Baron Aberdare


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.
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. 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.
, 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

, was the son of John Bruce-Pryce, the eldest son of John Knight and Margaret Bruce, daughter and heir of William Bruce of Llanblethian, Glamorgan. He descends from the Welsh Bruces, a branch of Bruce of Kennet of Clackmannan that dates to the 14th century.
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 and Sir James Knight-Bruce.
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, who had married Hon. William Booth Grey.
Lord Aberdare's great-grandmother, Jane Lewis, was the daughter of MP Gabriel Lewis, of Llanishen House. The Lewis family of Van Castle, Glamorgan, had been prominent in politics since the 16th century.

Coat of arms

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.

Barons Aberdare (1873)

  • Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Baron Aberdare
  • Henry Campbell Bruce, 2nd Baron Aberdare
  • * Hon. Henry Lyndhurst Bruce, killed in action at Ypres
  • Clarence Napier Bruce, 3rd Baron Aberdare
  • Morys George Lyndhurst Bruce, 4th Baron Aberdare
  • Alastair John Lyndhurst Bruce, 5th Baron Aberdare
The heir apparent is the present holder's son, the Hon. Hector Morys Napier Bruce.

Title succession chart