ARMS: Or a saltire and chief Gules, in dexter chief an escutcheon Argent with a chief Sable.
SOURCE/NOTES & CREDITS: The arms were registered at Lyon Court in 1801 from which we drew the blazon reworked by J.H. Gaylor. Illustration for background from BP 1936 with the colour illustration by J.H. Gaylor. The text was primarily adapted from the Wikipedia article.
William Nigel Ernle Bruce was born on 4 Feb 1895 in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico whilst his parents were on holiday there and was their second son.
His father was Sir William Waller Bruce, 10th Bt. The first Baronet, Sir William Bruce was created as a Baronet of Nova Scotia as Bruce of Stenhouse on 29 Sep 1628 along with a land grant in Nova Scotia and with the right (then) to have his eldest son knighted at age 21 with remainder to his heirs male whatsoever. This is the senior Bruce Baronetcy and Sir William was descended from Sir Robert Bruce of Clackmannan ( 14th century ) from whom also descend the Earls of Elgin.
Nigel was educated in England and served in France in the Great War in 1914-15 as a lieutenant with the 10th Service Battalion ( Somerset Light Infantry & the Honourable Artillery Company) until severely wounded with 11 bullets in his left leg at Cambrai. He spent most of the rest of the war in a wheelchair and started on his stage career in 1920. He worked in some 78 films over his career with his most famous role being Dr. Watson in the 14 Sherlock Holmes movies filmed from 1939-1946 with his friend Basil Rathbone.
He was the younger brother of Sir Michael William Selby Bruce, 11th Bt. and uncle of Sir Francis Michael Ian Bruce, 12th and current Baronet. It is interesting to note that he never matriculated his arms as he ought, but was certainly entitled to do so. We have presented the arms of the baronets but mention that in recent times he might have been awarded them with a bordure Or if he had petitioned. Nigel Bruce died on 8 Oct 1953.
The artwork is a rendering by John Hamilton Gaylor.
2019 0521
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