View source for Henry Bruce, 1st Baron Aberdare

{{Short description|British politician (1815–1895)}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name            = The Lord Aberdare
| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|GCB|PC|JP|DL|FRS|FRHistS|size=100%}}
| image           = Henry Bruce, 1st Baron Aberdare NPG.jpg
| imagesize       = 
| office2         = [[Home Secretary]]
| term_start2     = 9 December 1868
| term_end2       = 9 August 1873
| monarch2        = [[Queen Victoria]]
| primeminister2  = [[William Ewart Gladstone]]
| predecessor2    = [[Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 1st Earl of Cranbrook|Gathorne Hardy]]
| successor2      = [[Robert Lowe, 1st Viscount Sherbrooke|Robert Lowe]]
| office1         = [[Lord President of the Council]]
| term_start1     = 9 August 1873
| term_end1       = 21 February 1874
| monarch1        = [[Queen Victoria]]
| primeminister1  = [[William Ewart Gladstone]]
| predecessor1    = [[George Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon|The Earl de Grey and Ripon]]
| successor1      = [[Charles Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond|The Duke of Richmond]]
|office4          = [[Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department|Parliamentary Under-Secretary of state for Home Affairs]]
| monarch4        = [[Queen Victoria]]
|primeminister4   = [[Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston|The Viscount Palmerston]]
|term_start4      = 14 November 1862 	
|term_end4        = 25 April 1864	
|predecessor4     = [[George Clive (Liberal politician)|George Clive]]
|successor4       = [[Thomas Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook|Thomas Baring]]
|office3          = [[Secretary of State for Education#Vice-President of the Committee of the Council on Education|Vice-President of the Committee of the Council on Education]]
| monarch3        = [[Queen Victoria]]
|primeminister3   = [[Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston|The Viscount Palmerston]]<br />[[John Russell, 1st Earl Russell|The Earl Russel]]
|term_start3      = 26 April 1864 	
|term_end3        = 26 June 1866	
|predecessor3     = [[Robert Lowe]]
|successor3       = [[Henry Lowry-Corry (1803–1873)|Henry Lowry-Corry]]
| module          = {{collapsed infobox section begin 
|Parliamentary offices |titlestyle=border:1px dashed lightgrey}}
{{Infobox officeholder
 | embed          = yes
 |office5          = Member of the [[House of Lords]]<br />[[Lords Temporal|Lord Temporal]]
 |term_start5      = 23 August 1873   
 |term_end5        = 25 February 1895<br />[[Hereditary peer]]age
 |predecessor5     = ''[[Baron Aberdare|Peerage created]]''
 |successor5       = [[Henry Bruce, 2nd Baron Aberdare|The 2nd Lord Aberdare]]
 | office6        = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br />for [[Renfrewshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Renfrewshire]]
 | term_start6    = 25 January 1869
 | term_end6      = 23 August 1873
 | predecessor6   = [[Archibald Alexander Speirs]]
 | successor6     = [[Archibald Campbell, 1st Baron Blythswood|Archibald Campbell]]
 | office7        = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br />for [[Merthyr Tydfil (UK Parliament constituency)|Merthyr Tydfil]]
 | term_start7    = 14 December 1852
 | term_end7      = 11 November 1868
 | predecessor7   = [[John Josiah Guest|Sir John Josiah Guest]]
 | successor7     = [[Henry Richard]]{{Collapsed infobox section end}}
| birth_name      = Henry Austin Bruce
| birth_date      = {{birth date|1815|04|16|df=y}}
| birth_place     = [[Aberdare]], Glamorganshire
| death_date      = {{death-date and age|25 February 1895|16 April 1815}}
| death_place     = [[South Kensington]], London
| resting_place   = Aberffrwd Cemetery, [[Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf|Mountain&nbsp;Ash]]
| resting_place_coordinates =
| party = [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]]
| spouse          = {{Plainlist|
* {{marriage |Annabella Beadon |1846 |1852 |end=d}}
* {{marriage |Norah Napier |1854}}
}}
| education       = [[Swansea Grammar School]]
| alma_mater      = [[Lincoln's Inn]]
 }}
}}

'''Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Baron Aberdare''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|commas=on|GCB|PC|JP|DL|FRS|FRHistS}} (16 April 1815 – 25 February 1895), was a [[Liberal Party (UK)|British Liberal Party]] politician, who served in government most notably as [[Secretary of State for the Home Department|Home Secretary]] (1868–1873) and as [[Lord President of the Council]].<ref>[[Chambers Biographical Dictionary]], {{ISBN|0-550-18022-2}}, p. 4.</ref>

