The Isle of Bute (; or ), known as Bute (), is an island in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is divided into highland and lowland areas by the Highland Boundary Fault.
Formerly a constituent island of the larger County of Bute, it is now part of the council area of Argyll and Bute. Bute's resident population was 6,498 in 2011, a decline of just over 10% from the figure of 7,228 recorded in 2001 against a background of Scottish island populations as a whole growing by 4% to 103,702 for the same period."Scotland's 2011 census: Island living on the rise". BBC News. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
Name The name "Bute" is of uncertain origin. Watson and Mac an Tàilleir support a derivation from Old Irish ("fire"), perhaps in reference to signal fires.Watson (1926) pp 95–6Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 24 This reference to beacon fires may date from the Viking period,Hewison (1893) p. 13 when the island was probably known to the Norse as . Other possible derivations include Brittonic budh ("corn"), "victory", , (15th century). or , his monastic cell. There is no likely derivation from Ptolemy's Ebudae.
The island was also known during the Viking era as Rothesay, possibly referring to the personal name Roth or Roderick and the Old Norse suffix ("island"). This name was eventually taken by the main town on the island, whose Gaelic name is ("town of Bute").Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 102
Geography
The interior of the island is hilly, though not mountainous, with conifer plantations and some uncultivated land, particularly in the north. The highest point is Windy Hill at . The centre of the island contains most of the cultivated land, while the island's most rugged terrain is found in the far south 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 beaches, many of which enjoy fine views over the Sound of Bute towards Arran and Bute's smaller satellite island Inchmarnock. Hamlets 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 peninsula by the Kyles of Bute. The northern part of the island is more sparsely populated, and the ferry terminal at Rhubodach connects the island to the mainland at Colintraive by the smaller of the island's two ferries. The crossing is one of the shortest, less than , 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, one of 40 in Scotland."National Scenic Areas" . SNH. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
Geology Bute straddles the divide between highland and lowland Scotland with the Highland Boundary Fault cutting NNE-SSW through the island between Rothesay Bay and Scalpsie Bay. To the north of this line are metamorphosed sandstones and mudstones (i.e. psammites and pelites) which constitute the Southern Highland Group of the Dalradian. To its south are the conglomerates, sandstones, mudstones and siltstones of the Devonian age Stratheden Group (a division of the Old Red Sandstone) and of the Carboniferous age Inverclyde Group. Associated with the latter are Carboniferous extrusive igneous rocks, mainly lavas and tuffs of the Clyde Plateau Volcanic Formation. These occur north of Ascog, northeast of Scalpsie, and south of Kilchattan Bay.
The metamorphic rocks of the Dalradian sequence are divided locally into a couple of groups, themselves subdivided into formations, each of which contains 'members'. The youngest strata are at the top of the list: Trossachs Group Ardscalpsie Formation Quien Hill Grit Member Loch Dhu Slate Member (includes 'Rothesay Limestone') Southern Highland Group St Ninian Formation Toward Quay Grit Member Bullrock Greywacke Member Dunoon Phyllite Formation
The Palaeozoic sedimentary and extrusive igneous sequence in stratigraphic order (i.e. youngest at top) is as follows. All are of Carboniferous age except the Bute Conglomerate, which is late Devonian and separated from the overlying Kinnesswood sandstones and mudstones by an unconformity. Strathclyde Group Clyde Plateau Volcanic Formation Birgidale Mudstone Formation Inverclyde Group Clyde Sandstone Formation Ballagan Formation Kinnesswood Formation Stratheden Group Bute Conglomerate Formation
A couple of thin coal seams are recorded within the volcanic sequence inland of Ascog.
The centre of the island is cut by a couple of east–west trending late Carboniferous dykes of quartz-microgabbro and the whole island by a much more numerous swarm of Palaeogene age microgabbro dykes aligned NNW-SSE in the north but also WSW-ESE and NNE-SSW in the south. sills and other intrusive bodies are present in the extreme south.
Raised beaches are present around most of Bute's coastline, lying around 8m above current sea levels. Higher marine platforms with partial cover of sand and gravel are recognised further inland, dating from earlier parts of the Devensian ice age. Till derived from the ice age is widespread inland while isolated peat deposits particularly in the north. Alluvium floors numerous stream valleys. Small areas of blown sand are to be found landward of some sandy bays.British Geological Survey 2008. Dunoon and Millport, Scotland sheet 29E with part of 21E. Bedrock and superficial deposits. 1:50,000. (Keyworth, Nottingham: BGS)British Geological Survey 2000. Kilfinan, Scotland sheet 29W and part of sheet 21W. Solid and drift geology. 1:50,000 Provisional series. (Keyworth, Nottingham: BGS)
History
Neolithic Era
Evidence of early occupation exists in the form of cairns at the north end of the isle, such as the long cairn or Cairnbaan and the white cairn at Lenihuline Wood. Other prehistoric structures are to be found such as a fort complex at Dunagoil. The Kingarth sun circle is estimated to be around 3000 years old.
