Isle of Bute
Encyclopedia
Bute is an island in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. Formerly part of the county
Counties of Scotland
The counties of Scotland were the principal local government divisions of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current lieutenancy areas and registration counties are largely based on them. They are often referred to as historic counties....

 of Buteshire, it now constitutes part of the council area
Council Area
A Council Area is one of the areas defined in Schedule 1 of the Local Government etc. Act 1994 and is under the control of one of the local authorities in Scotland created by that Act.-Legislation :1889...

 of Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute is both one of 32 unitary council areas; and a Lieutenancy area in Scotland. The administrative centre for the council area is located in Lochgilphead.Argyll and Bute covers the second largest administrative area of any Scottish council...

. Its resident population was 7,228 in April 2001.

Geography

Bute lies in the Firth of Clyde
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth of Clyde, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran.At...

. The only town on the island, Rothesay
Rothesay, Argyll and Bute
The town of Rothesay is the principal town on the Isle of Bute, in the council area of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It can be reached by ferry from Wemyss Bay which offers an onward rail link to Glasgow. At the centre of the town is Rothesay Castle, a ruined castle which dates back to the 13th...

, is linked by ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...

 to the mainland. Villages on the island include Kilchattan Bay
Kilchattan Bay
Kilchattan Bay is village on the Isle of Bute, Scotland. It lies the island's southern end, along the coast road at the foot of a steep hill called the Suidhe Chattan which shields the village from the prevailing westerly wind. The village faces the mainland to the east across the Firth of Clyde...

, Kingarth
Kingarth
Kingarth is a historic village and parish on the Isle of Bute, off the coast of south-western Scotland. In the Early Middle Ages it was the site of a monastery and bishopric and the cult centre of Saints Cathan and Bláán ....

 and Port Bannatyne
Port Bannatyne
Port Bannatyne is a coastal village on the Isle of Bute, Scotland. It is a popular harbour for yachts.It is approximately north of Rothesay and from Rhubodach....

.

Bute is divided in two by the Highland Boundary Fault
Highland Boundary Fault
The Highland Boundary Fault is a geological fault that traverses Scotland from Arran and Helensburgh on the west coast to Stonehaven in the east...

. North of the fault the island is hilly and largely uncultivated with extensive areas of forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...

. The highest hill is Kames Hill at 267 metres. To the south of the fault the terrain is smoother and highly cultivated although in the far south is to be found the island's most rugged terrain around Glen Callum. Loch Fad is Bute's largest body of freshwater and runs along the fault line.

The western side of Bute is known for its beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...

es, many of which enjoy fine views over the Sound of Bute
Sound of Bute
The Sound of Bute is a broad channel or sound separating the islands of Arran and Bute on the west coast of Scotland.The sound leads up from the lower Firth of Clyde passes the island of Inchmarnock and splits into the Kyles of Bute, Loch Fyne and round the north end of Arran into the Kilbrannan...

 towards Arran
Isle of Arran
Arran or the Isle of Arran is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, and with an area of is the seventh largest Scottish island. It is in the unitary council area of North Ayrshire and the 2001 census had a resident population of 5,058...

 and Bute's smaller satellite island Inchmarnock
Inchmarnock
Inchmarnock is an island at the northern end of the Sound of Bute on the west coast of Scotland.-Geography:Inchmarnock lies to the west of the Isle of Bute at the northern end of the Sound of Bute. It is around long and rises to a height of . The island consists mainly of a single ridge running...

. Villages on the western side of the island include Straad, around St. Ninian's Bay, and Kildavanan on Ettrick Bay.

In the north, Bute is separated from the Cowal
Cowal
thumb|Cowal shown within ArgyllCowal is a peninsula in Argyll and Bute in the Scottish Highlands.-Description:The northern part of Cowal is mostly the mountainous Argyll Forest Park. Cowal is separated from the Kintyre peninsula to the west by Loch Fyne, and from Inverclyde and North Ayrshire to...

 peninsula by the Kyles of Bute
Kyles of Bute
The Kyles of Bute are a narrow sea channel which separates the northern end of the Isle of Bute from the Cowal peninsula, part of the Scottish mainland....

