Diplomat. Educated in England and France, Thomas Bruce went on to work as a diplomat for the British Government and was ambassador to Turkey when he visited the Parthenon in Greece. He was horrified by the state of the building and had some of the sculptures removed and returned to Britain for safekeeping, where they eventually were placed in the British Museum. The Elgin Marbles, as they are now known, are a cause of much debate between the British and Greek governments, as the latter try to have them returned to Athens.
Bruce lived at Broomhall, near Rosyth, in Fife which he built in 1795 to provide a home for his young wife. However, in 1808 his wife left him after having an affair with politician Robert Ferguson (1767 - 1840), which resulted in a protracted legal action.