==Origin ==
Lord Aberdare was born at Duffryn, [[Aberdare]], Glamorganshire,<ref name=WBO>{{cite DWB|id=s-BRUC-AUS-1815|title=Bruce, Henry Austin (1815–1895), 1st Baron Aberdare|first=James Frederick|last=Rees|author-link=Frederick Rees|access-date=10 December 2019}}</ref> the second son of John Bruce Bruce-Pryce (born John Bruce Knight), a Royal Navy agent and banker, and his first wife, Sarah, daughter of Rev. Hugh Williams Austin.<ref name="burke">{{cite book |last1=Burke |first1=Bernard |title=A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry |date=1925 |publisher=Burke Publishing Company |page=1455 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3RVXAAAAYAAJ&dq=Bruce+&pg=RA1-PA1455 |access-date=13 September 2024 |language=en}}</ref>

Aberdare's father was the eldest son of John Knight (died 1799) and Margaret Bruce (died 1809), daughter and heiress of William Bruce of [[Llanblethian]], [[High Sheriff of Glamorganshire]]. His younger brother was [[James Knight-Bruce]]. Aberdare's paternal grandmother, Margaret Bruce, came from the Welsh [[Clan Bruce|Bruces]], a branch of [[Bruce of Kennet]] of [[Clackmannan]], that dates to the 14th century.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Burke |first1=John |title=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 |date=1835 |publisher=Henry Colburn |pages=485–486 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F_4GAAAAQAAJ&dq=Bruce+of+Kennet&pg=PA485 |access-date=13 September 2024 |language=en}}</ref>

In 1805, Aberdare's father changed his surname from Knight to Bruce when he reached the age of majority and inherited the Llanblethian estates. 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 [[George Grey, 5th Earl of Stamford|5th Earl of Stamford]].<ref name="burke"/>

Lord Aberdare's younger brother was Gen. [[Robert Bruce (British Army officer, born 1821)|Robert Bruce]] (1821–1891).<ref name="burke"/>

== Education ==
Henry Bruce was educated from the age of twelve at the [[Bishop Gore School]], [[Swansea]] ([[Bishop Gore School|Swansea Grammar School]]). In 1837 he was called to the [[barrister|bar]] from Lincoln's Inn.<ref name=WBO/> Shortly after he had begun to practice, the discovery of coal beneath the Duffryn and other Aberdare Valley [[estate (house)|estates]] brought his family great wealth.<ref name=EB1911>{{EB1911|inline=1|wstitle=Aberdare, Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Baron|volume=1|page=44}}</ref> From 1847 to 1854 Bruce was stipendiary magistrate for [[Merthyr Tydfil]] and [[Aberdare]], resigning the position in the latter year, after entering parliament as Liberal member for [[Merthyr Tydfil (UK Parliament constituency)|Merthyr Tydfil]].

==Industrialist and politician, 1852–1868==
[[File:1stLordAberdare.jpg|thumb|left|Lord Aberdare, portrait after [[Henry Tanworth Wells]].]]
Bruce was returned unopposed as MP for Merthyr Tydfil in December 1852, following the death of Sir John Guest.<ref name="CMG 18-12-52 Merthyr el">{{cite news|title=Election of Henry Austin Bruce Esq. at Merthyr|url=http://newspapers.library.wales/view/3090420/3090423/30/|access-date=27 January 2016|newspaper=Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian|date=18 December 1852|page=3}}</ref> He did so with the enthusiastic support of the late member's political allies, notably the iron masters of Dowlais, and he was thereafter regarded by his political opponents, most notably in the Aberdare Valley, as their nominee.{{sfn|Jones|1965|pp=253–4}} Even so, Bruce's parliamentary record demonstrated support for liberal policies, with the exception of the ballot.{{sfn|Jones|1965|p=254}} The electorate in the constituency at this time remained relatively small, excluding the vast majority of the working classes.