. The northern part of the island is sparsely populated, and the ferry terminal at Rhubodach
Rhubodach
Rhubodach is a small settlement on the north-eastern shore of the Isle of Bute, Scotland.The name Rhubodach may come from the Gaelic Rubha a’ Bhodaich which translates as old man's point or promontory or alternatively may be from An Rubha Bhódaich meaning the Bute headland.Rhubodach lies at the...

 connects the island to the mainland at Colintraive
Colintraive
Colintraive is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Ferries sail between Colintraive and Rhubodach on the Isle of Bute. It is located on the Kyles of Bute or Loch Riddon on the west coast of the Cowal peninsula...

 by the smaller of the island's two ferries. The crossing is one of the shortest, less than 300 metre, and takes only a few minutes but is busy because many tourists prefer the scenic route to the island.

North Bute forms part of the Kyles of Bute National Scenic Area
National Scenic Area
National Scenic Area is a designation for areas of natural beauty used by more than one nation.* National Scenic Area * National Scenic Area * National scenic areas in Taiwan* National Scenic Area...

, one of 40 in Scotland.

Etymology

The name "Bute" is of uncertain origin. According to Mac an Tàilleir (2003) it may be derived from the Old Irish bót, meaning "fire". This opinion is supported by Watson (1926), who argues that the signal fires may be the origin. He also states that there is no likely derivation from Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...

's Ebudae. This reference to beacon fires may date from the Norse
Norse
Norse may refer to:In history:* Norsemen, the Scandinavian people before the Christianization of Scandinavia** Norse mythology** Norse paganism** Norse art** Norse activity in the British IslesIn language:...

 period.

Probably originally known to the Norse as Bót, later during the Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...

 period the island was known as "Rothesay", possibly referring to a personal name "Roth" or "Roderick" with the Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....

 suffix ey, meaning "island". This name eventually came to refer to the main town on the island, which was also known in Gaelic as Baile Bhòid, literally "the town of Bute".

Haswell-Smith (2004) states that the original derivation was form the Brythonic budh meaning "corn". It has also been suggested that the name may mean "victory isle" or have been named after St Brendan
Brendan
Saint Brendan of Clonfert or Bréanainn of Clonfert called "the Navigator", "the Voyager", or "the Bold" is one of the early Irish monastic saints. He is chiefly renowned for his legendary quest to the "Isle of the Blessed," also called St. Brendan's Island. The Voyage of St...

, although this is unlikely.

History

The human occupation of Bute dates from prehistoric times. The Queen of the Inch necklace is an article of jewellery made of jet
Jet (lignite)
Jet is a geological material and is considered to be a minor gemstone. Jet is not considered a true mineral, but rather a mineraloid as it has an organic origin, being derived from decaying wood under extreme pressure....

  found in a cist
Cist
A cist from ) is a small stone-built coffin-like box or ossuary used to hold the bodies of the dead. Examples can be found across Europe and in the Middle East....

 that dates from circa 2000 BC.

Bute was absorbed into the Cenél Comgall of Dál Riata
Dál Riata
Dál Riata was a Gaelic overkingdom on the western coast of Scotland with some territory on the northeast coast of Ireland...

 and colonized by Gealic peoples.

After the Viking period the island was not granted to the Lord of the Isles
Lord of the Isles
The designation Lord of the Isles is today a title of Scottish nobility with historical roots that go back beyond the Kingdom of Scotland. It emerged from a series of hybrid Viking/Gaelic rulers of the west coast and islands of Scotland in the Middle Ages, who wielded sea-power with fleets of...

, as were most of the islands off Scotland's west coast. Instead Bute became the personal property of the Scottish monarchy.

