When you hear of the Scottish Isles, many people think of the Isle of Skye, or the groups of islands of the Inner or Outer Hebrides. A small island nestled close to the west coast and a short trip from the city of Glasgow is the Isle of Bute. It lies within the Firth of Clyde, a sea inlet and estuary of the River Clyde.
The island is only about 14 miles long, and yet it is full of history, stretching back to prehistoric times. In a way, it is a microcosm of Scotland – on it you will find ancient burial mounds, standing stones, stone circles, castles and grand houses.
The Isle of Bute had been a place of interest to me long before I was able to visit it. My mother raised me on stories of her great-grandmother, a woman she knew, who was born in Rothesay, the only town on the Isle of Bute. This great-grandmother was about twelve when she, her sister and mother left the island, and I looked forward to the time that I could visit the place for myself and see where my ancestor had been born. I have had the good fortune to travel there several times, and I have yet to see everything that the island offers.
A short ferry ride from Wemyss Bay takes you to Rothesay, which during the Victorian era and the early decades of the 20th century was an easy and charming holiday destination for the people of Scotland.
The ruined hulk of Rothesay Castle dominates the town. Complete with moat and curtain wall, it was first built in the 13th century by the early Stuarts of Bute. Changing hands throughout the centuries, it was held by the English during the Wars of Scottish Independence which began in the late 13th century. Robert the Bruce won the castle back from English hands in 1311. It again fell into English hands, but was wrested back again by the Scots and at one time was even the royal residence of the Stuarts until the death of Robert III in 1406. When Oliver Cromwell’s army invaded Scotland in the 1650s, they partially destroyed the castle.
Its ruinous state was restored by the 2nd Marquess of Bute in the early 1800s, and in 1871, further restoration and stabilization was carried out by the 3rd Marquess of Bute.
It is a picturesque ruin, and the moat is beautiful and visited by seagulls and swans. I went to the castle with my mother in the winter of 2010 and the moat was frozen. Swans still walked over the ice, leaving tracks in the light layer of snow.
The island is only about 14 miles long, and yet it is full of history, stretching back to prehistoric times.
St. Mary’s Church
If traveling south out of Rothesay, before leaving the town, there is the ruined chancel of a medieval church, dedicated to Saint Mary. For centuries it was open to the elements, but in the 1990s a roof was finally placed on the ruin, to protect the beautiful carved grave slabs and two tombs with carved effigies, one of a knight, the other of a lady and her small baby, both of which date to the late 1300s or early 1400s.
Across the street, just along the side of the road is a (now dry) well that also has the name “St Mary” on it. This is what remains of a holy well, many of which used to be found not only across the Scottish countryside, but in the towns and cities too. Before the Reformation in the 16th century, most wells were dedicated to both local and universal saints, and people would visit them with petitions for healing, leaving votive offerings, such as coins, strips of cloths or other small objects as payment.
Continuing south, there is another beautiful ruined church, St. Blane’s, that has an even earlier history than St. Mary’s. Saint Blane, a local of Bute, was believed to have founded a monastery on that spot in the 500s, a quiet area at the southern tip of the island. There is a holy well here as well, in the grounds outside the church enclosure. The church which sits there now was built in the 1100s.
Just up the road from St. Blane’s church is what remains of a stone circle, called Blackpark Stone Circle. It once had seven stones, and only three now remain, one of which is made from conglomerate rock, which is unusual in prehistoric stone circles.
There are many stone circles all throughout Scotland. While they may not be as large and grand as the well-known Stonehenge, they are still impressive, and you can walk right up to them.
Blackpark Stone Circle is one of three stone circles that can be found on the island. They date from the early to middle Bronze Age, approximately 2200BC-1000BC. Another (which I have not yet visited) is Largizean Stones, and the third, found north of Rothesay, between Port Bannatyne and Ettrick Bay, is called St Colmac Cottages Stone Circle. It had a nearby brother which a farmer blew up, in the early 1800s, in order to cultivate his field.
St. Colmac Cottages Stone Circle
Another place worth visiting on Bute is Mount Stuart, the residence of the Marquess of Bute, and a grand, beautiful house. First built in 1719, it was beautifully expanded and rebuilt after a fire in 1877. When my husband and I visited Bute, it was March, and the house was temporarily closed for the season. We missed its opening by only a few days, but we intend to go back and experience the grandeur of the marble halls, the chapel and the grand staircases. Mount Stuart is also home to interesting art exhibits and events.
Much of the Isle of Bute feels wild and remote, yet it is so accessible. It isn’t often on the list of sites to see when visiting Scotland, but if traveling to Glasgow or anywhere along the west coast, I would highly recommend this little island and its rich history, which spans from early prehistoric times into the rich opulence of the Victorian Era. G&S
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