Alastair Bruce, 5th Baron Aberdare

Elizabeth Mary Cuthbert Foulkes

​

​

(m. 1971)​

The Right Honourable The Lord Aberdare KStJ DL
Official parliamentary portrait
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
In office 20 July 2009 –31 August 2025  [a]   as an elected hereditary peer
Parent(s)	Morys Bruce, 4th Baron Aberdare Maud Helen Sarah Dashwood

Alastair John Lyndhurst Bruce, 5th Baron Aberdare (born 2 May 1947), is a British hereditary peer and former crossbench member of the House of Lords.

Early life and education

Lord Aberdare was born at 12 Avenue Road in St John's Wood, London, ^[1] the son of Morys Bruce, 4th Baron Aberdare, and Maud Helen Sarah Dashwood, only daughter of Sir John Dashwood, 10th Baronet. His godparents included Lord Terrington and Diana Bowes-Lyon. ^[2] Aberdare was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford. He succeeded his father upon the latter's death in 2005.

Career

• IBM, 1969–1991
• Partner, Bruce Naughton Wade, 1991–1999
• Director, ProbusBNW, 1999–?
• Trustee, National Botanic Garden of Wales, 1994–2006
• Fellow, Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce
• Honorary Fellow of Cardiff University since July 2008
• Sub Prior of the Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem, Priory of Wales.

Offices

Lord Aberdare is president of the Cynon Valley History Society. ^[3]

House of Lords

Coats of arms of Alastair Bruce

In July 2009, Lord Aberdare was elected to sit in the House of Lords, following the death of Lord Bledisloe in May 2009. A by-election took place under the terms of the House of Lords Act 1999, which provided for 92 hereditary peers to keep their seats in the reformed House, with vacancies in their number filled from amongst all non-sitting hereditary peers. The result was announced in the Chamber of the Lords on 15 July 2009, following the voting by 27 of the 29 Crossbench peers eligible to take part. ^[4] His maiden speech, made on 26 November 2009 during the debate on the Queen's Speech, focused on the transition from education to employment. ^[5] He retired from the Lords on 31 August 2025. ^[6]

Family

He married Elizabeth Mary Culbert Foulkes in 1971; they have two children:

• Hon. Hector Morys Napier Bruce (born 1974)
• Hon. Sarah Katherine Mary Bruce (born 1976)

Notes

1. Retired under section 1 of the House of Lords Reform Act 2014.

References

1. "Births". The Times . 2 May 1947. p. 1.
2. "Court Circular". The Times . 30 June 1947. p. 6.
3. "Cynon Valley History Society: Membership Form".
4. "Previous by-elections in the House of Lords". UK Parliament.
5. Davies, Joanna; Bentley, Louisa (20 August 2010). "Maiden Speeches" (PDF). House of Lords .
6. "House of Lords Business: Retirements". UK Parliament. 1 September 2025. Retrieved 7 September 2025.

• "Aberdare, Baron (Bruce) (Baron UK 1873)" Debrett's Peerage & Baronetage 1995 London: Debrett's Peerage Limited, 1995, p. 4.
• Who's Who 2008, A & C Black, 2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, December 2007.

External links

• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Voting record at PublicWhip.org
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou.com

Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Morys Bruce	Baron Aberdare 2005–present	Incumbent Heir apparent: Hon. Hector Bruce
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by The Viscount Bledisloe	Elected hereditary peer to the House of Lords under the House of Lords Act 1999 2009–2025	Vacant