Significantly, however, Bruce's relationship with the miners of the Aberdare Valley, in particular, deteriorated as a result of the [[Aberdare strike 1857–1858|Aberdare Strike of 1857–58]].{{sfn|Jones|1964|pp=166–9}} In a speech to a large audience of miners at the Aberdare Market Hall, Bruce sought to strike a conciliatory tone in persuading the miners to return to work. In a second speech, however, he delivered a broadside against the trade union movement generally, referring to the violence engendered elsewhere as a result of strikes and to alleged examples of intimidation and violence in the immediate locality.<ref name="CMG 18571212">{{cite news|title=The Great Strike and the Colliers|url=http://welshnewspapers.llgc.org.uk/en/page/view/3294344/ART30|access-date=1 December 2013|newspaper=Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian|page=6|date=12 December 1857|archive-date=25 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025175046/http://welshnewspapers.llgc.org.uk/en/page/view/3294344/ART30|url-status=dead}}</ref> The strike damaged his reputation and may well have contributed to his eventual election defeat ten years later. In 1855, Bruce was appointed a trustee of the [[GKN plc|Dowlais Iron Company]] and played a role in the further development of the iron industry.<ref name="WBO"/>

In November 1862, after nearly ten years in Parliament, he became [[Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department]], and held that office until April 1864.<ref name="WBO" /> He became a [[Privy Councillor]] and a Charity Commissioner for England and Wales in 1864, when he was moved to be vice-president of the Council of Education.<ref name=bp2003>Burke's Peerage, 107th edn. (2003), vol. I, pp. 9–10.</ref>

==1868 general election==
At the 1868 general election, Merthyr Tydfil became a two-member constituency with a much-increased electorate as a result of the [[Reform Act 1867]]. Since the formation of the constituency, Merthyr Tydfil had dominated representation as the vast majority of the electorate lived in the town and its vicinity, whereas there was a much lower number of electors in the neighbouring Aberdare Valley.{{sfn|Jones|1965|p=251}} During the 1850s and 1860s, however, the population of Aberdare grew rapidly, and the franchise changes in 1867 gave the vote to large numbers of miners in that valley. Amongst these new electors, Bruce remained unpopular as a result of his actions during the 1857–58 dispute. Initially, it appeared that the Aberdare iron master, [[Richard Fothergill (politician)|Richard Fothergill]], would be elected to the second seat alongside Bruce. However, the appearance of a third Liberal candidate, [[Henry Richard]], a nonconformist radical popular in both Merthyr and Aberdare, left Bruce on the defensive and he was ultimately defeated, finishing in third place behind both Richard and Fothergill.

==Later political career==
[[File:HenryAustinBruce.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Statue overlooking the Main Building of Cardiff University]]
After losing his seat, Bruce was elected for [[Renfrewshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Renfrewshire]] on 25 January 1869, and was made [[Home Secretary]] by [[William Ewart Gladstone]].  His tenure of this office was conspicuous for a reform of the [[licensing laws]], and he was responsible for the [[Licensing Act 1872]], which made the [[magistrate]]s the licensing authority, increased the penalties for misconduct in public-houses and shortened the number of hours for the sale of drink. In 1873 Bruce relinquished the home secretaryship, at Gladstone's request, to become [[Lord President of the Council]], and was elevated to the peerage as [[Baron Aberdare]],<ref name=WBO/> of Duffryn in the County of Glamorgan, on 23 August that year.<ref name=bp2003/> Being a Gladstonian Liberal, Aberdare had hoped for a much more radical proposal to keep existing licensee holders for a further ten years, and to prevent any new applicants. Its unpopularity pricked his nonconformist's conscience, when like Gladstone himself he had a strong leaning towards Temperance. He had already pursued 'moral improvement' on miners in the regulations attempting to further ban boys from the pits. The Trades Union Act 1871 was another more liberal regime giving further rights to unions, and protection from malicious prosecutions.<ref>{{cite ODNB |url= http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/3732?docPos=2 |title= Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Baron Aberdare |year= 2004 |doi= 10.1093/ref:odnb/3732 |access-date= 22 December 2016 }}</ref>

[[File:Portrait of Henry Austin Bruce (4671282).jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Caricature of Bruce by [[Carlo Pellegrini (caricaturist)|Carlo Pellegrini]] published in ''[[Vanity Fair (UK magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' in 1869 with the caption ''"He has gained credit by converting himself to the Ballot; he would gain greater credit by converting himself into an ex-secretary of State for the Home Department"'']]

