest son, died in infancy
BRUCE, James died 1803/1812?  possibly the explorer's youngest son (died 1810)
BRUCE, Margaret (nee Henry) died 1803/1812 - probably the youngest son's wife
BRUCE, Elizabeth Cumming died 1875 aged 76 - daughter of abovementioned couple
BRUCE, Charles Lennox Cumming died 01.01.1875 aged 84  her husband, who took the Bruce surname.

I don't know if any of the Bruces are buried in Dunipace, and as you say, it seems unlikely that I could prove anything from initials. I was just looking in Dunipace because I'd found a number of 18th century christenings for Bruces in Dunipace. But now I've had a search on the IGI, using www.scotsorigins.com to find all Bruce christenings in Denny, and there are a lot there too for the same two families. So they could just as well be buried there. On the Dunipace OPR I had a look at on Saturday, as witnesses for one christening it said "Loanhead Congregation" and  for another "Stirling Congregation". They must have been a bit more mobile than the average family, so I'm becoming more confident that these are the explorer's younger half-brothers.

As for me not knowing where to look, it'll certainly teach me to prepare such trips a bit better next next. It was a spur of the moment thing. I asked several people - even a taxi driver - about the old Dunipace cemetary - but no-one knew - (the taxi driver wasn't a local).

Anyway, thanks for your kind offer. Right now I'm searching those IGI indexes to build up a picture of this family.

[bonjedward]

I hit the Quote button by mistake

[apanderson]

Hi David,

I would think that the reference you have to Loanhead is most likely to be Dennyloanhead.

I have a copy of some early Dennyloanhead Churchyard burials and there's two entries for Bruce

BRUCE, Andrew died 06.02.1836 aged 81, usual residence - Milton (Conformist)
BRUCE, Agness (Russell) died 05.03.1865 aged 81

From the Burial Records, there's no way of telling whether these two were related but it's tempting to think they were maybe father and daughter.

The stone to Agness Russell (nee Bruce) is still there - I'll attach a photo at the end of the message. This church is in the process of being converted into 2 houses & 2 flats so I don't know how much longer any of the existing stones will be there.

Denny Cemetery is much more modern, the first burials there were in the mid 1870's and on a recent (2 year long project) I only found two stones. I'll post the inscriptions rather than just those with Bruce as a surname so you can follow them better. (As always, there well be more but I only have details from the existing/legible stones)

The first one:

Erected by Catherine Bruce to the beloved memory of her husband JAMES JOHNSTON
Who was accidentally drowned at Carrongrove, Denny
On the 14th June 1888 aged 55 years
Also in loving memory of JAMES BERTRAM JOHNSTON their eldest son
Born 1st June 1860 died at Randolph Hill, Denny 8th January 1879
The above CATHERINE BRUCE died at Stirling 8th December 1901 aged 68 years
WILLIAM their second son died at Holyoke, Mass., U.S.A. 19th February 1914 aged 50 years
ELIZA BERTRAM JOHNSTON their youngest daughter
Died at Oban 11th July 1933 aged 68 years
JOHN their youngest son died at Camelon 31st January 1936 aged 59 years
ELIZA BERTRAM JOHNSTON MacFARLANE died at Falkirk 20th March 1960 aged 61 Years
MARY McMILLAM MacFARLANE died at Larbert 19th August 1969 aged 79 years

and the second one:

Loving memories of MICHAEL DILLON 20.12.1909 – 19.12.1986 a loving husband and father
Also his dear daughter ELIZABETH BRUCE 10.4.1935 – 17.3.2004
A devoted mother and her baby daughter
SANDRA BRUCE 05.01.1962 – 21.12.1962

The following are a list of Bruces killed in either WW1 or WW2 (from local areas to Denny/Larbert etc)

