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Buteshire
The county of Bute comprised the Isle of Bute together with Arran and some
other small islands. The isle is separated from the mainland by the Kyles of
Bute. In the early part of the 20th Century it became a popular holiday resort
for the people of Glasgow who flocked to the main town of Rothesay in the
summer using the regular ferry services from Wemyss Bay on the Clyde coast. It
is now part of Argyll & Bute Council, except for Cumbraes, Kilbride and
Kilmory which fall within North Ayrshire.
Clan and Family Heartlands
You can get a feel for the lives your ancestors lived by visiting the area
they came from. These are areas where, for centuries, families lived
together in a tightly-knit community. In the Highlands they are linked to
clan heartlands, whereas, in the rest of Scotland the names are often those
of the local landed families. Although it is unlikely that family
historians can link their ancestry to clan chiefs or family dynasties, it
can still be a moving experience to tour the clan and family heartlands.
Here is a selection of the most common names in this area.
Boyd
Parishes
The Parish Church can unlock many secrets for ancestral researchers. Not
only was it the place where children were baptised, proclamations of
marriage announced and the dead buried, it was also the centre of most
social activity within the Parish. There is, however, no such thing as a
definitive list of parishes. Over the decades they have merged, divided,
been renamed and had changes made to their spelling. The following list is
based largely on the situation at the time of publication of the New
Statistical Account (1834-1845).
Cumbray(Cumbraes),
Kilbride,
Kilmorie(Kilmory),
Kingarth,
Rothesay,
North Bute
* subsequently divided into seperate parishes, ( ) denotes alternative
name or spelling
Detailed information on life and work within each of these parishes can be
found in the Old (1791-99) and the New (1834-45) Statistical Account of
Scotland. These are freely accessible on http://edina.ed.ac.uk/statacc. Part of their charm
is the individual views of the minister, which can include some
fascinating accounts of a parish's history, topography, employment,
landowners, communications, agriculture and even the morality of the
parishioners
Local Studies Libraries
Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local
history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries
are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it
is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for
hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.
The following is a list of the libraries in your chosen area:
Argyll and Bute Library Service: Local Collection
Highland Avenue
Sandbank
Dunoon
PA23 8PB
Tel: +44 1369 703214
Fax: +44 1369 703214
E-mail:
eleanorharris@argyll-bute.gov.uk
Open: Mon-Fri 09:00 - 17:00.
An occasional "Local History" magazine is published.
Local Archives Centres
Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local
history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries
are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it
is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for
hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.
The following is a list of the archive offices in your chosen area:
Argyll and Bute Council Archives
Kilmory
Manse Brae
Lochgilphead
Argyll
PA31 8QU
Tel: +44 1546 604774
Fax: +44 1546 606897
www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/content/freedomofinformation/corporateservices/archives
Open: Tue-Fri, 10:00 - 13:00 & 14:00 - 16:30 (by arrangement only).
Museums and Heritage Centres
Scotland is a country with a remarkable history. So it should come as no
surprise that Scotland is home to a remarkable collection of museums and
heritage centres. These range from the major, internationally renowned
collections in Edinburgh's Royal Museum of Scotland to hundreds of small
centres that specialise in the history of local communities. The
following museums are all in your chosen area. A visit to any one of
them may well shed new light on the lives led by your ancestors.
Bute Museum
Stuart Street
Rothesay
Isle of Bute
PA20 9JT
Tel: +44 1700 502248
Open: April-September, Mon-Sat 10:30 - 16:30 & Sun 14:30 - 16:30,
October-March, Tue-Sat, 14:30 - 16:30.
Includes exhibits on trades and professions and the social history of the
island. Extensive collection of old Rothesay photographs.
Arran Heritage Museum
Rosaburn
Brodick
Isle of Arran
KA27 8DP
Tel: +44 1770 302636
E-mail:
arranmuseum@btinternet.com
Open: Easter-October, daily 10:30 - 16:30.
Comprises an 18th century croft farm with smiddy, cottage house and
stables. Some Arran archival material is also held.
Family History Society
Local societies are run by volunteers who meet together periodically. Most
maintain an index of members' interests - and this could well lead to the
discovery of a long lost cousin or two. If there are any such societies in
your chosen area, they will be listed below.
Glasgow & West of Scotland Family History
Society
Unit 5, 22 Mansfield Street
Glasgow
G11 5QP
Tel: +44 141 339 8303
www.gwsfhs.org.uk
Open: Tue 14:00 - 16:30, Thu 10:00 - 21:30 & Sat 14:00 - 16:30.
A members' surname index database is maintained. Various indexing projects
in progress.
Burial Information
It may seem a little odd, but a visit to the burial ground of an ancestor can make you feel more closely connected to them. However, tracking down the specific plot, or lair as they were referred to in Scotland, depends on the period of time when the deaths occurred.
Up to the mid-19th century it was the normal practice for people to be interred in the Parish Kirk burial ground - although this was only rarely marked with anything as grand as a headstone. The Scottish Association of Family History Societies (SAFHS) is currently co-ordinating a major project to develop a National Burial Index, relating to pre-1855 records. This will eventually be available on CD ROM. Although this will help to confirm that burials took place in parish burial grounds, it will not, unfortunately, indicate the location of the lair.
If your ancestor was wealthy enough, their grave may have been marked by an inscribed headstone. Over the years, family history societies and other volunteer groups have painstakingly transcribed and indexed such inscriptions - and these are nearly always held in the relevant local history libraries or family history research centres.
By the mid-19th Century, many parish burial grounds had become seriously overcrowded, especially those in urban areas, and this led to the creation of both private and municipal cemeteries. If you know the place and date of death, you should be able to discover the location of a lair, although not all cemeteries and records have survived.
The concept of cremation started to gain popularity in the late 1940s and has increased ever since. Ashes may be taken away by the family, scattered in the garden of remembrance or buried either in the crematorium or in a family plot.
Bute
Operation Services
Argyll & Bute Council
Kilmory
Lochgilphead
Argyll
PA31 8RT
Tel: +44 1546 604 113
Fax: +44 1546 604 643
Email: alison.mcilroy@argyll-bute.gov.uk
Requests for searches of the cemetery register and for extracts are required to be made by form. The standard fee is £11.33, to be paid in advance, for work up to half an hour. Subsequent research is payable at the same rate.
Arran and Cumbrae
Cemeteries Office
Cleansing, Grounds Maintenance and Transport Services
43 Ardrossan Road
Saltcoats
KA21 5BS
Tel: +44 1294 605 436
Fax: +44 1294 606 416
Email: CemeteriesOffice@north-ayrshire.gov.uk
Enquiries relating to the location of lairs, and requests of copies or transcriptions of extracts, are handled with without charge. It is not essential to provide specific dates although this helps to ensure a prompter service.
