Mary Bruce, Countess of Elgin

Mary Hamilton Bruce, Countess of Elgin (née Nisbet; 18 April 1778 – 9 July 1855) was the first wife of British diplomat Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin during his term as Ambassador Extraordinaire to the Ottoman Empire and one of the most influential and wealthiest heiresses of the late 18th and early 19th century.

Early life Mary Hamilton Nisbet was born on 18 April 1778 in Dirleton. Her parents were of the landed gentry; William Hamilton Nisbet was a Scottish landowner, one of the few who owned large estates in Scotland. Her mother, also called Mary (née Manners) was a granddaughter of John Manners, 2nd Duke of Rutland. Nisbet grew up on the Archerfield Estate, not far from Edinburgh. From an early age she kept a detailed diary. During her teens Nisbet's father became a Member of Parliament, and the family traveled to London, where she entered society via her grandmother, Lady Robert Manners. According to biographer Susan Nagel, "she was noted to be very mature for her age and often joined her parents at gatherings traditionally held for grown-ups." George Charles Constantine (1800–1840), died unmarried and before his father, known by the courtesy title of Lord Bruce. Mary, married on 28 January 1828, Robert Dundas Matilda-Harrie, married on 14 October 1839, John Maxwell, son and heir of Sir John Maxwell, 7th Baronet William, died young of illness on 8 April 1805. It is debated whether or not William was the child of Lord Elgin. Lucy, married on 14 March 1828, John Grant of Perthshire

Second marriage Bruce divorced Nisbet in either 1807 or 1808, and she went on to marry Robert Ferguson of Raith (1769–1840) with whom she was accused of committing adultery.

In fiction Stealing Athena by Karen Essex (2008) The Elgin Conspiracy by Julia Golding (2024)