Bute Siorrachd Bhòid (Scottish Gaelic) | |
|---|---|
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| Country | Scotland |
| County town | Rothesay |
| Area | |
• Total | 225 sq mi (583 km2) |
| Ranked 30th of 34 | |
| Chapman code | BUT |
TheCounty of Bute (Scottish Gaelic:Siorrachd Bhòid), also known asButeshire,[1] is ahistoric county andregistration county ofScotland. It comprised a number of islands in theFirth of Clyde, between the counties ofArgyll andAyr, the principal islands beingBute,Arran,Great Cumbrae andLittle Cumbrae. Thecounty town wasRothesay, located on the island of Bute. The County of Bute had its own electedcounty council from 1890 to 1975.
The historic County of Bute was divided between new council areas with implementation of theLocal Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, on the 1 April 1996.[2] The newArgyll and Bute Council area was given responsibility for island of Bute itself, while the island of Arran andThe Cumbraes were added to the newNorth AyrshireCouncil area.
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Buteshire was created as ashire (the area administered by asheriff) byRobert II around 1385. Prior to that the islands in the Firth of Clyde had not formed part of any shire. The position ofSheriff of Bute was initially given to Robert's illegitimate son, John Stewart, and subsequently passed to John's descendants, who became theEarls of Bute in 1703.[3]
Inherited sheriffdoms were abolished by theHeritable Jurisdictions (Scotland) Act 1746, after which sheriffs were appointed by the crown. TheSheriffs (Scotland) Act 1747 then placed Buteshire under a joint sheriff with neighbouringArgyll.[4]
Meanwhile, in 1667Commissioners of Supply were established for each shire, which would serve as the main administrative body for the area until the creation of county councils in 1890.[5] Elected county councils were created in 1890 under theLocal Government (Scotland) Act 1889, taking most of the functions of the Commissioners of Supply. The County of Bute Council was based at theRothesay Town Hall and County Buildings at 31 High Street inRothesay, which had been built in 1835 and served as the meeting place for Rothesay Town Council and the Commissioners of Supply, as well as being the courthouse for Buteshire.[6]
The County of Bute was abolished for local government purposes in 1975 under theLocal Government (Scotland) Act 1973, which replaced Scotland's counties, burghs and landward districts, with upper-tierregions and lower-tierdistricts. The County of Bute was included in theStrathclyde region, with theIsle of Bute being placed in theArgyll district, and theIsle of Arran and theCumbraes being placed inCunninghame district.[7] Strathclyde region was abolished in 1996 when the regions and districts were replaced by unitarycouncil areas, withArgyll and Bute becoming a council area, and Cunninghame being renamed to become theNorth Ayrshire council area.[8]
The County of Bute historic boundaries are still used for some limited official purposes connected with land registration, being aregistration county.[9]
The County of Bute consisted of two main islands in theFirth of Clyde separated by theSound of Bute:Arran (also including the much smallerHoly Island,Hamilton Isle andPladda off the south-east coast); andBute (including the small isle ofInchmarnock off its west coast); and also theCumbraes between Bute andAyrshire on the mainland, comprisingGreat Cumbrae,Little Cumbrae and the islets ofThe Eileans, Broad Islands,Castle Island and Trail Island.
Arran is Scotland's 7th largest island and is a popular tourist destination, often referred to as 'Scotland in miniature' due to the wide variety of scenery and geographical features that can be found here. The island is roughly peanut-shaped, being flatter in the south and more mountainous in the north, culminating inGoat Fell, the tallest mountain in Buteshire at 874 metres (2,866 ft). It is separated from theKintyre Peninsula by theKilbrannan Sound. Bute is in contrast is a much flatter though somewhat hilly island, especially in the north; it is separated from theCowal Peninsula by the narrowKyles of Bute. A number of lochs lie in the centre of the island, most notablyLoch Fad,Loch Quien andLoch Ascog.
The Isle of Bute is connected by ferry toWemyss Bay on the mainland; a ferry also connects the island with theCowal Peninsula from the north-east of the island. An A-road runs along Bute's east coast and loops around the island's southern half; the northern half of the island is less well-served and can mostly only by traversed by foot or bike. Arran is also connected to the Scottish mainland by ferry; from the north one can reachTarbert andClaonaig inKintyre, and from Brodick ferries depart forArdrossan in Ayrshire andCampbeltown further down the Kintyre Peninsula. A road goes around the edge of the island, with a B road cutting east–west across. A ferry also connects Great Cumbrae withLargs in Ayrshire.
There was aButeshire constituency of theHouse of Commons of theParliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1800 and of theParliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918. Between 1708 and 1832 it was an alternating constituency withCaithness: one constituency elected aMember of Parliament (MP) to one parliament then the other elected an MP to the next. Between 1832 and 1918 it was a separate constituency, electing an MP to every parliament.
The population of Buteshire in 1841 was 15,740.[10]
In 1918 the constituency was combined with theAyrshire North constituency to form theBute and Northern Ayrshire constituency, a constituency which straddled the boundary between thelocal governmentcounties of Bute and Ayrshire.
In 1983, eight years after Scottish local government counties had been abolished, the Bute and Northern Ayrshire constituency was divided between theArgyll and Bute constituency and theCunninghame North constituency.
In 2005, both constituencies were enlarged as part of theFifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies.[11] The name "Argyll and Bute" was retained, while the enlarged Cunningham North was renamedNorth Ayrshire and Arran.
Constituencies with similar boundaries to the pre-2005 constituencies, and also calledArgyll and Bute andCunninghame North, are used by theScottish Parliament.
Towns and places in Buteshire include:[12]
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