{{anchor|Aberdare Report}}
The defeat of the Liberal government in the following year terminated Lord Aberdare's official political life, and he subsequently devoted himself to social, educational and economic questions. Education became one of Lord Aberdare's main interests in later life. His interest had been shown by the speech on Welsh education which he had made on 5 May 1862. In 1880, he was appointed to chair the Departmental Committee on Intermediate and Higher Education in Wales and Monmouthshire, whose report ultimately led to the [[Welsh Intermediate Education Act 1889|Welsh Intermediate Education Act of 1889]].<ref name="WBO" /> The report also stimulated the campaign for the provision of university education in Wales. In 1883, Lord Aberdare was elected the first president of the [[Cardiff University|University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire]]. In his inaugural address he declared that the framework of Welsh education would not be complete until there was a [[University of Wales]]. The university was eventually founded in 1893 and Aberdare became its first chancellor.<ref name="WBO" />

In 1876 he was elected a [[Royal Society|Fellow of the Royal Society]]; from 1878 to 1891 he was president of the [[Royal Historical Society]]. and in 1881 he became president of both the [[Royal Geographical Society]] and the [[Girls' Public Day School Company|Girls' Day School Trust]].<ref name=EB1911 /> In 1888 he headed the commission that established the [[Official Table of Drops]], listing how far a person of a particular weight should be dropped when hanged for a [[capital offence]] (the only method of '[[judicial execution]]' in the United Kingdom at that time), to ensure an instant and painless death, by cleanly breaking the neck between the 2nd and 3rd vertebrae, an 'exacting science', eventually brought to perfection by Chief Executioner [[Albert Pierrepoint]]. Prisoners health, clothing and discipline was a particular concern even at the end of his career. In the Lords he spoke at some length to the Home Affairs Committee chaired by Arthur Balfour about the prison rules system.<ref>{{citation |url= http://parlipapers.proquest.com/parlipapers/result/pqpdocumentview?&pgId=3b9ca55d-4995-45b4-bf64-7d64518a9344|title= Prison Rules Inquiry |date= 16 April 1889 |access-date= 22 December 2016 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Aberdare had always expressed concern about intemperate working-classes; in 1878 urging greater vigilance against the vice of excessive drinking, he took evidence on miners and railway colliers drinking habits. The committee tried to establish special legislation based on a link between Sunday Opening and absenteeism established in 1868.<ref>{{ cite web |title=Select Committee of House of Lords for inquiring into Prevalence of Habits of Intemperance, and Effects of Recent Legislation, Fourth Report, Minutes of Evidence, Appendix, Index |url= http://parlipapers.proquest.com/parlipapers/result/pqpdocumentview?pgId=de08e832-4e72-410e-8e6a-75baae953db1 |date= 22 February 1878 |access-date= 22 December 2016 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Aberdare had been interested in the plight of working class drinkers since Gladstone had appointed him Home Secretary. The defeat of the Licensing Bill by the Tory 'beerage' and publicans was drafted to limit hours and protect the public, but it persuaded a convinced Anglican forever more of the iniquities.

In 1882 he began a connection with West Africa which lasted the rest of his life, by accepting the chairmanship of the [[National African Company]], formed by [[George Taubman Goldie|Sir George Goldie]], which in 1886 received a charter under the title of the [[Royal Niger Company]] and in 1899 was taken over by the British government, its territories being constituted the protectorate of [[Nigeria]]. West African affairs, however, by no means exhausted Lord Aberdare's energies, and it was principally through his efforts that a charter was in 1894 obtained for the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire, a constituent institution of the University of Wales. This is now [[Cardiff University]]. Lord Aberdare, who in 1885 was made a Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Bath]], presided over several [[Royal Commission]]s at different times.<ref name=EB1911/>

==Animal welfare==

Bruce was President of the [[Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals]] from 1878 to 1893.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Goldie, George Taubman|year=1895|title=Obituary: Lord Aberdare|journal=The Geographical Journal|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=inu.30000099853818&seq=398|volume=4|issue=5|pages=386–390}}</ref><ref>Preece, Rod. (2011). ''Animal Sensibility and Inclusive Justice in the Age of Bernard Shaw''. p. 118. {{ISBN|978-0774821124}}</ref> In 1879, he voted against legislation proposing total abolition of [[vivisection]] which resulted in criticism from anti-vivisectionists.<ref>French, Richard D. (2019). ''Antivivisection and Medical Science in Victorian Society''. Princeton University Press. p. 84. {{ISBN|978-0691656625}}</ref> Bruce commented that the RSPCA had no position on vivisection and should be kept distinct from the Society. Anti-vivisectionist [[Frances Power Cobbe]] noted Bruce's contradictory behaviour, as he had publicly spoken against the abolition of vivisection and voted against it.<ref>{{cite journal|year=1892|title=R.S.P.C.A. and Vivisection|journal=The Zoophilist|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015023162335&seq=82|volume=12|issue=3|pages=64}}</ref>

==Family==
[[File:HENRY AUSTIN BRUCE GRAVE.JPG|thumb|upright|Henry Austin Bruce's grave at Aberffrwd cemetery in Mountain Ash, Wales.]]

