Nisbet, Mary (1778–1855)

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Nisbet, Mary (1778–1855)

Countess of Elgin. Name variations: Mary Elgin; Countess of Elgin. Born Mary Nisbet in 1778; died July 9, 1855; dau. of William Hamilton Nisbet; m. General Thomas Bruce (Lord Elgin), 11th earl of Kincardine and 7th earl of Elgin (ambassador to Ottoman Empire), 1799 (div. 1808); children: Lucy Bruce (d. 1881).

While husband was ambassador-extraordinary in Turkey, helped finance the removal of friezes from the Parthenon which now reside in the British Museum and are known as the Elgin Marbles.

See also Susan Nagel, Mistress of the Elgin Marbles: A Biography of Mary Nisbet, Countess of Elgin (2004).