A well known artifact is the Queen of the Inch necklace, which is an article of jewellery made of jet found in a cist that dates from circa 2000 BC."The Queen of the Inch Necklace and Facial reconstruction" . Bute Museum. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
Dal Riata Era Bute was absorbed into the Cenél Comgaill of Dál Riata and colonised by Gaelic peoples. Saint Maccai (died 460) was said to have founded a monastery on the island.Other well known Gaelic missionaries associated with the island of the 5th and 6th centuries include Cathan whilst the Irish Text Martyrology of Tallaght makes a reference to Blane, the Bishop of Kingarth on Bute, "in Gall-Ghàidheil".Jennings and Kruse (2009) p. 133
The island subsequently fell under Norse control and formed part of the Kingdom of the Isles, ruled by the Crovan dynasty.
Kingdom of the Isles However, in the 12th century, the island, along with Arran, was granted by David I to Somerled, Lord of Argyll, Kintyre and Lorne. At about the turn of the 13th century, Bute appears to have come into possession of the family of the Steward of Scotland, during a time of internal strife amongst Somerled's descendants.
During the 13th century, Bute was the target of two Norwegian attempts to reassert authority in the Isles. For instance, Rothesay Castle fell to a Norwegian-backed King of the Isles in 1230, and fell again to the Norwegians in 1263. In 1266, the Norwegian king, Magnus VI, ceded the Kingdom of the Isles to the Scottish king, Alexander III, in return for a very large sum of money, by the Treaty of Perth. Alexander Stewart of Dundonald had been the chief military commander of Scottish forces at the Battle of Largs, and was now rewarded by King Alexander III by being confirmed in possession of Bute and Arran.
Under Scottish rule In 1549, Dean Monro wrote of "Buitt" that it was:
very fertyle ground, namelie for aitts, with twa strenthes; the ane is the round castle of Buitt, callit Rosay of the auld, and Borrowstone about it callit Buitt. Before the town and castle is ane bay of sea, quhilk is a gude heavin for ships to ly upon ankers. That uther castle is callit the castle of Kames, quhilk Kames in Erishe is alsmeikle as to say in English the bay Castle. In this ile ther is twa paroche kirks, that ane southe callit the kirk of Bride, the uther northe in the Borrowstone of Buitt, with twa chappells, ane of them above the towne of Buitt, the uther under the forsaid castle of Kames.Monro (1549) "Buitt" no. 6
Under Scottish Rule, Bute and Arran were governed as a unit, the shrievalty aligning with the comital jurisdiction. The latter merged into the crown, as a result of Alexander Stewart's great-grandson, Robert, inheriting the throne via his mother. A corresponding title, Duke of Rothesay was created by Robert's son for the heir apparent, without landlordship of the land. Robert had already granted the sheriffdom to his bastard son, heritably; consequently, in the early 18th century, the latter's senior descendant acquired the (non-comital) title Earl of Bute.
During the seventeenth century, there were accusations of witchcraft: in 1630 an unknown number of women confessed to the crime and were confined in the dungeon at Rothesay Castle, left without food or water, and died from starvation. Other instances are recorded but the most fervent activity occurred during the Great Scottish Witch Hunt of 1661–62 when at least four Bute witches were executed; one woman who was convicted at that time escaped but the sentence was enacted when she returned to the island in 1673.
When the comital powers were abolished by the Heritable Jurisdictions (Scotland) Act 1746 and counties formally created, on shrieval boundaries, by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889, Bute and Arran became the County of Bute. Later reforms merged Bute, without Arran, into the wider region of Argyll and Bute.
World War II Bute played a major role during World War II, and its naval involvements were especially significant. HMS Cyclops was the depot ship for the 7th Submarine Flotilla and was home-based in Rothesay Bay. A few miles further north at Port Bannatyne, the luxury 88-bedroom Kyles Hydro Hotel overlooking the Port, was requisitioned by the Admiralty to serve as the HQ for midget submarine (X-craft) operations. In particular, it was from here (hotel renamed HMS Varbel) that the top secret and audacious attack on the Tirpitz was masterminded.
Much of the training of X-craft submariners was undertaken in the waters around Bute, and especially in the secluded waters of Loch Striven to the north of Port Bannatyne. Bute at War. Bute accommodated many officers and NCOs of the Polish Armed Forces in the West. Officially a military camp, it was unofficially thought of as a prison for Władysław Sikorski's political enemies.
21st century On 2 July 2018, the island was shocked by the murder and rape of 6-year-old girl Alesha MacPhail after she was taken from her bed by a 16-year-old male. The 16-year-old, Aaron Campbell, was caught, charged and convicted, and given a life sentence.
Several major wildfires started on 18–19 April 2019 in the north of the island, involving a substantial area of moorland and conifer plantation.
Transport
Bute is connected with the Scottish mainland by two Caledonian MacBrayne ferries: Rothesay to Wemyss Bay Rhubodach to Colintraive
During summer, the paddle steamer Waverley 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 1030, 1200, 1430, and 1600.