In the 1940s and 1950s Bute served as a large naval
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...

 headquarters. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 it housed a large camp for officers and NCOs
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...

 of the Polish Armed Forces in the West
Polish Armed Forces in the West
Polish Armed Forces in the West refers to the Polish military formations formed to fight alongside the Western Allies against Nazi Germany and its allies...

. Officially a military camp, it was unofficially thought of as a prison for Władysław Sikorski's political enemies.

Transport

Bute is connected with the Scottish mainland by two Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, and ferry services, between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west coast...

 ferries:
  • Rothesay
    Rothesay, Argyll and Bute
    The town of Rothesay is the principal town on the Isle of Bute, in the council area of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It can be reached by ferry from Wemyss Bay which offers an onward rail link to Glasgow. At the centre of the town is Rothesay Castle, a ruined castle which dates back to the 13th...

     to Wemyss Bay
    Wemyss Bay
    Wemyss Bay is a village on the coast of the Firth of Clyde falling within the Inverclyde council area and historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The name may derive from the Gaelic uaimh, meaning 'cave'...

  • Rhubodach
    Rhubodach
    Rhubodach is a small settlement on the north-eastern shore of the Isle of Bute, Scotland.The name Rhubodach may come from the Gaelic Rubha a’ Bhodaich which translates as old man's point or promontory or alternatively may be from An Rubha Bhódaich meaning the Bute headland.Rhubodach lies at the...

     to Colintraive
    Colintraive
    Colintraive is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Ferries sail between Colintraive and Rhubodach on the Isle of Bute. It is located on the Kyles of Bute or Loch Riddon on the west coast of the Cowal peninsula...



During summer, the paddle steamer
Paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...

 Waverley
PS Waverley
PS Waverley is the last seagoing passenger carrying paddle steamer in the world. Built in 1946, she sailed from Craigendoran on the Firth of Clyde to Arrochar on Loch Long until 1973...

 calls at Rothesay on regular cruises.

There is a regular bus service along the eastern coast road, and a daily service connecting the island with Argyll and the western Highlands and Islands. Many independent holidaymakers use the island as a stepping stone from Glasgow and Ayrshire to western Scotland using this route. In summer an open-top bus tours the island leaving from Guildford Square by the ferry at 11am and 1pm.

The main ferry to the island leaves from Wemyss Bay, a village on the A78
A78 road
The A78 is an A road in Scotland. It connects Greenock and Prestwick on a route which follows the northern section of the Ayrshire coast.-Route:...

, the coast road between Glasgow and Ayr. Wemyss Bay is connected by rail to Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...

 (for Glasgow International Airport) and Glasgow Central station
Glasgow Central station
Glasgow Central is the larger of the two present main-line railway terminals in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. The station was opened by the Caledonian Railway on 31 July 1879 and is currently managed by Network Rail...

. Prestwick Airport (used by RyanAir
Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline. Its head office is at Dublin Airport and its primary operational bases at Dublin Airport and London Stansted Airport....

 and several other airlines) is connected directly to Wemyss Bay by FASTBUS 585, which runs twice an hour.

There is an ad hoc link between Glasgow Pacific Quay and Port Bannatyne Marina by Loch Lomond Seaplanes, journey time 17 minutes. http://lochlomondseaplanes.com/

Education

The island has one secondary school, Rothesay Academy, which moved to a new modern joint campus with Rothesay Primary in 2007. The largest of the island's three primary schools is Rothesay Primary, the smallest school (with roughly 50 pupils) is North Bute Primary in Port Bannatyne. The third primary school, St Andrews Primary, is a Catholic School
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...

 aligned with St Andrew's Church, the only Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

 Church on the predominantly Protestant island.

Sport

Bute has many sports clubs and activities available. There are three golf courses: Rothesay Golf Club, Kingarth Golf Club and Port Bannatyne Golf Club. The most successful sporting club on the island is Bute Shinty Club
Bute Shinty Club
Bute Shinty Club is a shinty club from Rothesay, Isle of Bute, Scotland. The first team was relegated from the Premier Division in 2010 but romped to victory and promotion in an undefeated 2011 season back to the Premier Division...

 who play at the highest level of shinty
Shinty
Shinty is a team game played with sticks and a ball. Shinty is now played mainly in the Scottish Highlands, and amongst Highland migrants to the big cities of Scotland, but it was formerly more widespread, being once competitively played on a widespread basis in England and other areas in the...