[[File:Coats of Arms of Henry Bruce (1st baron Aberdare).svg|thumb|left|Coats of Arms of Henry Bruce]]
Henry Bruce married firstly Annabella, daughter of Richard Beadon, of Clifton by Annabella à Court, sister of the [[William_à_Court,_1st_Baron_Heytesbury|1st Baron Heytesbury]], on 6 January 1846. They had one son and three daughters. 
* [[Henry Bruce, 2nd Baron Aberdare|Henry Campbell Bruce, 2nd Baron]]
* Margaret Cecilia married on 16 September 1889, Douglas Close Richmond, CB, MA, son of Rev. Henry Sylvester Richmond MA, rector of Wyck Rissington, Glos.
* Rachel Mary married 10 September 1872, Augustus George Vernon-Harcourt of St Clare, Ryde, Isle of Wight, son of Admiral Frederick Edward Vernon-Harcourt.
* Jessie Frances, married 3 September 1878, Rev John William Wynne-Jones, MA, rector of Llantrisant, Anglesey. son of John Wynne-Jones JP, DL, of Treiorworth, Bodedern, Holyhead, Anglesey.

[[File:Matheson EF Headington.jpg|thumb|upright|Headstone of Sarah Fox Matheson, née Bruce (1861–1935), in [[Headington]] Cemetery, Oxford]]
After her death on 28 July 1852 he married secondly on 17 August 1854 Norah Creina Blanche, youngest daughter of Lt-Gen [[William Francis Patrick Napier|Sir William Napier]], KCB the historian of the [[Peninsular War]], whose biography he edited,{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} by Caroline Amelia, second daughter of Gen. Henry Edward Fox, son of the Earl of Ilchester. They had seven daughters and two sons, of whom:
* the youngest was the mountaineer [[Charles Granville Bruce]]. 
* [[Alice Bruce]] took on her mother's ideas and took a leading role in women's education.<ref name=pres>{{Cite ODNB |id=51854 |title=Bruce, Alice Moore |first=W. Gareth |last=Evans |year=2005}}</ref>
* Sarah married [[Montague Muir Mackenzie]], barrister.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
* Elizabeth Fox Bruce (1861–1935) married the author [[Percy Ewing Matheson]].

Lord Aberdare died at his London home, 39 Princes Gardens, South Kensington, on 25 February 1895, aged 79, and was succeeded in the barony by his only son by his first marriage, [[Henry Bruce, 2nd Baron Aberdare|Henry]]. He was survived by his wife, Lady Aberdare, born 1827, who died on 27 April 1897.<ref>[http://www.archiveswales.org.uk/anw/get_collection.php?inst_id=33&coll_id=2392&expand= Cardiff University Archives accessed 28 December 2011] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303231833/http://www.archiveswales.org.uk/anw/get_collection.php?inst_id=33&coll_id=2392&expand= |date=3 March 2016 }}</ref> She was a proponent of women's education and active in the establishment of [[Aberdare Hall]] in [[Cardiff]].

==Memorial==
Henry Austin Bruce is buried at Aberffrwd Cemetery in [[Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf|Mountain Ash]], Wales. His large family plot is surrounded by a chain, and his gravestone is a simple Celtic cross with double plinth and kerb. In place is written "To God the Judge of all and to the spirits of just men more perfect."

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite Men of the Time|name=Aberdare (Lord), Henry Austin Bruce|pages=4–5|ref=none}}
* {{cite journal|last=Jones|first=Ieuan Gwynedd|title=Dr. Thomas Price and the election of 1868 in Merthyr Tydfil : a study in nonconformist politics (Part One)|journal=[[Welsh History Review]]|year=1964|volume=2|issue=2|pages=147–172|url=https://datasyllwr.llgc.org.uk/journals/pdf/AWJAJ003030.pdf}}
* {{cite journal|last=Jones|first=Ieuan Gwynedd|title=Dr Thomas Price and the election of 1868 in Merthyr Tydfil: a study in nonconformist politics (Part Two)|journal=Welsh History Review|year=1965|volume=2|issue=3|pages=251–70|url=http://welshjournals.llgc.org.uk/browse/viewobject/llgc-id:1073591/article/000016921}}
*{{Cite news |date=1895-02-26 |title=DEATH OF LORD ABERDARE.; The Career of a Distinguished Member of the Liberal Party. |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1895/02/26/archives/death-of-lord-aberdare-the-career-of-a-distinguished-member-of-the.html |access-date=2023-08-09 |issn=0362-4331}}

