David Brudenell-Bruce, Earl of Cardigan
Encyclopedia
David Michael James Brudenell-Bruce, Earl of Cardigan (born 12 November 1952) is the heir apparent
to the Marquessate of Ailesbury
, and its subsidiary titles. These include Earl of Cardigan
, which he currently uses as his courtesy title
.
and Edwina Sylvia de Winton Wills.
He married Rosamund Jane Winkley, daughter of Captain W. R. M. Winkley and Mrs Jane Winkley, in 1980, and has two children:
, Rannoch School
, and the Royal Agricultural College
.
.
, a notorious incident in 1985 in which Wiltshire Police were accused of brutalising
a convoy of travellers
on land near Stonehenge. Largely as a result of his testimony, police charges against members of the convoy were dismissed in the Crown Court. That testimony against the police caused The Daily Telegraph to criticise him as a class traitor, for which they later apologised and paid damages. Cardigan later said:
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
to the Marquessate of Ailesbury
Marquess of Ailesbury
Marquess of Ailesbury is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 17 July 1821 for Charles Brudenell-Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury....
, and its subsidiary titles. These include Earl of Cardigan
Earl of Cardigan
Earl of Cardigan is a title in the Peerage of England, currently held by the Marquesses of Ailesbury, and used as a courtesy title by the heir apparent to that Marquessate, currently David Brudenell-Bruce, son of the 8th Marquess.-History of the title:...
, which he currently uses as his courtesy title
Courtesy title
A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of nobility used for children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer. These styles are used 'by courtesy' in the sense that the relatives do not themselves hold substantive titles...
.
Family
The Earl of Cardigan is the son of Michael Brudenell-Bruce, 8th Marquess of AilesburyMichael Brudenell-Bruce, 8th Marquess of Ailesbury
Michael Sydney Cedric Brudenell-Bruce, 8th Marquess of Ailesbury , styled Viscount Savernake until 1961 and Earl Bruce between 1961 and 1974, is a British peer. The son of Cedric Brudenell-Bruce, 7th Marquess of Ailesbury and Joan Houlton Salter, he succeeded his father as 8th Marquess on the...
and Edwina Sylvia de Winton Wills.
He married Rosamund Jane Winkley, daughter of Captain W. R. M. Winkley and Mrs Jane Winkley, in 1980, and has two children:
- Thomas Brudenell-Bruce, Viscount Savernake (born 1982)
- Lady Catherine Anna Brudenell-Bruce (born 1984)
Education
Lord Cardigan attended Hawtreys prep-school, Eton CollegeEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, Rannoch School
Rannoch School
Rannoch School was an independent boarding school, located on the south shore of Loch Rannoch in Perth and Kinross, Scotland on the Dall Estate, from Kinloch Rannoch. Dall House served as the main school building and a boarding house....
, and the Royal Agricultural College
Royal Agricultural College
The Royal Agricultural College is a higher education institution located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, UK. Established in 1845, it was the first agricultural college in the English speaking world...
.
Career
He has been Secretary of Marlborough Conservatives since 1985, and has been a Member of the Executive of the Devizes Constituency Conservative Association since 1988. Since 1987 he has been the 31st Hereditary Warden of Savernake ForestSavernake Forest
Savernake Forest is on a Cretaceous chalk plateau between Marlborough and Great Bedwyn in Wiltshire, England. Its area is approximately .It is privately owned by the Trustees of Savernake Estate, the Earl of Cardigan, and his family solicitor. Since 1939 the running of the forest has been...
.
Battle of the Beanfield
Lord Cardigan witnessed the Battle of the BeanfieldBattle of the Beanfield
The Battle of the Beanfield took place over several hours on the afternoon of Saturday 1 June 1985 when Wiltshire Police prevented a vehicle convoy of several hundred new age travellers, known as "The Convoy" and referred to in the media as the "Peace Convoy" from setting up at the 11th Stonehenge...
, a notorious incident in 1985 in which Wiltshire Police were accused of brutalising
Police brutality
Police brutality is the intentional use of excessive force, usually physical, but potentially also in the form of verbal attacks and psychological intimidation, by a police officer....
a convoy of travellers
New age travellers
New Age Travellers are groups of people who often espouse New Age or hippie beliefs and travel between music festivals and fairs in order to live in a community with others who hold similar beliefs. Their transport and homes consist of vans, lorries, buses, narrowboats and caravans converted into...
on land near Stonehenge. Largely as a result of his testimony, police charges against members of the convoy were dismissed in the Crown Court. That testimony against the police caused The Daily Telegraph to criticise him as a class traitor, for which they later apologised and paid damages. Cardigan later said:
I hadn’t realised that anybody that appeared to be supporting elements that stood against the establishment would be savaged by establishment newspapers. Now one thinks about it, nothing could be more natural. I hadn’t realised that I would be considered a class traitor; if I see a policeman truncheoning a woman I feel I’m entitled to say that it is not a good thing you should be doing. I went along, saw an episode in British history and reported what I saw.