 (the Marine Harvest Premier League). In 2006 Bute won promotion to the Premier League by winning the South Division One. Bute also won the Ballimore Cup and were runners up in the Glasgow Celtic Society Cup in 2006. The local amateur football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 team are known as the Brandanes
Rothesay Brandane F.C.
Rothesay Brandane Amateur Football Club are a football club playing in the town of Rothesay on the Isle of Bute in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. They were formed in 1946 and after joining the Scottish Amateur Football Association were accepted to compete in the West of Scotland Amateur League,...

, and the junior team are the Brandane Rovers. Bute also has facilities for fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

, rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...

, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

, bowls
Bowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...

, and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...

. Petanque is played at Port Bannatyne; boules may be hired from the Post Office there.

The centre for sailing on Bute is at Port Bannatyne with two boatyards and the new marina, and a club which organises private moorings in these particularly protected waters of Kames Bay. There is Bute Sailing School with its own yacht.

Economy

Farming and tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...

 are the main industries on the island, along with fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

 and forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...

. Privately owned businesses include Telecom Service Centres (TSC), Port Bannatyne Marina and Boat Yard, the Ardmaleish Boatbuilding Company, Bute Fabrics Ltd, (an international weaver of contemporary woollen fabrics for upholstery and vertical applications), and the Scottish Mead Company.

The local radio station, Bute FM, found itself at the centre of a local controversy in 2010 after presenter Michael Blair was sacked and several volunteers walked out in sympathy. The situation was apparently exacerbated when the a phone-in show was prevented from airing complaints from listeners about the incident. The show's presenter resigned in protest stating that "for a community radio show to tell listeners they can't have their say on a show called 'Have Your Say' is just incredible."

Attractions

Architectural attractions on the island include the ruined twelfth century St Blane's Chapel on a site associated with Saint Catan and Saint Blane
Saint Blane
Saint Blane was a Bishop and Confessor in Scotland, born on the Isle of Bute, date unknown; died 590. His feast is kept on 10 August. He was a nephew of St. Cathan, and was educated in Ireland under Sts. Comgall and Kenneth; he became a monk, went to Scotland, and was eventually bishop among the...

, who was born on Bute. Another ruined chapel, dating from the sixth century, lies at St Ninian's Point.

The eccentric Mount Stuart House
Mount Stuart House
Mount Stuart House on the east coast of the Isle of Bute, Scotland is a Neo-Gothic country house with extensive gardens. Mount Stuart was designed by Sir Robert Rowand Anderson for the 3rd Marquess of Bute in the late 1870s, to replace an earlier house by Alexander McGill, which burnt down in...

 is often cited as one the world's most impressive neo-Gothic mansions, bringing many architectural students from Glasgow on day-trips. The third Marquess had a passion for art, astrology, mysticism and religion and the house reflects this in the architecture, furnishings and art collection. There is a marble chapel, much stained glass and walls of paintings. The house is open at Easter and from May to October. There are gardens with plants imported from many parts of the world, and a Visitor Centre. The gardens host a number of events throughout the year starting with an Easter Parade. In 2003 the fashion designer Stella McCartney
Stella McCartney
Stella Nina McCartney is an English fashion designer. She is the daughter of former Beatles member Sir Paul McCartney and the late photographer and animal rights activist, Linda McCartney.-Early life:...

 married in the chapel, generating intense media interest. Activities and workshops are often held there in the summer by a local organization that provides after school clubs and activities in the school holidays; there is also a farmers' market and a Christmas market held in the house and in the visitors centre.

The Pavilion is a 1930s edifice housing a concert hall, workshops and cafe, and noted for its architecture. The Pavilion is little changed from when it was built.