==External links==
* {{Hansard-contribs | mr-henry-bruce | Henry Bruce }}
* {{NPG name}}
* {{cite web |url= http://leighrayment.com/commons/Mcommons2.htm |title=Merthyr Tydfil constituency |access-date=22 December 2016 |url-status= usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223065254/http://leighrayment.com/commons/Mcommons2.htm |archive-date=23 December 2016 }}
* {{cite web |url= http://www.leighrayment.com/commons/Rcommons1.htm |title=Renfrewshire constituency |access-date=22 December 2016 |url-status= usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609224535/http://www.leighrayment.com/commons/Rcommons1.htm |archive-date=9 June 2017 }}

{{s-start}}
{{s-par|uk}}
{{s-bef|before=[[John Josiah Guest|Sir Josiah Guest]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Merthyr Tydfil (UK Parliament constituency)|Merthyr Tydfil]]|years=1852–1868}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Henry Richard]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Archibald Alexander Speirs]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Renfrewshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Renfrewshire]]|years=1869–1873}}
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{{s-ttl|title=[[Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department]]|years=1862–1864}}
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{{s-ttl|title=[[Vice-President of the Committee on Education]]|years= 1864–1866 }}
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{{s-bef|before=[[Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 1st Earl of Cranbrook|Gathorne Hardy]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Home Secretary]]|years=1868–1873}}
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{{s-aft|after=[[Charles Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond|The Duke of Richmond]]}}
{{s-rel|en}}
{{succession box|title=[[Second Church Estates Commissioner]]|years=1865–1866|before=[[Edward Pleydell Bouverie]]|after=[[John Robert Mowbray]]}}
{{s-aca}}
{{s-new}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Aberystwyth University|President of the University College of Wales Aberystwyth]]|years=1874–1895}}
{{s-aft|after= [[Stuart Rendel, 1st Baron Rendel|The Lord Rendel]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[John Russell, 1st Earl Russell|The Earl Russell]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Royal Historical Society|President of the Royal Historical Society]]|years=1878–1891}}
{{s-aft|after=[[M. E. Grant Duff]]}}
{{s-reg|uk}}
{{s-new | creation }}
{{s-ttl
 | title = [[Baron Aberdare]]
 | years = 1873–1895
}}
{{s-aft | after=[[Henry Bruce, 2nd Baron Aberdare|Henry Bruce]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Home Secretaries}}
{{Presidents of the Royal Geographical Society}}
{{Presidents of the Royal Historical Society}}
{{Aberystwyth University|state=collapsed}}
{{Portalbar|United Kingdom|Biography}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruce, Henry 1st Baron Aberdare}}

[[Category:1815 births|Aberdare, Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Baron]]
[[Category:1895 deaths|Aberdare, Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Baron]]
[[Category:Secretaries of state for the Home Department|Aberdare, Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Baron]]
[[Category:Lord presidents of the Council|Aberdare, Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Baron]]
[[Category:Liberal Party (UK) MPs for Welsh constituencies|Bruce, Henry Austin]]
[[Category:Scottish Liberal Party MPs|Bruce, Henry Austin]]
[[Category:People from Aberdare|Bruce, Henry Austin]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1852–1857|Bruce, Henry Austin]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1857–1859|Bruce, Henry Austin]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1859–1865|Bruce, Henry Austin]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1865–1868|Bruce, Henry Austin]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1868–1874|Bruce, Henry Austin]]
[[Category:UK MPs who were granted peerages|Aberdare]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society]]
[[Category:Deputy lieutenants of Glamorgan]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath|Aberdare, Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Baron]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Aberdare, Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Baron]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Royal Historical Society|Aberdare, Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Baron]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Royal Geographical Society|Aberdare, Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Baron]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Historical Society|Aberdare, Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Baron]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Girls' Day School Trust|Aberdare, Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Baron (1881–1895)]]
[[Category:People associated with Aberystwyth University|Aberdare, Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Baron]]
[[Category:People educated at Bishop Gore School]]
[[Category:Peers of the United Kingdom created by Queen Victoria]]
[[Category:Barons Aberdare|1]]
[[Category:Church Estates Commissioners]]
[[Category:RSPCA workers]]