BRUCE, Alexander died 05.04.1945, Gunner, R. Artillery, S. No.1093653, memorial in Camelon Cem. Section 6 Lair 288                        
BRUCE, David died 22.02.1943 Larbert War Memorial also memorial in Larbert Cem. Section 5 Lair 447                        
BRUCE, Jack died 19.04.1918 aged 18, Pte.., 6th Cameron Highlanders, S. No. S/41286 memorial at Tilloy British Cemetery, Tilloy-Les-Mofflaines, II.F.7, and Camelon Cem. Section & Lair unknown
Son of William & Margaret Rennie Bruce (nee Scott), Watson St., Falkirk   
BRUCE, William died 13.07.1943 aged 22, Flt. Sgt./Air Gunner, R.A.F.V.R., S. No. 967187 memorial in Camelon Cem.  Section 7 Lair 192, Son of Alexander W. & Alice Bruce (nee McLuckie), Clarkston, Renfrewshire

Anne

   

[bonjedward]

Anne, thanks.
Yes, I saw there was a Dennyloanhead on the map and guessed it was that. The OPR says only "Loanhead Congregation".

Apart from the 1851 census pointing me in the direction of Denny / Dunipace, I wouldn't have had any idea where to look.  Mary Bruce, born around 1770, married a farmer, James Thomson probably around 1790 - I can find no record of it. They had a number of children in Bathgate between 1791 and 1816. I'm hoping the OPRs, if they do become available online at the end of January, might provide a bit more information - for example witnesses at christenings.

I've been doing some intensive hunting on www.familysearch.org and have found more information about the family of Bruce of the Nile.
His half-brothers by his father, David Hay Bruce's second wife Agnes Glen between about 1737 to 1749 were, according to a submitted IGI record:
Alexander, David, Thomas, William, Robert, Elisabeth, Agnes, and an unnamed boy.  William had a daughter, Mary Bruce, who could well have been born around the time of my Mary Bruce. I don't know the name of her mother, but I came across a genealogy including her, published by a direct descendant of hers, so she's probably not the one (I'm waiting to hear more details).

 So it's looking more like my Mary Bruce was the daughter of William Bruce and Janet Newlands, who married in Falkirk in 1769 - and not of the William Bruce who was the explorer's half-brother.  As well as Mary and Isobel (1771) in Dunipace, they had Ann (1774) and two unnamed boys in 1778 and 1780 - these last three christened in Denny.

They were evidently part of a large extended family, and as I said, fairly mobile. Some of the children were christened both in Dunipace, and at the Saint John Street Associate Session, Stirling on the same day. I probably need to start looking at land ownership, next time I'm in Scotland.  There is a book, published 100 years ago by a John C. Gibson, "Lands & Lairds of Larbert & Dunipace Parishes" that some libraries might have.

By the way, I got two of those possible grave identifications wrong.
BRUCE, James  1803/1812
BRUCE, Margaret (nee Henry) 1803/1812
these would probably be the James Bruce and his wife Margaret Hendry who married on 17 JAN 1777   in Airth, according to an IGI extracted record.
I discovered that James Bruce, the son of the explorer, married an Elisabeth Spicer. They were the parents of Elisabeth Cumming Bruce.

[apanderson]

I found another daughter for William Bruce and Janet Newlands (BVR's)

Agnes BRUCE, no date of birth listed, christened 17 Feb 1776 and recorded in Denny. That I think will probably rule out the Agness buried in Dennyloanhead as her birth year (from the inscription) would have been 1784.

Another quick look for births of children for James Thomson & Mary Bruce, all of which you've probably already got (all Bathgate) shows Janet born 15.12.1791, John born 12.11.1793, William 15.12.1795, George 2.5.1798, James 5.7.1800 and Archibald 22.9.1802.

I've read through quite a lot of 'The Lands and Lairds of Larbert & Dunipace' - it's absolutely fascinating. I was doing some research on the Spottiswoode family at the time so if you're ever in this neck of the woods again, Denny Library has a copy but you have to ask to see it as it's kept 'through the back'!!

Anne

P.S. I've sent you a PM with some more info