Rothesay Castle
Rothesay Castle
Rothesay Castle is a ruined castle in Rothesay, the principal town on the Isle of Bute, in western Scotland. Located at , the castle has been described as "one of the most remarkable in Scotland", for its long history dating back to the beginning of the 13th century, and its unusual circular...

 was built 800 years ago by the hereditary High Steward of Scotland.

Ascog Hall Fernery and Gardens are a renovated Victorian residence and glass-house containing shrubs and plants from all over the Empire, including a fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...

 believed to be over 1,000 years old.

Loch Fad is a deep freshwater loch
Loch
Loch is the Irish and Scottish Gaelic word for a lake or a sea inlet. It has been anglicised as lough, although this is pronounced the same way as loch. Some lochs could also be called a firth, fjord, estuary, strait or bay...

 stocked with pike and brown trout available to visiting tourist fishermen. Boats are available to hire.

The Old Post Office, now used only for sorting mail, is an historic working post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...

 (open mornings only) which houses artifacts of the early post, some from before the advent of the postage stamp
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...

.

Scalpsie Bay has a colony of over 200 seals on its beach, which can only be reached on foot across the fields. The island also has many herds of deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...

, rich bird life and some large hare
Hare
Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...

s. Wild goat with large curled horns may be seen in the north of the island.

Port Bannatyne
Port Bannatyne
Port Bannatyne is a coastal village on the Isle of Bute, Scotland. It is a popular harbour for yachts.It is approximately north of Rothesay and from Rhubodach....

, a village towards the north of the island, is the centre for sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...

 and sea-fishing on the island. It has two boat yards and a marina for 200 vessels. Langoustines are fished by creels anchored in the bay. X-Class midget submarine
Midget submarine
A midget submarine is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to 6 or 8, with little or no on-board living accommodation...

s were stationed in Kames Bay during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 and there is a memorial to WWII dead. Port Bannatyne Golf Club is known for scenic views from the course. As from April 2009, Port Bannatyne will have its own marina.http://www.portbannatynemarina.co.uk/

The road from Port Bannatyne
Port Bannatyne
Port Bannatyne is a coastal village on the Isle of Bute, Scotland. It is a popular harbour for yachts.It is approximately north of Rothesay and from Rhubodach....

 goes seven miles along the shore of the Kyles of Bute until it reaches the minor ferry over to Colintraive on the Argyll mainland.

The 1920s Winter-Gardens (now the "Discovery Centre") close to the Rothesay Pier houses a small cinema and tourist information office. Nearby are the Victorian toilets.

There are a variety of music, folk and poetry festivals, and walking trails and new cycling routes. There are a variety of remote Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...

 stone circles, an iron-age fortified village, and early Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

 remains (including St. Blane's Chapel). The Bute Museum of the island's history is situated behind Rothesay Castle.

Notable residents and visitors

Famous Bute people include
  • Richard Attenborough
    Richard Attenborough
    Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough , CBE is a British actor, director, producer and entrepreneur. As director and producer he won two Academy Awards for the 1982 film Gandhi...

    , film director owned the Rhubodach estate on the island at one time;
  • Andrew Bannatyne (1798 - 1871), politician, lawyer and businessman;
  • Lieutenant Henry Robertson (Birdie) Bowers (1883–1912) polar explorer, who died with Scott
    Robert Falcon Scott
    Captain Robert Falcon Scott, CVO was a Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery Expedition, 1901–04, and the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition, 1910–13...

     in the Antarctic;
  • Adam Crozier
    Adam Crozier
    Adam Crozier is a Scottish businessman, and the current chief executive officer of media company ITV plc, operator of the television channel ITV in England and Wales...

    , former chief executive of the Royal Mail
    Royal Mail
    Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...

