'Bruce01'Index links to: Lead / Letter
Families covered: Bruce of Brix, Bruce of Skelton
On 25.06.07 we completed the first part of an exercise to review various Bruce families. This has involved redoing/splitting & renumbering some of the pages. [See here for more details] We have yet to complete the second part of the exercise which includes ensuring that, as far as is possible, we have it right on the early generations shown on this page. It is possible that we will never obtain full satisfaction on these early generations because the infomation required to do so may not exist.

                               
Robert de Bruges (Castellan of Bruges 1046, emigrated to Normandy 1051)
This connection (showing that this Robert may have been a younger son of Lambert I, Count of Louvain) has been suggested by www.baronage.co.uk ('Baronage') after consideration of heraldic and other clues. It should not be viewed as having been 'proved' but does seem more plausible than other ideas which we have seen. It is thought that this Robert settled in Normandy at a place which became known as Brix, a corruption of the family name.
m. Emma of Brittany (dau of Allan, Earl of Brittany)
1. Adelm (or Allan) de Brus, Sn de Brix (remained in Normandy)
  Sources disagree whether the son of Robert de Bruges who was ancestor of the Bruces of Scotland was called Adelm/Allan or Robert, although most seem to agree that it was the second son who was that ancestor.
  A. Adam de Brus, Sn de Brix
2. Robert de Brusse (came to England with William the Conqueror in 1066, d c1080)
  Various sources, including TSP, show this Robert as the Robert who married Emma of Brittany. However, because we have seen that sources which look before the Robert who came to England (some of which appear reasonable) have attributed her to the previous generation, we provisionally follow them and presume that TSP and others attributed Emma of Brittany to the wrong generation. BLG1850 shows this Robert's wife as Agnes de St. Clair who is also mentioned by 'Baronage' in its articles which suggest the descent of this family from the House of Louvain.
  m. Agnes de St. Clair (dau of Waldonius, Earl of St. Clair)
A. William de Brusse 
  B. Adam de Brusse of Skelton, Lord of Cleveland (d 1098)
  m. (?) Emma de Ramsay (dau of Sir William de Ramsay)
  i. Robert de Bruce, Lord of Skelton and 1st of Annandale (d 05.1141)
  m. Agnes de Paganell (b c1076, dau of Fulk de Paganell)
  a. Adam le Brus, Lord of Skelton (d 1143)
  m. Jueta or Ivetta or Yvette d'Arches (dau of William d'Arches = Guillaume Giffard, Viscount d'Arques)
  Many of the details of this part of the family have been found on sundry web sites which are not always convincing as to dates, etc..
  (1) Adam le Brus, Lord of Skelton (d 1196)
  m(1?). Joanna de Meschines (dau of Ranulph 'de Gernons' de Meschines, 2nd Earl of Chester)
  m(2?). Agnes (or Hawise) of Aumale (dau of Etienne, Count of Aumale)
Some web sites show Joanna as mother of Piers but others show Agnes as his mother. There are others still that indicate that she was a wife of Piers but the dates lead us to prefer to show her of this generation with a preference (but no real reason) to indicate that Agnes was mother of Piers simply because the (perhaps unreliable) dates indicate that her first husband died about 1150/2 so she may have promptly married Adam and produced Piers. On the other hand, of course, the dates could also support the view that Adam took another wife soon after Joanna had died soon after giving birth to Piers. This matter will be reviewed further in due course.
  (A) Piers Brus, lord of Skelton (b c1152 ?, d c1222)
  m. Joan le Grammaire (b c1158, dau of Richard le Grammaire)
  (i) Peter/Piers Brus, lord of Skelton and Danby (b c1181, d 07.09.1241)
  m. Hawise de Lancaster (b c1190, d after 09.1226, dau of Gilbert FitzReindfride)
  BE1883 (Lancaster) confirms Peter (dsp), Margaret (shown as eldest daughter), Agnes, Lucy and Laderine as their children.
(a) Peter/Piers Brus, lord of Skelton (b c1209, dsp 18.09.1272
  m. Hilary de Mauley (dau of Piers de Mauley)
  Some sites show this Peter as father of the Lucy who married Marmaduke de Thweng. We follow TCP (Thweng) which names her parents as Peter Brus and Hawise de Lancaster.
  (b) Joan Brus (b c1211, d before 13.10.1243)
  m. Piers de Mauley (d before 15.07.1279)
  (c) Agnes Brus (b c1215, d before 05.1279) GS--
  m1. William de Lancaster, Lord Kendal GS--
  m2. Walter de Fauconberg of Ryse (d before 1272)
Only this second marriage, which is confirmed by BP1934 (Conyers), is mentioned by BE1883 (Lancaster).
  (d) Lucy Brus (b 1216, d after 1282)
  m. (c1242) Marmaduke de Thweng of Kilton (d c1283)
  (e) MargaretBrus (b c1218, d before 30.01.1306/7, 3rd daughter?)
  m. Robert de Ros of Wark or Werke Castle (d before 20.04.1274)
  (f) Laderina Brus (b c1219)
  m. John de Bella Aqua or Bellew of Carlton, Lord (d 1301) ## see here ##
TCP (Bellew) identifies their children as ....
  ((1)) Sibyl or Isabel Bellew
  m. Miles Stapleton (d Bannockburn 24.06.1314)
  ((2)) Joan Bellew
  m. Aucher FitzHenry
(g)+ other issue - Avelina (b c1206), Isabella (b c1207), John (b c1213), Alice (b c1220), Margery (b c1221)
  (ii)+ other issue - Simon (b c1183), Roger (b c1184, d after 1237), Thomas (b c1186), Robert (b c1187), William (b c1189)
  (B) Isabel de Bruce (d after 1230) Y
  m. Henry de Percy (d c1198) Y
  (2) William le Brus (b c1136)
  b. Sir Robert de Bruce, 2nd Lord of Annandale (b c1103, d 1194) --
  m. Euphemia --
  c. Pagan de Bruce possibly ancestor of Bruce of Pickering
  d. Agatha de Bruce  Y
  m. Ralph Taillebois, lord of Middleham (b c1100) Y
  ii.+ other issue - William (d 1155, prior of Gisburne), Duncan, Rosselina

Main source(s): various web sites and cross-references from other sources with some input/support from TSP (Bruce of Carrick), BLG1850 (Bruce of Kennet, in supplement), BE1883 (Bruce of Annandale)
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