    ;
  • The current Marquess of Bute
    Marquess of Bute
    Marquess of the County of Bute, shortened in general usage to Marquess of Bute, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1796 for John Stuart, 4th Earl of Bute.-Family history:...

     is former Formula One
    Formula One
    Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...

     racing driver Johnny Dumfries
    John Crichton-Stuart, 7th Marquess of Bute
    John Colum Crichton-Stuart, 7th Marquess of Bute , styled Earl of Dumfries before 1993 and from this courtesy title usually known as Johnny Dumfries, is a Scottish peer and a former racing driver. He does not use his title and prefers to be known solely as John Bute...

    .
  • Thomas Bannatyne Gillies
    Thomas Gillies
    Thomas Bannatyne Gillies was a 19th century New Zealand lawyer, judge and politician.-Early life:He was born at Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, Scotland, on 17 January 1828...

     Supreme Court Judge
  • George Leslie Hunter, colourist painter;
  • Edmund Kean
    Edmund Kean
    Edmund Kean was an English actor, regarded in his time as the greatest ever.-Early life:Kean was born in London. His father was probably Edmund Kean, an architect’s clerk, and his mother was an actress, Anne Carey, daughter of the 18th century composer and playwright Henry Carey...

    , Shakespearean actor;
  • Sir William Macewen
    William Macewen
    Sir William Macewen, CB, FRS, was a Scottish surgeon. He was a pioneer in modern brain surgery and contributed to the development of bone graft surgery, the surgical treatment of hernia and of pneumonectomy .-Career:Macewen was born near Port Bannatyne, Isle of Bute, Scotland in 1848 and studied...

     FRS (1848–1924), surgeon;
  • John William Mackail
    John William Mackail
    John William Mackail O.M. was a Scottish man of letters and socialist, now best remembered as a Virgil scholar. He was also a poet, literary historian and biographer....

    , writer and scholar;
  • John Sterling
    John Sterling (author)
    John Sterling , was a British author.He was born at Kames Castle on the Isle of Bute. He belonged to a family of Scottish origin which had settled in Ireland during the Cromwellian period...

    , critic, journalist and poet;
  • Major-General John Barton Sterling
    John Sterling (author)
    John Sterling , was a British author.He was born at Kames Castle on the Isle of Bute. He belonged to a family of Scottish origin which had settled in Ireland during the Cromwellian period...

    , John Sterling's son;
  • Bob Winter
    Bob Winter
    Robert 'Bob' Winter is the Lord Provost of Glasgow. He was first elected a Labour councillor on Glasgow City Council in 1999, serving the Summerston ward. In 2007, he was re-elected as one of four councillors for Ward 15, which includes Maryhill and the Kelvin area of Glasgow's West End...

     Glasgow's current Lord Provost;
  • Hector Whitelaw
    Hector Whitelaw
    Hector Whitelaw is a shinty player from Rothesay, Isle of Bute. He plays for Bute Shinty Club and has been integral to that club's success since 2000.-Career:...

     Shinty player and Scotland
    Scotland national shinty team
    The Scotland national shinty team is the team selected to represent Scotland and the sport of shinty in the annual composite rules international with the Ireland national hurling team. The team represents the Camanachd Association....

     Vice-captain.
  • Lena Zavaroni
    Lena Zavaroni
    Lena Hilda Zavaroni was a Scottish child singer and a television show host. With her album Ma! He's Making Eyes At Me at ten years of age, she is the youngest person in history to have an album in the UK album chart top ten. Later in life she hosted TV shows and appeared on stage...

    , singer was born and grew up in Rothesay.
  • Ashley Lilley
    Ashley Lilley
    Ashley Lilley is a Scottish actress who made her film debut in 2008 film Mamma Mia! The Movie.-Life and career:She was born Ashley-Anne Lilley in Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, Scotland. At the age of 12 she won a place with the National Youth Music Theatre. At 15 she enrolled at the Italia Conti...

    , actress, played the role of Ali in the 2008 film adaptation of "Mamma Mia
    Mamma Mia! (film)
    Mamma Mia! is a 2008 musical/romantic comedy film adapted from the 1999 West End/2001 Broadway musical of the same name, based on the songs of successful pop group ABBA, with additional music composed by ABBA member Benny Andersson...

    ":

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